Ronaldo sent off but 10-man Juventus ease past Valencia

Juventus believe they can win the Champions League with Cristiano Ronaldo but they had to start by beating Valencia 20 without him after he was controversially sent off on his debut in the competition for the Italian champions on WednesdayA tearful Ronaldo left the pitch in disbelief in the 29th minute having aimed a petulant but seemingly harmless kick at Valencia defender Jeison Murillo prompting referee Felix Brych to brandish the red card Ronaldo dropped to the floor like the entire tournament was lost but Juve showed more composure Miralem Pjanic scoring twice from the penalty spot to clinch a comfortable winValencia were even awarded a third spotkick of the match deep into injurytime but Daniel Parejo missed It remains to be seen how UEFA judge Ronaldos offence and dissent but he is set to miss the next European game at home to Young Boys on October 2 After that comes the more threatening doubleheader against Manchester United Valencias fans celebrated Ronaldos dismissal at the Estadio Mestalla like a goal had been scored but in truth their team missed a golden chance to gain a foothold in Group H Instead Ronaldos absence had little effect The Italians won and won with ease Come on Cristiano give us Europe read the headline in Gazzetta dello SportYou could say hes increased the players desire to prove themselves Massimiliano Allegri said Hes raised the bar for everybody They proved themselves here Juventus have claimed seven Serie A titles in a row but the Champions League is the one they want They last won that in 1996 when Ronaldo was 11 and still playing youth football for Nacional Allegri is no stranger to this tournament either with 77 games on the touchline 77 more than Marcelino who has given Valencia fans something to cheer again during his 14 months as coachThey lined the streets outside just to witness the buses pull in booing the visitors and Ronaldo in particular They jeered him during the warmup too Ronaldo replied by banging a ball into the open net from two yards After all Valencias last game in the Champions League was Gary Nevilles first as manager and there have been four more in charge since Jose Gaya and Parejo were the only players left here from that night but change has not yet bridged the gap with Europes eliteThat much was clear Ronaldo started brightly with an ambitious shot from distance and then had a hand in teeing up two glorious chances crossing for Federico Bernardeschi to set up Sami Khedira before misfiring into the path of Mario Mandzukic six yards out Each fluffed their lines Valencia had openings too but lacked punch Michy Batshuayi on his first start for the club twisted round Giorgio Chiellini but was denied at the near post Then the moment the match will be remembered forRonaldo let frustration get the better of him and Murillo made the most of it falling instantly Brych was convinced But instead of capitalising Valencia twice capitulated First Parejo missed a high ball and kicked Joao Cancelo before Murillo took a risk by bundling down Leonardo Bonucci Pjanic stepped up for both spotkicks and scored both the first on the stroke of halftime the next six minutes after Valencia probed but even when Daniele Rugani collided with Gabriel for a third penalty Parejos shot was saved by Wojciech SzczesnyCatch up on all the latest sports news and updates here Also download the new midday Android and iOS apps to get latest updatesThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever