After each matchday in La Liga and Serie A, Sportsnet will look at how Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo did, and compare their performances, while keeping a running tally over the course of the season.
CRISTIANO RONALDO
Ronaldo was riding a wave of momentum, having scored three goals over the course of his last two Serie A matches. He didn’t register on the score sheet in Juventus’ 2-0 home win over Bologna on Wednesday. But he ended up taking four shots – incredibly he has 46 through the first six matches – and continues to prove that he’s had little trouble finding room and space to attack in a league that prides itself on its defending.
While Ronaldo didn’t score, he managed to collect an assist on Blaise Matuidi’s goal that sealed the win. The Portuguese star scrambled to collect a high ball played into the penalty area before it crossed the end line, and swept a pass across the six-yard box for Matuidi. The Frenchman still had a lot of work to do, as he was at an angle, but he fired a shot into the roof of the net to give Juventus a two-goal cushion.
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Ronaldo came close to scoring himself soon after, only to see Bolgona goalkeeper Lukasz Skorupski turn aside his fierce shot from in close.
Juventus manager Massimiliano Allegri tinkered with his lineup, going with a 3-5-2 formation with Ronaldo partnered up front by Paulo Dybala. The Argentine usually plays deeper and not as close to goal, and as a result he’s been overshadowed by Ronaldo this season. The change in formation brought out the best in Dybala, as he scored the opening goal and put in a man-of-the-match performance.
LIONEL MESSI
Last-place Leganes upset La Liga leaders FC Barcelona with a come-from-behind 2-1 win at home on Wednesday. Although Barca managed to keep their top spot in the table – rivals Real Madrid lost 3-0 to Sevilla – the loss to lowly Leganes was a message to Messi and his cohorts that they can’t take any game for granted.
Messi didn’t score for the first time in three Spanish league games, but he did set up Philippe Coutinho’s goal with a spectacular play. After receiving the ball with his back towards goal, Messi turned and accelerated, taking on four Leganes players before feeding a pass to Coutinho who slammed home a shot from distance to give the visitors the lead. It was a classic Messi moment.
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Moments before Countinho’s opener, Messi had a shot from outside of the box saved by Leganes goalkeeper Ivan Cuellar. The Argentine also had a shot from distance hit the crossbar later in the half.
After that, though, he was pretty quiet, crowded out by Leganes players who gave him very little room to operate, paving the way for the home side’s amazing comeback in the second half.
SEASONS STATS
Lionel Messi in La Liga
Top line stats: 5 goals, 3 assists, 6 games played
Total minutes: 540
Total shots: 26
Shots on target: 13
Pass success rate: 82.6%
WhoScored.com rating: 8.59 (ranked #1 in La Liga)
Cristiano Ronaldo in Serie A
Top line stats: 3 goals, 2 assist, 6 games played
Total minutes: 540
Total shots: 46
Shots on target: 18
Pass success rate: 87.6%
WhoScored.com rating: 7.88 (ranked #1 in Serie A)
MATCHDAY 6: MESSI OR RONALDO?
Both players had relatively quiet nights by their standards, despite collecting assists. Messi got off to a strong start but faded as the match wore on, especially in the second half after Barca trailed and when they needed him the most.
Ronaldo seemed to take his foot off the pedal after Juve went up 2-0 in the 16th minute – the Bianconeri were in firm control the rest of their way, and didn’t need the Portuguese star to push himself.
On the balance of both performances, it was pretty even. But we’ll give the edge to Messi based on that incredible dribbling sequence that led to Philippe Coutinho’s goal.
Advantage: Messi.
Season series to date: Tied 3-3.
NEXT UP
Juventus hosts bitter rivals Napoli on Saturday in a battle of the top two teams in the Serie A table. Barcelona welcomes Athletic Bilbao to the Camp Nou on Saturday for one of the marquee matches this weekend in La Liga.
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