Real Madrid vs Roma : Five Things to Watch For
By Vijay Vemu
5. Ronaldo vs. Florenzi : Round 2
In the first leg it was a thrilling matchup between Cristiano Ronaldo and Alessandro Florenzi, the young right back for Madrid. Ronaldo got the best of the Italian as he scored a wonder goal with Florenzi defending him. The ball deflected off Florenzi’s leg but it was still a great strike. It was one of those strikes from Ronaldo that you just know are going in.
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The matchup will be high-profile as the Romans have to score two goals to get on level terms with Madrid. Florenzi will be trying to push forward for his team on attack but he has to be smart enough to track back as well. He has to remember that Ronaldo is opposite him and if he gets too forward at the wrong time, Ronaldo is off to the races and it usually ends in a goal.
We saw Florenzi pull off the impossible in the group stage when he seemingly chipped Barcelona goalkeeper Marc-André ter Stegen from the halfway line in Roma’s 1-1 draw with Barcelona. He is good on the offensive end as he is great at providing crosses and can hit the ball. He should have drawn a penalty in the first leg when he was taken down by Dani Carvajal but it was not given. It was the wrong decision and Roma should have been given the spot kick. But that is in the past and Florenzi has to repeat his great offensive performance in the first leg.
Next: 4. Roma's deadly attack