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Ronaldo at the double as Juve crush Messi's troubled Barcelona

Cristiano Ronaldo

Juventus' Portuguese forward Cristiano Ronaldo (second right) celebrates with teammates after scoring a goal during their Uefa Champions League group G match against Barcelona at the Camp Nou stadium in Barcelona on December 8, 2020.

Photo credit: Josep Lago | AFP

What you need to know:

  • The former Real Madrid striker and his Argentina counterpart traded Ballon d'Or wins for a decade between 2008-2017 and were figureheads for the duelling Spanish giants, but there was only one winner at the Camp Nou as they met for the first time since Ronaldo's departure for Juve in 2018.
  • Andrea Pirlo's Juventus lost 2-0 at home against Barcelona in October without Ronaldo, sidelined with Covid-19, but were greatly improved and earned the first Champions League away win against Barcelona since Bayern Munich triumphed in 2013.

Barcelona, Spain

Cristiano Ronaldo struck twice from the penalty spot to win his battle with rival Lionel Messi and guide Juventus to a 3-0 win over Barcelona on Tuesday, earning the Italians top spot in Champions League Group G.