Ronaldo was sent off as Real Madrid went
out of the Champions League when they were beaten 2-0 by Juventus after
extra time in the second leg of their first knockout round tie on
Wednesday.
Juve won 2-1 on aggregate at the Stadio Delle Alpi with Marcelo
Zalayeta's winner in the 116th minute coming three minutes after Ronaldo
and Alessio Tacchinardi were sent off after clashing as they chased a
loose ball.
Ronaldo whacked Tacchinardi with a retaliatory kick to the shins after
the Juventus defender appeared to grab the Brazilian round the neck as
he bore down on the Italian goal.
"It was a piece of stupidity on my part," Ronaldo told reporters. "I got
annoyed because Tacchinardi grabbed me round the neck and I kicked out
at him -- I shouldn't have done it."
Substitute David Trezeguet had forced extra time for Juve with an
acrobatic bicycle kick after 75 minutes.
"It is never an easy business defeating Real Madrid and so that was a
special feeling," said Juve coach Fabio Capello. "I think it's the first
time I have celebrated like that but now I've done it I'd like to try it
again," he said.
Juve joined other former European champions Bayern Munich, Liverpool and
PSV Eindhoven, who all showed their European vintage on Wednesday by
sealing places in the quarter-finals.
They advanced along with Chelsea, former champions AC Milan and aspiring
Olympique Lyon who all qualified on Tuesday with wins over Barcelona,
Manchester United and Werder Bremen respectively.
Tuesday's defeat of Barcelona by Chelsea means Spain will have no
representatives in the last eight of the Champions League for the first
time since this stage of the competition was introduced in the 1994-95
season.
The eighth name to go into the draw at UEFA's headquarters in Nyon on
March 18 will be known next Tuesday after Inter Milan and European
champions Porto meet in the second leg of their tie. They are level at
1-1 after the first leg in Portugal.
Compared to Tuesday when 16 goals were scored in three matches,
Wednesday's fare was altogether tamer until the late drama in Turin
where over 50,000 fans, nearly three times Juve's usual Champions League
crowds, came out to see Real's stars.
The Spanish side, held their slender 1-0 advantage from the first leg
until 15 minutes from the end of normal time when Trezeguet scored with
a stunning effort.
Then just as it seemed the match was destined to become the first in the
knockout stages of the competition ever to be decided on penalties,
Zalayeta slammed home the winner giving Real keeper Iker Casillas no
chance from 10 metres. |
