Cristiano Ronaldo came off the bench to put Real Madrid 2-1 ahead of their arch-rivals Barcelona in their first leg of the Spanish Super Cup at Camp Nou on Sunday, but his unfortunate red card sparked mixed reactions from teammates Sergio Ramos and Marcelo.
Ronaldo, 32, scored a jaw-dropping goal and proceeded with his sassy celebration against Lionel Messi’s equalizer.
The famous No. 7 took off his shirt and flexed his muscles before putting the jersey on display near the red-faced home crowd to mock Messi’s last season celebration at the Santiago Bernabeu after he [Messi] scored to cancel Gerard Pigue’s own goal.
Marcelo, who was inches away from the Portuguese, scratched his head in apparent disapproval.
CR7’s decision to go shirtless during Sunday’s Supercopa de Espana attracted a yellow card from referee Ricardo de Burgos Bengoetxea.
Barely two minutes from the first incident, Ronaldo got caught in a questionable dive which was complicated when he shoved the officiating referee from behind and got a second yellow card.
The match ended 3-1 in favor of Madrid but the 4-time Ballon d’Or winner is likely to face a longtime ban for his actions.
Ronaldo will miss Wednesday’s second leg El Clasico and may get a lengthy ban from the football governing body.
Messi equalized with a spot-kick and Asension fired 10-man Madrid to victory.
Marcelo says Cristiano is “f**ked” for getting involved with the referee.
“It’s a pity. What are we going to do?” said the left-footed Brazilian footballer.
“I haven’t talked about referees for a long time, but what has happened has happened. I have just been asked about it but I have not seen it so I cannot comment.”
Coach Zinedine Zidane expressed excitement at the scoreline but said he’s unhappy with Ronaldo’s dismissal.
“We played a great game but I am annoyed by Cristiano’s sending-off,” said the Frenchman.
“Perhaps it wasn’t a penalty but the red card is a little harsh. We can’t change it, but we’ll try and make sure he plays on Wednesday.
“With 10 men we fought and we believed in the victory right to the end,” Zidane added. “This, though, was only one game and now there is the return leg.
“We are happy with the result, but the tie is not decided and we have to play on Wednesday. We’ll enjoy tonight and then from tomorrow we’ll start working towards Wednesday.”
“As always, I’m not going to get involved in discussing the work of the referee,” the Frenchman told reporters.
Team captain Sergio Ramos said his teammate was under pressure from Barca defender Samuel Umtiti, and backed Ronaldo’s fall as a forced dive from body contact.
“He was a long way from me, I think it was a moment of play that unbalanced him and he didn’t feign anything,” he argued.
“It could be possible to appeal because it left us without a really important player for 10 minutes. We should think it over a little more.”
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