What Cristiano Ronaldo was doing before Juventus penalty in Champions League shows elite mentality

Posted Friday, April 13, 2018 by givemesport.com

Just when you thought we'd seen everything in the Champions League, Real Madrid v Juventus happened.

Europe's premier competition looked set for its second comeback against a top Spanish team in the space of just two days. A brace from Mario Mandzukic and a Blaise Matuidi strike remarkably levelled the aggregate score to 3-3 at the Bernabeu.

Just when it looked like the Old Lady had taken things to extra-time, however, madness ensued.

Medhi Benatia felled Lucas Vazquez in controversial fashion during the closing minutes, prompting referee Michael Oliver to award a last-gasp penalty to Los Blancos.

Naturally, the responsibility fell upon the shoulders of Cristiano Ronaldo to win the tie for Real but not before another spanner was thrown in the works with Gianluigi Buffon's dismissal.

RONALDO RESCUES REAL LATE ON

All in all, the fracas sparked an agonising wait for the penalty to be taken.

No less than three minutes passed before Ronaldo eventually took the spot kick and scored, sparking wild celebrations in the Spanish capital.

The time on the clock and the ramifications had made it a pressure penalty in general, never mind when Ronaldo has three minutes to digest the situation.

Oliver had to clear the rabble of players surrounding him and Wojciech Szczesny had to enter the field in Buffon's place.

And you just know that Szczesny was going to try his best to delay the situation.

RONALDO'S ELITE MENTALITY BEFORE PENALTY

So, what was Ronaldo up to during the wait? Well, a new video has emerged on Twitter that tracks the 33-year-old's every move before the spot kick was taken and it shows his focus was supreme.

Ronaldo brushed aside conversation starters from Marcelo, Vazquez and Toni Kroos as well as ignoring Juventus attempts to unnerve him.

Even when Szczesny roughed up the penalty spot itself, pure focus.

Take a look at the video below (skip to 0:52):

I tre minuti di Cristiano Ronaldo tra l'assegnazione del rigore e la battuta. Attorno succede di tutto, lui si isola e pensa solo all'esecuzione. Un pezzo di ghiaccio. pic.twitter.com/ifrAGiGZOI
— Sergio Chesi (@sechesi) April 12, 2018

If looks could kill!

You get the impression Szczesny could have set off a firework in the Juventus goal and Ronaldo's concentration wouldn't have wavered in the slightest.

His comments after the match certainly suggests that wasn't far from the case, either, with Ronaldo citing his focus under pressure.

"The pulse increased, but I calmed down, and I knew I'd be decisive," the Portuguese reminisced.

Decisive, he was.