Cristiano Ronaldo: Madrid's man for the big occasion
Sunday, November 20, 2016
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With Cristiano Ronaldo having grabbed headlines thanks to a Madrid derby hat-trick on Saturday, UEFA.com's Joe Walker recalls five stellar performances from the Portuguese phenomenon.
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Ever dependable under the glare of the spotlight, Cristiano Ronaldo netted a 39th hat-trick for Real Madrid to secure a 3-0 victory against city rivals Atlético on Saturday. The Portugal forward secured a first Liga Derbi Madrileño triumph in seven attempts against Diego Simeone's men and ensured it was the Meringues who won the last ever league meeting between the sides at the Vicente Calderón.
UEFA.com's Real Madrid reporter Joe Walker looks back at five of Ronaldo's other match-winning performances for the Spanish capital giants.
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Barcelona 0-1 Real Madrid (aet): Copa del Rey final, 20 April 2011
El Clásico is always a spicy affair and never more so than when silverware is on the line. In 2011, the teams met in the Copa del Rey final and after a goalless 90 minutes it was Ronaldo who scored a wonderful header from Ángel di María's cross to secure a 1-0 success and earn José Mourinho his first piece of silverware at the club.
Real Madrid 2-2 Valencia: Liga, 4 May 2014
Madrid needed a positive result to stay in the title race but kept running aground against Valencia goalkeeper Diego Alves, who produced a wonderful display between the posts. After a frustrating opening 45 minutes, it was Ronaldo who nonetheless had the last laugh. His header teed up Sergio Ramos to make it 1-1 and with just seconds remaining – and his side trailing 2-1 – he produced a stunning back-heeled volley to level the scores and earn his team a point.
Real Madrid 3-4 Schalke: UEFA Champions League round of 16 second leg, 10 March 2015
A 2-0 first-leg win, in which Ronaldo scored, should have given Madrid a relatively comfortable passage into the quarter-finals, but Schalke had other ideas. The German outfit played some scintillating stuff at the Bernabéu and twice took the lead in the first half. However, on both occasions they were pegged back almost immediately through towering headers from Madrid's No 7, whose three goals in the tie ensured his side progressed 5-4 on aggregate.
Sevilla 2-3 Real Madrid: Liga, 2 May 2015
Chasing Barcelona at the business end of the Liga title race and in desperate need of a win, Sevilla is not the kind of place you want to visit. Unbeaten in 35 games in front of their own fans over 15 months, the Andalusian outfit posed a formidable threat, yet a stunning Ronaldo hat-trick ended that run and helped keep his side in the mix for silverware.
Real Madrid 3-0 Wolfsburg: UEFA Champions League quarter-final second leg, 12 April 2016
On the ropes following a 2-0 defeat in Germany, something special was needed and Ronaldo promptly made it a night to remember under the Bernabéu lights. Two goals in the opening 20 minutes brought the tie all square and a perfectly placed free-kick 13 minutes from the end sealed a famous win and set Madrid on their way to an 11th European crown.