Ronaldo-Alves penalty duel

He told him just seconds before, "Don't shoot to my right", while pointing to the right at the same time, and Cristiano Ronaldo steeled himself against Diego Alves's psychological games. But the penalty went to the right just the same. Alves had it all thought out, and not in vain either, and thus far all three penalties in which the two of them have been involved have gone the same way, and the tally at the moment stands at two saved and one scored.

Cristiano Ronaldo always aims at the same spot, at least when he is facing Diego Alves. He has shot to the right on all three occasions. The first time was in a match between Real Madrid and Almería in the 2009-2010 season, when Ronaldo fell for the goalkeeper's tactic of a movement to the right to distract the penalty taker and the goalie saved.

They were not to meet again in this kind of situation until earlier this season at the Mestalla stadium. Diego Alves played his psychological trick again, but he thought that Ronaldo would change his custom so he dived to the left. However, Ronaldo didn't vary his habit and scored.

On Saturday the two met again in the same situation. Ronaldo stuck to his guns, kicked the ball in his usual style, but this time the goalkeeper was on to him. It was an all-or-nothing decision to dive to the right, and that's where the ball went.

04:31