Ronaldo hails Juventus after dominating Messi’s Barcelona

Cristiano Ronaldo says Juventus have “nothing to fear” after their dominant 3-0 win over Barcelona.

Ronaldo converted a penalty in each half as his great rival Lionel Messi toiled in vain – the margin of victory enough for Juve to pip Barca to top spot in Champions League Group G.

After numerous memorable battles at Camp Nou in the white of Real Madrid, the 35-year-old revelled in the most impressive moment of Juventus’ fledgling Andrea Pirlo era.

“Always great to return to Spain and to Catalunya, always hard to play in Camp Nou against one of the best teams I ever faced,” Ronaldo tweeted.

“Today we were a team of Champions! A true, strong and united family!

“Playing like this, we have nothing to fear until the end of the season… Let’s go!”

Coach Andrea Pirlo, who has endured mixed fortunes during his debut season on the bench in Turin, was delighted to see Ronaldo star against his old La Liga rivals, while singling out the veteran’s work ethic for particular praise.

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“Ronaldo was very motivated to put in a good performance here against his eternal rival, so when you’re that motivated, it becomes simple,” he explained to Sky Sport Italia  after the final whistle.

“There are many games in a season and it’s easier to get fired up for fixtures like this, but we mustn’t lose sight of the real target, which is Serie A, so we have to be this concentrated and committed there too.

“It was important for our journey that we pick up where we left off in the derby. When you start with that focus, concentration and determination, then the quality emerges.

“We had prepared the match to create superiority in midfield with three against their two, the midfielders like McKennie able to push up, as we knew they had difficulty stopping them pushing up through the middle.

“The tactical plan worked and then the players did really well to make the most of the scoring opportunities.”

Juve are back in action on Sunday, when they visit Genoa in Serie A.