Ronaldo Champions League Final Injury Concern
Sunday night saw the final El Clasico of the season, as Barcelona hosted Real Madrid at the Camp Nou. There was nothing at stake in terms of the La Liga title, as Barcelona had sealed the title last week and many onlookers expected a tame match in comparison to the usual fiery encounters we see.
However, fans were treated to a tremendous game, full of action and despite an upcoming Champions League final and nothing to play for in the league, Zinedine Zidane selected his strongest Real Madrid XI.
That meant a place in the team for Cristiano Ronaldo.
Ronaldo Strikes
Having fallen behind in the early stages of the game, there was a danger Real Madrid would switch off and start thinking about their forthcoming Champions League final against Liverpool. Not Ronaldo and the Portuguese superstar burst into the six yard box to latch on to a knockout down from Karim Benzema.
Despite scoring the equaliser against the champions in their own back yard, Ronaldo seemed a little subdued in his celebrations following the goal.
A few minutes later, when the match restarted, Ronaldo was down holding his ankle and required medical attention on the side of the pitch.
Battling On
Despite clearly carrying a knock and the biggest game of the season still to come, Ronaldo continued in the second half, to the surprise of fans watching on around the world.
Yes, it was a match against Barcelona in the Camp Nou but the result of this game would not make or break Real Madrid’s season. Ronaldo was clearly struggling with his ankle yet played on until the half-time whistle brought some relief.
As the players were emerging for the second half, all eyes were on the Real Madrid team as they took to the pitch.
Ankle Sprain
There was no Ronaldo and the fourth official soon held up the board to signal a change for Real Madrid. Zidane had chosen to withdraw the forward and replaced him Marco Asensio for the second half.
Both Real Madrid and Portugal fans were watching on with great worry as Ronaldo took his place on the bench to watch the second 45 minutes.
While there was still great interest in the match, which had started to get out of control towards the end of the first half, much of the attention was on Ronaldo and his fitness ahead of the Champions League final.
At the final whistle, the media gathered to ask Zidane about Ronaldo and he said, “He’s not great right now but I think it’s going to be a small thing – it was only a bad movement,” before adding, “We’re not worried about the final.”
Ronaldo will have a scan on the ankle injury and if there is any damage, he will not be risked for Real Madrid’s final three games of the season. The Champions League final is the only thing that matters for Real Madrid now and Cristiano Ronaldo is a huge part of their plan to defeat Liverpool and win three in a row.