Cristiano Ronaldo rues Real Madrid misses despite hitting ton

Cristiano Ronaldo ended a six-match scoring drought in Munich. Picture: Getty.

Despite scoring twice in Real Madrid’s 2-1 win to become the first player to reach 100 goals in European club competition, he lamented the chances squandered by his team in the first leg of their quarter-final.

“He was happy, but not too happy because he could have scored the third goal, too,” said Real’s coach Zinedine Zidane. “That is how ambitious he is.”

Ronaldo’s second-half goals allowed him to end a six-game scoring drought in the Champions League, and kept Real on track to defend their European title. It also helped end Bayern’s 16-match winning streak at home.

Real could have taken an even bigger advantage into next week’s second leg at the Santiago Bernabeu Stadium if they hadn’t missed so many chances. The team also had a goal by Sergio Ramos disallowed for offside not long before the final whistle.

Bayern goalkeeper Manuel Neuer was key to keeping Wednesday’s game close as the hosts played the final 30 minutes with ten men following the sending-off of Javi Martinez following two yellow cards.

“We did well to earn the comeback,” Ronaldo said. “But we leave with a sour taste because we could have scored more goals. If Neuer hadn’t been on such a good night we would have scored more.”

Neuer made two remarkable saves from Ronaldo and Karim Benzema a few minutes apart towards the end of the match at the Allianz Arena.

Ronaldo scored in the 47th and 77th minutes after Bayern had taken the lead in the 25th minute through Arturo Vidal’s goal. Vidal then missed a penalty late in the first half.

The goals were the 99th and 100th by Ronaldo in European club competition, giving him the milestone nearly seven months after he had scored his last Champions League goal in a 2-2 group-stage draw at Borussia Dortmund. He hadn’t scored for Madrid in three matches, since a 2-1 win over Real Betis in the Spanish league last month.

“I trained hard to be playing well in this final month and a half of the season,” Ronaldo said. “The results are going our way and I’m happy for that.”

Real have scored at least once in each of their last 53 games and they are closing in on Bayern’s European record of 61 consecutive games with at least a goal, from March 2013 to April 2014. The last time Real failed to score was last April, in a 0-0 draw at Manchester City in the Champions League semi-finals.

Zidane did not say whether he will rest Ronaldo for the team’s away game at relegation-threatened Sporting Gijon tomorrow in the Spanish league. The return match against Bayern is on Tuesday.

“Now we must rest because the game in La Liga is just around the corner,” Zidane said. “We will suffer in the second leg and we know it.”

Seeking their first league title since 2012, Madrid have a game in hand and a three-point lead over two-time defending champion Barcelona, who host sixth-place Real Sociedad later tomorrow.