We examine Cristiano Ronaldo's role in Real Madrid's 2-0 win at Roma in the first leg of the Champions League last 16…
After walking out of his press conference on Tuesday, Cristiano Ronaldo did the rest of his talking on the pitch. His deflected opener at the Stadio Olimpico was not the best goal he has scored this season - but it was certainly his most important.
Twenty-four hours earlier, Ronaldo had become irritated by questioning on his recent record away from the Bernabeu. He responded by pointing out he has scored more away goals than any other player since his move to Spain, but his critics were not without ammunition.
After all, Ronaldo had not scored in any of his previous four away games, and he had only found the net in five of his 14 appearances on the road all season. What's more, despite a tally of 32 goals in 30 games, Ronaldo was yet to score against top opposition. In meetings with Barcelona, Atletico Madrid and Paris Saint-Germain, his impact was minimal.
So the stage was set for Real's No 7 to make a statement in Rome, especially as Barcelona had just extended their lead at the top of La Liga with a 3-1 win at Sporting Gijon. The Champions League has become Madrid's best chance of silverware under Zinedine Zidane, and they now have one foot in the quarter-finals.
In a quiet first half, however, there was little to suggest Ronaldo was in the mood to make the difference. A 35-yard free-kick flew harmlessly wide and another effort was blocked after good work by Karim Benzema, but the 31-year-old was a peripheral figure as Madrid failed to muster a single shot on target.
But while Ronaldo may not be the force he once was, he showed he is still capable of conjuring up match-winning moments after the break. Fifty-seven minutes had passed when he latched onto Marcelo's pass on the left wing and flicked the ball inside Alessandro Florenzi on the edge of the Roma box.
Roma's captain could only partially block the resulting right-footed effort, and the ball looped over Wojciech Szczesny and into the net for the crucial breakthrough. It was the Champions League top scorer's 12th goal in the competition this season, and he might also point out it was his fifth away from the Bernabeu.
Ronaldo ran into the arms of Zidane in celebration, and from then on he was a constant menace to the hosts. He and Benzema may not have the same close bond as Lionel Messi, Neymar and Luis Suarez off the pitch, but they combined brilliantly a few minutes later, with Ronaldo flicking a dangerous cross into the six-yard box which Roma scrambled clear.
He was close to adding a second when he headed James Rodriguez's cross agonisingly wide from close range, and he provided plenty of chances for his team-mates too. James should have scored from his pin-point cross from the left, and he also teed up Benzema for two shots on target before Jese notched Madrid's second.
Ronaldo had made his point, and he left the field with a smile as he was replaced by Casemiro in the 89th minute. For all the recent criticism, Ronaldo has now scored 44 away goals in the Champions League - nine more than Messi - and he is only five goals short of his record for a single campaign in Europe's elite competition.
For now, then, Ronaldo has silenced his critics. The next question is whether he can use this performance as a springboard for the big games that await Real Madrid in the final months of the season.