Ronaldo faces further punishment for red card
Published on: Friday, September 21, 2018
VALENCIA: Cristiano Ronaldo (pic) should escape an increase on his one-match ban in the Champions League but Juventus' star summer signing might not get off so easily in the race for the Ballon d'Or. Ronaldo is among the frontrunners for the prestigious prize, which considers performances during the calendar year, as well as "overall behaviour on and off the pitch." He was sent off against Valencia on Wednesday, after aiming a petulant kick at defender Jeison Murillo, before appearing to make contact with his opponent's head as he gestured to him to get up.
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Despite playing for more than an hour with 10 men, Juve were comfortable 2-0 winners at the Estadio Mestalla as Miralem Pjanic converted a pair of penalties either side of half-time. Ronaldo, however, is yet to discover the full consequences of his dismissal. The 33-year-old was perhaps unfortunate that German referee Felix Brych opted for a red, rather than a yellow card but there was still risk in engaging with Murillo. Journalists in charge of voting for the Ballon d'Or might also take note of Ronaldo's reaction, which saw him fall to the ground in disbelief and then yell into the air in frustration.It was a bad night in an otherwise stellar 2018 for the Portugese, who won the Champions League with Real Madrid in May and has scored 36 goals in 33 games this year. He has won the Ballon d'Or five times, the joint most with Lionel Messi.
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This was Ronaldo's 11th red card, but first in the Champions League, with a suspension now set to reduce his scoring power in the group stages. A one-match ban is guaranteed, meaning he will sit out Juve's game at home to Young Boys on October 2.
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