Cristiano Ronaldo’s penalty deep into stoppage time on Wednesday sent Real Madrid through to the Champions League semi-finals, and also established yet another record for the Portugal star in the competition.
With Madrid down 3-0 to Juventus on the night and the quarter-final tie level at 3-3 on aggregate, Ronaldo buried a penalty in the 97th minute at the Santiago Bernabeu.
The goal – scored against Wojciech Szczesny after Gianluigi Buffon had been red carded in possibly his final Champions League game – was Ronaldo’s 10th career goal against Juve in the Champions League.
That figure is more than any other player has against a specific opponent in the competition.
Prior to the game, Ronaldo shared the record with Lionel Messi, who has scored nine goals against Arsenal in the Champions League.
Ronaldo scored three of Madrid’s four goals in the quarter-final tie, with a stunning double in the first leg setting the Blancos on their way to what appeared to be an easy progression.
But Juve’s three goals on Wednesday meant Ronaldo’s heroics were again required for Madrid.
The 33-year-old’s goal was his 15th in the Champions League in 2017-18, a figure that has come in just 10 games.
Incredibly, Ronaldo is the only player to ever reach the 15-goal mark in a single season – and he’s done it three times.
Ronaldo also became the first player in Champions League history to score in 11 straight matches in the competition, while his goal extending his scoring streak to 11 matches across all competitions.
He also became just the third player to reach 150 appearances in the Champions League, following former Real Madrid goalkeeper Iker Casillas (167) and former Barcelona midfielder Xavi Hernandez (151).
Madrid will face Liverpool, Roma or Bayern Munich in the semi-finals, as the La Liga giants go for a third consecutive Champions League title.
