sport news Atletico Madrid 2-0 Juventus: Gimenez and Godin gives hosts Champions League ...

The ball brushed off of Cristiano Ronaldo and hit the back of the net… the Juventus net. His return to Madrid ended in a 2-0 defeat that goes a long way to end his dream of winning a sixth Champions League back in the Spanish capital next May.

Twice Atletico Madrid believed they had possibly edged ahead of Juventus but twice their supporters were silenced by VAR. They kept going and when Jose Gimenez scuffed the loose ball over the line on 78 minutes there were flailing arms and falling bodies everywhere but no one had broken any rules and for all Juventus' complaints the goal stood.

Anything one Uruguayan centre-back could do, the other one - Diego Godin - could do just as well and his Ronaldo assisted second leaves Juventus with a mountain to climb in next month's second leg. Jan Oblak saved brilliantly at the end from Federico Bernardeschi and Ronaldo headed agonisingly wide but it finished 2-0.

The night had started so promisingly for Ronaldo who almost scored after just eight minutes. He was fouled by Gimenez 30 metres out. As referee Felix Zwayer ordered, and re-ordered, the wall back Diego Costa appeared to creep forward and then jump back.

The referee booked him ruling him out of next month's return leg. It was like Al Capone being done for tax evasion - of all the skulduggery he might have had planned for the evening and he was in the book and suspended for not being 10-yards back from a free-kick.

Ronaldo's subsequent thunderous free-kick was creeping under Oblak's bar but the Atletico keeper pushed it over. Not for nothing did Diego Simeone make keeping Oblak one of the conditions of his contract renewal last week.

Ronaldo - greeted by a an inflatable doll with one of his old No 7 Real Madrid shirts on it behind the goal - was in the mood to remind the Spanish capital what it was missing.

Thomas Partey's shot then tested Wojciech Szczesny. Thomas was everywhere and he combined with Koke to sweep Atletico forward from midfield. When the ball reached Mattia De Sciglio he placed a hand on the shoulder of Costa and there was a tangle of ankles with Costa going to ground and making sure he was in the area when he hit the deck.

Referee Zwayer pointed to the spot but VAR corrected the decision. The foul had been outside the area. From the free-kick Antoine Griezmann went for goal but Szczesny saved at his near post when the Frenchman surprised everyone by going for goal.