Cristiano Ronaldo certainly didn’t follow the narrative many had envisaged for his Champions League debut with Juventus on Wednesday evening.

The stage was set for the Old Lady’s newest star to get his new club off to a winning start, and while they got the job done in the end, his involvement only lasted 29 minutes.

Given the quality of the players at Massimiliano Allegri’s disposal, it’s unlikely he ever entertained the prospect of his crumbling in the wake of Ronaldo’s shock departure.

The incident in question saw the 33-year-old clash with Valencia defender Jeison Murillo off the ball, and while the former did clearly lash out at his opponent, it’s unclear whether his action was worthy of a straight red card.

But, after consulting with his assistant behind the goal, referee Felix Brych concluded that Ronaldo deserved to receive his marching orders.

It’s one of those that can go either way, really.

On another day, with a different set of officials overseeing proceedings, Ronaldo might have escaped with a caution - or perhaps even completely unscathed.

In the view of ex-Premier League referee Mark Clattenburg, however, the correct decision is actually quite clear-cut.

“Cristiano Ronaldo was very unfortunate to be sent off on his Champions League debut for Juventus,” he wrote in the Daily Mail.

“With the ball on the left wing, the forward tried to make a run into the penalty area and was blocked off by Jeison Murillo.

“There was a small push from Ronaldo which resulted in the Valencia defender falling to the floor but that was not violent conduct.

“The referee had his back to the incident. It was spotted by the additional assistant, standing behind the goal, who may have thought Ronaldo threw an elbow but that was not the case.”

Ronaldo was then clearly annoyed by Murillo’s play-acting and placed a hand on the defender’s head.

“The contact looked very slight and I cannot see how the additional assistant, standing some 20 yards away, could deem it violent conduct.

“If I had been officiating this game, I would have given Valencia a free-kick and shown a yellow card to each player. Ronaldo will serve a one-match ban but anything more would be harsh.”

So, there you have it.

Perhaps Ronaldo was truly very unlucky to have his European debut in black and white cut short.

Did Ronaldo deserve to be sent off? Let us know what you think by leaving a comment.

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