AP, Madrid :
Real Madrid showed it can still compete in the Champions League (CL) even without Cristiano Ronaldo.
In its first Champions League match without the star forward in nearly a decade, Madrid easily dominated Roma to open its campaign with a comfortable 3-0 home win on Wednesday.
Francisco “Isco” Alarcon, Gareth Bale and Mariano Diaz took care of the scoring in Ronaldo’s absence, securing the victory for the three-time defending champions.
Meanwhile, Ronaldo, who joined Juventus in the offseason after leading Madrid to four European titles, played his first Champions League game with the Italian club in Group H on Wednesday and was sent off with a straight red card in the first half.
“Real Madrid will always be Real Madrid, no matter who leaves,” said Bale, who has scored 10 goals in his last 10 matches with the Spanish club. “We keep on trying to win, keep on trying to score goals.”
It was a disappointing opener for Roma, which is coming off a semifinal appearance last season.
“We have to improve,” Roma coach Eusebio Di Francesco said through a translator. “We need more quality and we need more personality.”
In the other Group G match, Czech club Viktoria Plzen and CSKA Moscow drew 2-2 in Plzen.
Madrid dominated from the start and created most of the scoring chances throughout the game at Santiago Bernabeu Stadium. Roma goalkeeper Robin Olsen, replacing Alisson Becker after the Brazilian moved to Liverpool in the offseason, put on an outstanding display to keep the Spanish hosts from scoring more goals.
