CRISTIANO RONALDO’S PENALTY brace fired Juventus to a stunning 3-0 win at Barcelona which put them top of Champions League Group G.
The striker won his battle against Lionel Messi at the Nou Camp as Juve topped the pool.
Weston McKennie also scored early as Juventus got the three-goal win they needed to pip their opponents to first place.
Messi drew a blank, meaning he is still two short of Pele’s goal record for a single club and remains stuck on 641.
Juventus struck first after 13 minutes when Ronaldo earned a controversial spot-kick.
The forward tangled with Ronald Araujo, with the pair tumbling in the area, and, despite Barca’s anger, referee Tobias Stieler awarded a penalty. Ronaldo fired it down the middle, scoring for the first time in a Champions League game against a team featuring Messi.
The visitors doubled their lead seven minutes later when McKennie volleyed in Juan Cuadrado’s cross from six yards after Aaron Ramsey’s bustling run.
Messi was denied by Gianluigi Buffon a minute later and twice fired at the goalkeeper before the break as Barca tried to find a way back.
But Ronaldo struck again six minutes after the break when he buried his second penalty.
Stieler needed to check his monitor during a VAR review after Clement Lenglet handled in the area before awarding the spot-kick and Ronaldo sent Marc-Andre ter Stegen the wrong way.
Antoine Griezmann’s header hit the bar five minutes later and Buffon continued to frustrate Messi before Griezmann volleyed wide at the far post.
The visitors thought they had a fourth with 15 minutes left but Leonardo Bonucci’s effort was ruled out for offside after he bundled in Ronaldo’s knockdown.
Barcelona’s 25-match unbeaten run in the Champions League group stage was over – a streak going back to 2016 – and Buffon stopped Messi grabbing a late consolation with a fine low save.
Elsewhere, Jorginho’s penalty salvaged second-string Chelsea a 1-1 draw with Krasnodar in their dead rubber Champions League clash.
Remy Cabella put Krasnodar into the lead at Stamford Bridge, in the final Group E clash that could have no effect on pool standings.
Chelsea hit back without delay though, with Jorginho converting from the spot after Tammy Abraham drew a foul in the box.
Italy midfielder Jorginho held his nerve to slot home his first penalty since missing in the 4-0 win in Krasnodar, in a failure that cost him Chelsea’s main spot-kick duties.
Timo Werner had blasted a late penalty in Russia on 28 October to show Jorginho how it is done, before assuming top spot-kick billing for the Blues.
A much-changed Chelsea laboured throughout a low-key contest with Krasnodar this time around though, with Jorginho’s penalty redemption one of few highlights.
Ultimately the Blues will move on undeterred, with immediate Premier League trips to Everton and Wolves holding far greater significance – and a last-16 Champions League tie to look forward in the new year.
Boss Frank Lampard has repeatedly warned his Chelsea squad they cannot “flick the switch” off and on when it comes to delivering top performances.
However extensive the rotation proves across this hectic festive schedule, Lampard has demanded minimum standards from his players.
This was perhaps the first time that his men failed to meet those requirements – but if there were ever any time to fall short, this was it.
Billy Gilmour impressed, typically mixing tidiness with attacking threat from midfield, while 19-year-old full debutant Tino Anjorin showed encouraging progress.
