Ronaldo broke down in tears after the German ref decided to send him off when he put his hand on Valencia defender Jeison Murillo’s head. Murillo fell to the ground before Ronaldo was given a straight red after discussing the incident with his assistant behind the goal.
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. As he slouched off, the Portuguese superstar told Brych “I did not do anything” but it fell on deaf ears.
It was his first red card in 154 Champions League games and means he may miss a return to Old Trafford when Juventus play his former club Manchester United next month. He has received an automatic one-match ban which cannot be appealed. That means Ronaldo will definitely miss Juve’s home match against Young Boys on October 2.
It would seem unlikely that his ban would be extended, with Article 15 of UEFA’s regulations stating that bans of more than one game are for offences such as abusive language towards a match official, serious assault or for receiving a caution or red card on purpose.It is understood that if the ban was extended, any appeal from Juventus would have to be heard before match day three, when Ronaldo had hoped to face his old club Manchester United at Old Trafford.