Tearful Ronaldo still hopes to face Man Utd as Allegri vents fury

Cristiano Ronaldo is waiting on UEFA’s official report to learn whether he will face an extended suspension after his Champions League red card for Juventus on Wednesday night.

The Portuguese superstar was sent off after half an hour of Juventus’ 2-0 win away to Valencia after appearing to put his hand on the head of the Spanish club’s defender Jeison Murillo.

He has received an automatic one-match ban which cannot be appealed but UEFA’s disciplinary panel could extend it depending on the contents of the report sent to them.

Ronaldo will definitely miss Juve’s next match at home to Young Boys – but unless the ban is extended, he should be cleared to face his former club Manchester United in a double header.

It is understood that if the ban was extended, Juventus’ appeal would have to be heard before match day three, when Ronaldo had hoped to face his old club Manchester United at Old Trafford.

Ronaldo left the pitch in tears on Wednesday night after German referee Felix Brych decided to send him off.

Juventus head coach Massimiliano Allegri, meanwhile, has led calls for the introduction of video assistant referees in the Champions League after Ronaldo’s dismissal.

Ronaldo looked baffled and kept protesting his innocence, briefly laying on the ground to express his disbelief. He was clearly distraught as he left the pitch, still shaking his head.

It was his first red card in 154 Champions League games.

On Ronaldo’s dismissal, Allegri told reporters at the post-match press conference: “I can only say that VAR would’ve helped the referee in this decision.

“Going down to 10 men in the Champions League for an incident like that is disappointing. We risked losing tonight with this and we’ll miss him for the next games too.”

He continued: “The lads did really well as we had numerous chances even before Ronaldo’s dismissal, then we deservedly took the lead.

“It was only natural that towards the end we allowed Valencia some more room, but Szczesny didn’t really have a save until the penalty in stoppage time.”

 

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