Cristiano Ronaldo’s breath-taking overhead kick against Juventus was practised by the Real Madrid superstar a day before, with contrasting results.
Ronaldo netted one of the finest goals in Champions League history on Tuesday for his and Madrid’s second of the night in their 3-0 win over Juventus.
The 33-year-old peeled off his marker to find space in the box before leaping into the air and volleying home Dani Carjaval’s cross past Gianluigi Buffon, causing Juventus supporters to stand up and applaud.
Cristiano Ronaldo was shown practising the overhead kick volley before the Juventus clash
And a video posted on Real Madrid’s official Instagram page shows Ronaldo tried to execute the same volley in training before the match, only with a different outcome.
After Marco Asensio’s shot hit the bar during the warm-up session at Juventus’ Allianz Stadium, Ronaldo met the rebound with an audacious overhead kick.
But Ronaldo’s training attempt cannoned off the post and clear as he sat on the pitch looking perplexed while play continued around him.
Fortunately for the five-time Ballon d’Or winner, his shot in the match rifled home past Buffon as Madrid took a commanding first-leg lead in their quarter-final tie.
Ronaldo steadied himself as he waited for the ball to drop during Real Madrid’s training session
…before catching it brilliantly with an acrobatic overhead kick as his team-mates watched on
Ronaldo reacted with disbelief after his training effort rebounded back off the post and clear
The goal sparked an incredulous reaction from his manager Zinedine Zidane, who placed his head in his hands in disbelief after witnessing the strike.
But Zidane refused to concede that Ronaldo’s goal was better than his own effort, scored against Bayer Leverkusen in the 2002 Champions League final.
‘I played here [Turin] and I know how good the fans are,’ said Zidane. ‘It is a great thing for the sport. It was a spectacular goal and I take my hat off to him.
‘The Leverkusen goal was beautiful, but the most important goal is the last one. Only Ronaldo can score this type of goal.
Ronaldo produced a near-identical motion to score Real Madrid’s second goal of the night
‘It is one of the most beautiful goals in the history of the game. I can’t say it is better than [my goal against Leverkusen in] 2002.’
Zlatan Ibrahimovic meanwhile reacted to the goal in typical fashion, by joking that it wasn’t as impressive as his own overhead kick scored against England for Sweden.
‘It was a nice goal, but he should try it from 40 metres,’ Ibrahimovic told Sportscenter, referencing his strike against England in a 2012 friendly.