Ronaldo tops Messi with two goals in Juventus win over Barcelona

BARCELONA, Spain — Cristiano Ronaldo got the better of Lionel Messi by scoring two penalties to lead Juventus to a 3-0 win at Barcelona on Tuesday, dealing the Spanish side its first home defeat in the Champions League in seven years.

With both teams already through, Ronaldo converted spot kicks for Juventus’ 13th-minute opener and a third goal early in the second half after U.S. midfielder Weston McKennie had doubled the advantage in the 20th.

Messi and Ronaldo briefly embraced with one arm behind each other’s back and exchanged a few words before kickoff at a Camp Nou that remains empty because of coronavirus restrictions.

But only Ronaldo enjoyed the revival of their longstanding rivalry that enthralled fans for almost a decade when he played at Real Madrid before leaving for Italy in 2018. Twice Ronaldo celebrated with his trademark leap, twist, and thrust of both arms downward as he roared out his goals.

While Ronaldo benefited from errors by Barcelona’s defence, Messi was left to carry the workload for the frustrated hosts. The Argentina star was unable to beat Gianluigi Buffon on his five shots on target.

Juventus clinched first place in Group G on a better head-to-head record in the group with the two sides finishing level on 15 points. Both teams had already comfortably qualified for the next stage prior to the match.

Ronaldo was unable to play in Barcelona’s 2-0 win in Turin in October after the Portugal forward had tested positive for COVID-19.

Barcelona’s record of 38 home games without a loss in Europe’s top-tier tournament began in September 2013.

Including matches with Ronaldo at Manchester United and two friendlies between Argentina and Portugal, Messi and Ronaldo have now faced off 36 times. Messi has won 16 times and Ronaldo 11 with nine encounters ending in draw. Messi has scored 22 goals and Ronaldo 21 in their head-to-head matchups.

Ronaldo struck first from the penalty spot following a shoulder-to-shoulder collision with defender Ronald Araujo in the area. He coolly drilled his kick down the centre while Marc-Andre ter Stegen dived to his left.

Juventus’ pressure gave it control of the early phase, and a second goal came when Barcelona’s two central defenders completely lost concentration in the heart of the box.

McKennie played the ball wide to Juan Cuadrado, floated unbothered to the penalty spot and the American was unmarked by either Araujo or Clement Lenglet to volley home a cross from Cuadrado.

Messi tried to rally Barcelona, but another defensive blunder sent Ronaldo back to the spot in the 52nd after a video review alerted the referee that Lenglet had used his hand to swat a ball in the box.

"We committed mistakes that just can’t happen" Ter Stegen said about his team’s defence, which was missing injured leader Gerard Pique.

"There are two things, the individual mistakes and the way we are defending. When we let our focus slip, we concede goals. We have to be stronger, do our homework and continue to work hard."

Messi exchanged his shirt with Buffon after the final whistle. Ronaldo had already been substituted in the final minutes and congratulated by Juventus coach Andrea Pirlo.

Lazio advances in Champions League for first time in 20 years

ROME — Lazio advanced to the knockout stage of the Champions League for the first time in 20 years after drawing 2-2 at home to 10-man Club Brugge on Tuesday.

Brugge midfielder Ruud Vormer cancelled out Joaquin Correa’s early opener but Ciro Immobile won and converted a penalty to restore Lazio’s lead before visiting defender Eduard Sobol was sent off at the end of the first half.

However, Hans Vanaken headed in the equalizer 14 minutes from time to set up a tense finale.

Charles De Ketelaere hit the crossbar for Brugge in stoppage time but the Belgian side had to settle for third and a place in the Europa League.

“We all knew the importance of this match, it wasn’t easy,” Lazio coach Simone Inzaghi said. “We saw a great Lazio performance for 70 minutes and then we suffered, seeing as Brugge didn’t have anything to lose anymore.

“I’m happy to be back among the best 16 in Europe with Lazio, it’s like winning another trophy. We have always played the final stages well.”

Lazio finished second in Group F, two points above Brugge and three below already-qualified Borussia Dortmund, which won 2-1 at Zenit St. Petersburg.

“I’m happy to have passed this round with Lazio after so much time, I’m proud,” Immobile said. “This achievement has to give us more confidence for the future.

“I have to divide the credit for my goals with the team, they always put me in the right conditions to do well. Reaching the round of 16 of the Champions League for us is like winning a trophy.”

Lazio knew that it just needed to avoid defeat against Brugge to qualify for the next round for the first time since 2000-01.

But the Italian side attacked from the start and took the lead in the 12th minute when Simon Mignolet could only parry Luis Alberto’s shot and Correa tucked home the rebound.

Brugge levelled three minutes later with an almost identical goal as Pepe Reina spilled Noa Lang’s snapshot and Vormer rushed in to follow up.

Lazio restored its lead in the 27th after Clinton Mata clumsily tackled Immobile. The European Golden Shoe winner dusted himself down to stroke the resulting penalty into the bottom right corner for his 10th goal in his past nine matches.

Brugge’s chances diminished six minutes from halftime as Sobol was sent off following a second yellow card. Sobol had been fortunate to avoid a second booking five minutes earlier and it appeared as if Brugge coach Philippe Clement was about to take him off before he saw red.

Lazio surged forward after the break, trying to kill off the match as the rain poured down in Rome.

Immobile should have done so but he uncharacteristically fired over the bar.

Instead it was the undermanned Brugge which scored as Vormer turned provider with a precise cross from the right which Vanaken powerfully headed in.

Witsel returns to shoot Dortmund’s winner over Zenit

ST. PETERSBURG, Russia — Axel Witsel scored on his return to Russia to ensure Borussia Dortmund topped its Champions League group with a 2-1 win over Zenit St. Petersburg on Tuesday.

The Belgian midfielder, who played five seasons with Zenit, scored Dortmund’s winner in the 78th minute to keep the German team atop Group F, three points clear of Lazio, which held on for a 2-2 draw at home against 10-man Club Brugge.

Dortmund’s Youssoufa Moukoko — just 16 years and 18 days old — became the youngest player ever to play in the Champions League when he came on in the 58th minute.

Dortmund was already assured of its place in the last 16 but needed a win to be sure of finishing ahead of Lazio, which advanced by avoiding defeat. Brugge had to settle for a Europa League place, while Zenit already knew it would finish fourth and only had pride to play for against Dortmund.

However, Sebastian Driussi opened the scoring for Zenit in the 16th minute. Aleksei Sutormin played a one-two with Malcom and pulled the ball back for his Argentine teammate to score with a deflected shot inside the right post.

The home team made it difficult for Dortmund to break through. Lucien Favre’s side looked short of ideas and prone to mistakes in buildup play. But Jude Bellingham headed over before the break before Marco Reus struck the right post.

Zenit went close after the interval when goalkeeper Marwin Hitz saved Daler Kuzyaev’s effort and reacted quickly to gather the rebound ahead of three attacking players.

Favre brought on youngsters Moukoko and Gio Reyna in the 58th.

The previous record holder for youngest player was Celestine Babayaro in 1994 for Anderlecht. Then aged 16 years, 87 days, Babayaro was sent off on his debut with a red card in a 1-1 draw with Steaua Bucharest.

Lukasz Piszczek equalized on a rebound in the 68th after Mikhail Kerzhakov saved Mats Hummels’ effort off a corner, and Witsel was left alone by the static Zenit defence to shoot inside the right post 10 minutes later.

There were more than 15,000 fans in attendance despite coronavirus infections in Russia hitting a new record on Sunday. Russia’s total of almost 2.5 million reported infections remains the fourth largest caseload in the world.

Group winner Chelsea draws with Krasnodar in low-stakes affair

LONDON — A second-string Chelsea side was held 1-1 at home by Krasnodar in the Champions League on Tuesday, in a match where there was little at stake.

Jorginho converted a penalty four minutes after Remy Cabella had put Krasnodar in front. Chelsea had already qualified for the knockout stage as Group E champion, while Krasnodar knew it would finish third and play in the Europa League.

It was still a surprise at Stamford Bridge when Cabella gave Krasnodar the lead with a tidy finish in the 24th minute. Chelsea was punished for standing off the visiting attackers in the area, with centre backs Antonio Rudiger and Andreas Christensen far too tentative.

Chelsea hit back almost immediately, however, with Jorginho burying a penalty in his trademark fashion to level at 1-1. The Italy midfielder slotted home after Tammy Abraham was fouled by Krasnodar defender Kaio. It was Jorginho’s first penalty since missing in the 4-0 win in Krasnodar, in a failure that cost him Chelsea’s main spot-kick duties.

The match was also notable as 19-year-old forward Tino Anjorin made his first start for Chelsea.

He was one of 10 changes made by Chelsea coach Frank Lampard from Saturday’s 3-1 Premier League win over Leeds.

Lampard threw on a raft of replacements in the second half in an unsuccessful bid to force a winner.

Popov header secures Europa League spot for Dynamo Kyiv

KYIV, Ukraine — Denys Popov headed the only goal of the game as Dynamo Kyiv secured a spot in the Europa League knockout stage by beating Ferencvaros 1-0 in their last Champions League group game on Tuesday.

On a freezing night in the Ukrainian capital, centre-back Popov beat his marker to head in a free kick from Carlos de Pena in the 60th minute and secure third place for his team in Group G.

Both teams’ hopes of reaching the knockout rounds were long gone in a group also featuring Barcelona and Juventus.

The referee opted against giving Ferencvaros a penalty early on after the ball struck captain Serhiy Sydorchuk’s hand in the area, apparently ruling his arm was in a natural position by his side. Neither team recorded a shot on goal until the 55th when Ferencvaros forward Tokmac Nguen burst into the penalty area and fired straight at the goalkeeper.

There were no fans in the stadium. Dynamo had nearly 15,000 supporters for its opening group stage home game against Juventus. None were allowed for the following games against Barcelona and Ferencvaros as coronavirus case numbers in Ukraine soared.

Juventus beat Barcelona 3-0 in the other game in Group G to secure first place.