Ronaldo’s Champions League experience at Juventus, however, went considerably worse: He received a controversial red card in a 2-0 victory against Valencia, and now faces a suspension that could keep him out of a highly anticipated return to Manchester United next month.
In Madrid, Isco, Gareth Bale and Mariano Diaz took care of the scoring to secure an opening victory in Group G for Madrid, the three-time defending champions. Madrid is playing the Champions League without Ronaldo for the first time since 2009, when the star forward arrived to lead the club to an eventual four European titles.
Ronaldo instead played his first Champions League game for Juventus on Wednesday, but he lasted only 29 minutes before he was sent off with a straight red card for what appeared to be a minor incident. He was dismissed after tangling with Jeison Murillo at the top of the penalty area. When Murillo went down inside the area after they collided, Ronaldo gestured for his opponent to get up, then put his hand on the defender’s head and appeared to tug his hair. The referee, Felix Brych, showed Ronaldo a straight red card after discussing it with his assistant behind the goal.
Ronaldo looked baffled, professing his innocence repeatedly, and was clearly distraught as he left the pitch in tears, still shaking his head. It was his first red card in 154 Champions League games, and the decision means he could miss a return to Old Trafford, where he once starred for Manchester United, when Juventus plays there next month.
LYON 2, MANCHESTER CITY 1 Manchester City’s expensive team was humbled by Lyon, producing a stumbling start to its quest to win European soccer’s biggest prize for the first time. Banned from the touchline and unable to communicate with the bench, Manchester City’s manager, Pep Guardiola, watched from the stands as the defending Premier League champions were picked apart by Lyon. Errors by midfielder Fernandinho led to both Lyon goals, typifying how sloppy City was against a team that finished third in the French league last season.
MANCHESTER UNITED 3, YOUNG BOYS 0 Paul Pogba scored twice late in the first half to get United off to a smooth start in the group stage. A curling shot in the 35th minute and an assured penalty in the 44th — after his customary slow-trot approach — showed Pogba at his most elegant. Pogba’s form may cheer his manager, José Mourinho, after some uneasiness between them since Pogba, the team’s signature player, returned from winning the World Cup with France. United went three goals up in the 66th when Pogba surged through the midfield and teed up Anthony Martial, who also had some tense preseason exchanges with Mourinho.
HOFFENHEIM 2, SHAKHTAR DONETSK 2 Hoffenheim’s Julian Nagelsmann, the youngest coach in Champions League history, earned a draw in his debut game at Kharkiv, Ukraine. Nagelsmann, who turned 31 in July, took over at Hoffenheim in February 2016 at age 28 and qualified the team for the Champions League last season for the first time in its history by finishing third in the Bundesliga.
AJAX 3, AEK ATHENS 0 Defender Nicolás Tagliafico scored twice as Ajax celebrated its return to the Champions League with an emphatic victory at the recently renamed Johan Cruyff Arena in Amsterdam. After dominating possession but failing to score in the first half, Ajax opened the scoring when Tagliafico beat the offside trap and turned in a cross just after the halftime break. He made it 3-0 in the 90th minute with an effort from an acute angle. It was the first appearance in the Champions League for Ajax, a four-time European champion, in four years.
New York Times
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