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What's the story?
ESPN pundit Alejandro Moreno has slammed Juventus star Cristiano Ronaldo for making a hand gesture to Atletico Madrid fans indicating his five Champions League wins following the Bianconeri's defeat in the Spanish capital last night.
In case you didn't know...
Juventus succumbed to a 2-0 defeat at the Wanda Metropolitano Stadium on Wednesday night after second-half goals from Jose Gimenez and Diego Godin gave the hosts a much-needed win.
The Serie A leaders were taken aback as the Spanish giants managed a win despite a penalty and a goal being ruled out with the help of the Video Assistant Referee (VAR).
The visitors failed to find the net, with their best effort coming from a powerful Ronaldo free-kick that was foiled by Jan Oblak.
Following the game, a frustrated Ronaldo was seen gesturing at the home fans by putting five figures up to indicate how many times he has won the Champions League. When walking through the mixed zone, the Portuguese said, "I have five Champions Leagues, you [Atletico] have none."
The 34-year-old won one Champions League title with Manchester United in 2008 and four during his stint with Real Madrid.
The heart of the matter
The gesture has now been heavily criticized by Moreno, who was neither impressed by the Juventus star's performance during the game nor the gesture afterwards.
According to the Daily Star UK, the ESPN pundit said, "There was a moment in the game where Ronaldo flashed five fingers on his hand to the crowd."
"If you’re going to be that guy, you cannot then be the same guy that turns away from Diego Godin when he’s about to score the second goal. Then you have [to] defend. Because otherwise, you turn your back, it deflects off you and goes in."
He added, "If you’re Cristiano Ronaldo and you like the attention then you’ve got to like it both ways. And a 1-0 lead is totally different than 2-0 lead in the second leg. Because pick any team in the world that you’d fancy to defend a 2-0 lead? Atletico Madrid."
What's next?
Following their Champions League disappointment, Juventus will now look to maintain their lead in the Serie A when they lock horns with Bologna on Sunday.
