Supercopa de Espana 2017 Portuguese facing lengthy ban

It was almost the perfect evening for Zinedine Zidane as he watched his far superior Real Madrid team ease to a 3-1 victory over Barcelona at the Camp Nou, however Cristiano Ronaldo is in hot water following his red card though Los Blancos will appeal the second yellow which led to the sending off.

Quite simply, it was a bizarre cameo from the 32-year-old as he wasn't even on the pitch half an hour before he had scored a goal, been yellow carded twice and then pushed referee Ricardo de Burgos Bengoetxea.

The manner in which he received the cards has frustrated those inside Real Madrid for a number of reasons.

For a start, no matter the circumstance picking up a caution for taking your shirt off in celebration of a goal is always a cheap yellow card.

Ronaldo's attempt to recreate Lionel Messi's infamous gesture at the Estadio Santiago Bernabeu from last season backfired spectacularly as he was shown a second yellow card for a perceived dive just minutes later.

Replays would later show there was contact between him and Samuel Umtiti, not enough for a penalty but certainly enough to force the forward to take an involuntary tumble.

What happened next is the real story as the former Manchester United star reacted angrily to the decision and pushed the official, an offence which could land him a suspension of between four and 12 matches.

Possible ramifications of this act will be known on Wednesday but for now Los Blancos intend to appeal against the decision to show him a caution for simulation.

Bengoetxea's post-match report made clear that all incidents involving Ronaldo had been noted.

"In the 82nd minute, Cristiano Ronaldo was admonished for the following reason, simulation. Once shown the red card Cristiano Ronaldo pushed me slightly in a sign of disagreement," the official explained.

Article 96 of the laws refers to the 'grabbing, pushing or shoving' towards referees and officials, and it is clear that a sanction of up to 12 matches is indeed possible.

The best case scenario for Real Madrid's talisman is a four match suspension which would see him miss out on matches against Deportivo La Coruna, Valencia, Levante and Real Sociedad.