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Ronaldo, who examined constructive for Covid-19 after coming back from Portugal following the current worldwide soccer break, was omitted from the squad after he did not return a destructive take a look at lead to time, and he might solely watch from house as his facet misplaced 2-0 to the Catalan membership.
A deflected aim from Ousmane Dembele and a late penalty from Messi was sufficient for Barcelona because the guests managed the tie.
The absence of Ronaldo took among the shine off what might have been a mouthwatering encounter between two of the best gamers to ever play the sport.
The pair, who share 11 Ballon d’Or awards, haven’t graced the identical pitch for 2 years however that appeared set to alter after Juventus and Barcelona have been drawn collectively in Group G.
Nevertheless, UEFA protocol states a participant has till 24 hours earlier than kickoff to return a destructive take a look at earlier than he could be declared obtainable. Ronaldo didn’t meet such circumstances.
The 35-year-old as a substitute shared an image of himself on social media forward of the sport, assuring followers he was “feeling good and wholesome.”
His staff, nevertheless, definitely missed its talisman and appeared second-best for a lot of the evening.
Striker Alvaro Morata did have the ball at the back of the online thrice however every aim was accurately dominated out for apparent offsides.
In reality, the Italian facet barely threatened the Barcelona protection and appeared toothless with Ronaldo main the road. It did not handle a single shot on the right track your complete recreation.
The evening acquired even worse for the hosts after defender Merih Demiral was despatched off within the closing phases earlier than Messi was readily available to dispatch a penalty so as to add to Dembele’s first half effort.
New period?
Whereas Juventus was with out Ronaldo, Barcelona was coming into the sport after a tumultuous few days on the membership.
On Tuesday, Josep Maria Bartomeu stepped down because the membership president together with your complete board of administrators following a string of poor outcomes, a worsening monetary state of affairs and a really public spat with Messi.
The 57-year-old was dealing with a vote of no confidence in November after followers and membership members had referred to as for him to go away.
It represents a altering of the guard at Barcelona, which is determined to maneuver on from a tough 12 months each on and off the pitch.
The win over Juventus will come as aid after the Catalan membership was crushed 3-1 by fierce rivals Actual Madrid in its final La Liga match.
Supporters will even be comfortable to see extra spectacular performances from a number of younger stars, reminiscent of Pedri and Dembele, who promise to be the way forward for the membership.
“The most effective response we might give to the turmoil on the membership is a show like this,” mentioned Barcelona’s Sergi Roberto after the sport.
“All people has been speaking lots however the staff merely need to win video games.”
Soccer followers will hope each Messi and Ronaldo are wholesome for when the 2 groups meet once more for his or her second group stage match in December.
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