Real Madrid thrash Juventus 3-0: Defining moments from the match

36th Minute: Toni Cross nearly splits the cross-bar

Kroos took a shot from some distance outside the box which surely would have done some damage to that crossbar. This was a rocket, and it could easily have been 2-0 at this point.

It is widely said that Kroos used to come forward and play more attaching football while he was at Bayern Munich. His role has evolved at Madrid, where he and Luka Modric are in charge of controlling games from the midfield. But when he does go forward, his ability to place his shots and get power in those shots is evident.

55th Minute: A yellow for Ramos, taking him out of the return leg

Sergio Ramos was on four bookings heading into the match and another yellow meant suspension from the return leg at the Bernabéu. And Ramos being Ramos, it came as no surprise when he managed to get himself booked for a tackle on Dybala. It was smart play from Dybala as he put his body in the way and forced Ramos to make contact near Madrid’s box.

It seemed like a major blow at that time. Real Madrid was up just 1-0 and Nacho is out injured. However, given the score at full-time, Ramos commented that it may be a blessing in disguise for him to sit out the return fixture.

64th Minute: THAT goal. That astonishingly ludicrous goal

Cristiano Ronaldo gets booed and whistled in pretty much every opposition ground in the world, barring Manchester United and Sporting Lisbon. So, when the Juventus supporters gave him a standing ovation after his bicycle-kick goal, which put them 2-0 down at home, you can imagine how special that goal must have been. Ronaldo was stunned by the applause and expressed his gratitude for the same.

What was stunning, though, was his positioning, technique, courage, athleticism, and placement which left everyone in awe. The Juventus back-line threw their arms in the air in near disbelief and resignation. They knew they couldn’t have done much about it anyway.

This moment will go down in the history-books along with other emphatic moments like Zidane’s volleyed goal in the 2002 CL final. Zidane even joked in the post-match press conference that his strike was better than his main man’s.