Ronaldo slammed for allowing Porto Free-Kick Knock Out Juve
Cristiano Ronaldo got the blame for Juventus’s Champions League exit to 10-man Porto, as he turned his back in the wall and let Sergio Oliveira’s extra-time free-kick go between his legs.
The ball – hit low from a fair distance out – reached Wojciech Szczesny in goal, but the former Arsenal keeper couldn’t keep the ball out, as he palmed it into the net.
That made an action-packed game 2-2 on the night; 4-3 to Porto on aggregate. Juventus pulled one back through Adrien Rabiot, but the last-16 tie finished 4-4 overall and Porto went through on away goals.
Ronaldo and Szczesny will inevitably face criticism for their role in the crucial free-kick which changed the game.
Juventus and Ronaldo – the record Champions League goalscorer – exited the competition. The Serie A champions have never got past the quarter-final stage since the Portuguese ace joined the club in 2018.
Porto actually got off to a perfect start with Oliveira’s first-half penalty putting the visitors 1-0 up on the night and 3-1 up on aggregate.
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However Juventus got their act together in the second half as the man who scored their goal in the first leg – Federico Chiesa – curled in a superb shot to equalise on the night.
But Szczesny was at least partially to blame for the goal which put Porto through, as he failed to keep out the long-range free-kick – which went right through Ronaldo in the wall and into the back of the net.