Cristiano Ronaldo Beats Lionel Messi; Juventus Sets New Record In Barcelona Win

More than two years since their last face-off, Cristiano Ronaldo got the better of his ultimate rival Lionel Messi to help Juventus seal a record-setting win over Barcelona in this year’s UEFA Champions League.

Despite having no live audience, there was a high level of intensity at Camp Nou as Ronaldo and Messi went head-to-head on the pitch once again.

Though Juventus and Barcelona were nowhere near the brink of elimination, both clubs aimed to finish the group stage at the top spot.

Early in the game, Ronaldo netted his first goal with a penalty kick at the 13th minute. The Old Lady then doubled it up at the 20th courtesy of Weston McKennie .

The five-time Ballon d’Or winner once again drilled the ball with a penalty in the second half, extending his all-time Champions League goal record to 134.

Juve’s decisive 3-0 victory over the Catalans saw the reigning Serie A champions as the first Italian side to ever amass more than three away goals against Barcelona in the aforementioned tourney, Opta reported.

Despite the demoralizing defeat at the hands of Juventus, Barcelona was ahead of their Italian counterparts on the stat sheet. To put this into context, Barca shot a total of 20 attempts compared to Juve’s eight.

The La Liga side had also been more accurate in terms of passing, averaging a 91% pass accuracy over Juventus’ 83%.

However, unlike his arch-nemesis, Messi missed badly with his seven attempts to put Barcelona on board.

The six-time Ballon d’Or winner now has 11 missed shots on target to top the list of players who haven’t converted in a Champions League contest since 2003-04.

Despite missing out on the first Champions League match due to COVID-19, Ronaldo was able to bounce back with authority. It can be recalled that Messi lifted Barcelona in their last meeting with a penalty kick to cruise to a 2-0 triumph in Turin.

This time, Ronaldo got his sweet revenge as Juventus humiliated Barca at home. The win saw the Portuguese scoring for the first time in the Champions League against Barcelona with Messi on the pitch.

Messi and Ronaldo last squared off against each other in May 2018 during an El Clasico duel in La Liga. Both legendary players managed to score one goal apiece in an epic showdown between Barcelona and Real Madrid that ended in a 2-2 draw.