DESPITE RONALDO’S RED, JUVE CLINCHES VICTORY AGAINST VALENCIA AS REAL MADRID ALSO CRUISES PAST ROMA.
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Italian giant, Juventus, claimed a hard-won victory despite Cristiano RONALDO’S first-half red. They beat Valencia 2-0 in their Champions League opener at the Mestalla on Wednesday.
Ronaldo, who was involved in an innocuous-looking clash in the area in the 29th minute and became miserable when German referee Felix Brych, dismissed him. However, Miralem Pjanic converted from the spot on either side of the break to give 10-man Juventus a winning start to their European campaign.
Juventus were unlucky not to score with two gilt-edged chances in the opening 17 minutes, with Mario Mandzukic going just over the crossbar from close range and Sami Khedira somehow skying over from point-blank distance after being found alone in the box by a Federico Bernardeschi cross.
Juve were again sensationally denied in the 21st minute when first Valencia goalkeeper Neto did well to block a Bernardeschi shot from close and a trailing defender stepped in the way of Blaise Matuidi’s stabbed effort from the resulting rebound.
However, Massimiliano Allegri’s men recovered, and it was Pjanic who put them in front with two penalty goals in both halves.
Valencia were given a penalty of their own in second-half stoppage time when substitute Daniele Rugani’s high arm caught a leaping attacker in the box, but Wojciech Szczesny saved Parejo’s spot-kick to maintain the clean sheet on the night.
Meanwhile at Santiago Bernabeau, defending champions of the competition, Real Madrid, outclassed Roma in a game that ended 3-0.
Goals from Isco and Gareth Bale made sure the Galatikos completed a 3-0 win against Roma in their Champions League Group G opener on Wednesday.
Real, who began campaign to their fourth trophy in a row were rampant throughout the first half and finally scored a deserved opener just before half-time when Isco curled in his free kick after drawing a foul from Daniele De Rossi just outside the Roma area.
Roma saw their best chance of the opening hour saved just after the break when Keylor Navas went high and to his left to palm away Cengiz Under’s swerving shot on 49 minutes.
Soon after Madrid would have their second when Gareth Bale finished off a blistering counter-attack after Modric played him in behind the Roma defence with a incisive through ball to the Wales international.
Marco Asensio came on for Bale just after the hour mark and almost had Real’s third in the 79th minute only to see Olsen save his close-range shot after his neat turn left him with just the Roma keeper to beat.
And Mariano, who only returned to the club in the summer after spending last season with Lyon, fired in Real’s third and his first career Champions League goal with an unstoppable right-footed shot from outside the area.
Julen Lopetegui’s team will face CSKA Moscow away in their next group-stage match on Oct. 2, while Roma host Viktoria Plzen on the same day.
In other games of the night, Man U beat Young Boys 3-0, Man City lost 1-2 at home to Lyon, Bayer defeated Benfica away from home 2-0, Victoria Plezn and CSKA MOSKVA played a 2-2 draw. In Holland, Ajax edged past AEK athens 3-0 while, Shathtar Donetsk-Hoffenheim game also ended in a 2-2 tie.
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