Madrid: Cristiano Ronaldo wasted no time in showing Real Madrid what they have been missing during his five-game domestic suspension, by scoring twice as the holders began their Champions League defence with a routine 3-0 win over APOEL Nicosia on Wednesday.
Ronaldo, banned for pushing a referee after being sent off in the first leg of the Spanish Super Cup, opened the scoring after just 12 minutes from Gareth Bale’s low cross.
The Portuguese doubled his tally from the penalty spot before Sergio Ramos’s overhead kick rounded off the scoring.
Real suffered an injury setback midway through the half as Mateo Kovacic limped off to be replaced by Toni Kroos.
And the hosts’ rhythm was disrupted as they struggled to create more clear-cut chances against the dogged Cypriot champions before the break.
Ronaldo thought he had doubled his tally a minute into the second half as his volley from Dani Carvajal’s pinpoint cross came off the underside of the bar, but didn’t cross the line despite his protests.
Madrid’s luck turned moments later when Roberto Lago was very harshly penalised for handball from Bale’s deflected cross and Ronaldo smashed home the resulting penalty.
Ronaldo showed his hunger for more goals as he retrieved the ball from the net and raced back to the halfway line.
Leipzig hold Monaco on debut
In Leipzig, Germany, Youri Tielemans levelled a minute after Emil Forsberg’s opener for RB Leipzig to salvage a 1-1 draw for French champions Monaco. With Leipzig making their competition debut, Forsberg’s goal raised the roof at the Red Bull Arena. It was his club’s first on European football’s biggest stage.
Despite their inexperience at the level, Leipzig appeared undaunted in the match. Shakhtar Donetsk beat Napoli 2-1 in Group F.
