Cristiano Ronaldo scores and sent off
Cristiano Ronaldo scored and was then sent
off as Real Madrid beat Barcelona 3-1 in the Spanish Super Cup first leg.
Gerard Pique slid Marcelo's cross into his
own net before Lionel Messilevelled with a penalty.
Ronaldo,
who was a substitute, restored Real's lead when he ran from halfway before
smashing an effort home.
He
was booked for taking off his shirt to celebrate and shown a second yellow
shortly after for a dive - before Marco Asensio scored Real's excellent third.
Ronaldo
felt he should have had a penalty when he went down under pressure from Samuel
Umtiti, and appeared to shove the referee in the back after he was shown the
red card.
Even
for a player who has been so prominent in El Clasico contests, the 24 minutes
Ronaldo spent on the pitch were unusually eventful.
Having
started on the bench, as he did for the Uefa Super Cup win over Manchester
United, he was introduced in the 58th minute with his side leading 1-0.
He
watched on as Messilevelled the scores before scoring a typically brilliant
goal himself, cutting inside and curling home an unstoppable effort from the
edge of the box.
To
celebrate, he removed his shirt and flexed his muscles, earning himself a
booking.
Two
minutes later, he tumbled in the box after going shoulder to shoulder with
Umtiti, for which he was shown a second yellow card.
Barca
had 10 minutes to find another equaliser, but 10-man Real struck again as
Asensio added to his growing reputation with a superb strike into the top
corner from 25 yards.
The
21-year-old has now scored on his La Liga, Copa del Rey, Champions League, Uefa
Super Cup and Spanish Super Cup debuts for Real.
Having
broken up their famed 'MSN' strike-force through the summer-sale of Neymar to
Paris St-Germain for £200m, Barcelona started Gerard Deulofeu in attack alongside
Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez.
As
his predecessor on the left wing made a goal-scoring start to life in France,
former Everton player Deulofeu struggled to make a compelling case to be the
Brazilian's long-term replacement in Spain.
He
had one glorious chance to make an impression but wasted it, firing a shot
across goal and wide from inside the box. He was replaced by Denis Suarez
shortly after.
If
Barcahave their way, Deulofeu will soon find himself down the pecking order,
possibly behind Philippe Coutinho.
The
need for attacking reinforcements at the Nou Camp is obvious. Messi and Suarez
were lively and combined for the penalty - the Uruguayan winning it, when he
tumbled easily under a challenge from Real keeper KeylorNavas, with the
Argentine converting.
But
elsewhere it is a mix of lesser talent and young potential not yet ready to
play such a major role for a side with lofty ambition at home and abroad.
'I
am annoyed' - what they said. Real Madrid manager ZinedineZidane: "We
played a great game but I am annoyed by Cristiano's sending-off.
"Perhaps
it wasn't a penalty but the red card is a little harsh. We can't change it, but
we'll try and make sure he plays on Wednesday."
Barcelona
boss Ernesto Valverde said: "I don't have the sensation we were as far
away from them as the scoreline suggests. They scored three times, but we
played well and had our chances.
"They
caught us on the counter-attack when it was 1-1 and scored a great goal, and
then another one. But it's not just about getting into the danger zone - it's
about putting your chances away."
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