Ronaldo scores in Champions League against Messi for first time ever as he inspires Juventus to Nou Camp win

CRISTIANO RONALDO scored against Lionel Messi in the Champions League for the first time ever as Juventus demolished Barcelona at the Nou Camp.

Ronaldo, 35, netted twice in a 3-0 win to seal Juve’s place in the knockout stages alongside their rivals who had already qualified.

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Cristiano Ronaldo finally scored his first goals against Lionel Messi in the Champions LeagueCredit: AFP OR LICENSORS

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Messi had scored three goals against Ronaldo before Juventus beat Barcelona 3-0Credit: Reuters

But his brace marked the first time Ronaldo had ever hit the target against a Barcelona side featuring Messi, 33, in Europe’s elite competition.

Ronaldo had gone FIVE games without success whereas Messi had netted three times against him.

Their first encounter came in 2008 when Barcelona and Manchester United faced each other in the Champions League semi-finals, with both players drawing blanks across the two legs as the Red Devils progressed 1-0 on aggregate.

However, Messi did score when the two sides faced each other a year later in the 2009 final, resulting in a 2-0 Barcelona win.

The next clash came in the 2011 semis when Ronaldo was at Real Madrid.

Messi scored twice in the first leg which was enough to seal a 3-1 aggregate victory.

The Argentine talisman did net against Juventus earlier this season as Barcelona won 2-0 in Turin, but Ronaldo did not feature after testing positive for coronavirus.

However, the Portugal icon was fit to lead the line at the Nou Camp on Tuesday.

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And he finally broke his duck with two goals, leaving it 3-2 to Messi in the battle of the legends.

Ronaldo was delighted with his performance, taking to social media to praise his Juve teammates as well.

Ronnie tweeted: “Always great to return to Spain and to Catalunya, always hard to play in Camp Nou against one of the best teams I ever faced.

“Today we were a team of Champions! A true, strong and united family!

“Playing like this, we have nothing to fear until the end of the season… Let’s go!”

Watch as Cristiano Ronaldo is greeted by hundreds of fans outside Barcelona hotel as Juventus star returns to Spain