About this goal
Karim Benzema plays the ball behind Ronaldo, forcing the Portuguese to quickly spin with his back to goal to lash a left-footed strike into the top corner on the half volley.
Ratings
Aesthetically Pleasing 22/30
The goalkeeper barely moves here as the ball goes beyond him in a flash. Lovely
Technical Difficulty 23/30
Ronaldo catches his half-volley whilst on the spin, somehow maintaining his balance to make a cracking connection
Uniqueness 15/20
Ronaldo generates a ridiculous amount of power here. He is spinning, and has to deal with the defender closing in too.
Importance 7/10
In a demoliton of Gijon
Standard of Opposition 6/10
SPORTING GIJON
FootballCritic Verdict
A lot of Ronaldo's qualities are on show here: balance, power, opportunism, and goalscoring instinct
Goal video
More Great Goals of Cristiano Ronaldo
| Rank | Name | Date | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 31 |
 |
Cristiano Ronaldo | May 5, 2009 | ||
|
Ronaldo catches Manuel Almunia out at the front post with a blistering free kick from long range on the right wing.
Goal type:
Free-Kick  Watch video |
|||||
| 32 |
|
Cristiano Ronaldo | Jan 1, 1970 | ||
|
Ronaldo eats up the space down the left wing, cuts inside on his right foot and picks his spot in the corner.
Goal type:
Individual Watch video |
|||||
| 33 |
|
Cristiano Ronaldo | Jan 1, 1970 | ||
|
Ronaldo takes advantage of some unassured defending to move into space before sending a laser-pointed driven strike as near into the top corner as you can get.
Goal type:
Long-Range Watch video |
|||||
| 34 |
|
Cristiano Ronaldo | Nov 10, 2011 | ||
|
While 2-0 down, Ronaldo scores a consolation goal for Portugal with another signature free kick sent high into the top corner.
Goal type:
Free-Kick Watch video |
|||||
| 35 |
|
Cristiano Ronaldo | Jun 8, 2016 | ||
|
Ricardo Quaresma moves into space on the left wing before picking out a ridiculous cross with the outside of his right foot to the back post for Ronaldo, who emphatically scores with a diving header
Goal type:
Team Watch video |
|||||
| 36 |
|
Cristiano Ronaldo | Jan 31, 2016 | ||
|
Ronaldo breaks down the right channel then stops sharply to shift the ball on to his left foot. He sidesteps two challenges with a neat bit of footwork firing an emphatic strike into the corner.
Goal type:
Individual Watch video |
|||||
| 37 |
|
Cristiano Ronaldo | Jan 17, 2016 | ||
|
Karim Benzema plays the ball behind Ronaldo, forcing the Portuguese to quickly spin with his back to goal to lash a left-footed strike into the top corner on the half volley.
Goal type:
Volley Watch video |
|||||
| 38 |
|
Cristiano Ronaldo | Jan 1, 1970 | ||
|
Angel Di Maria plays the bal inside to Ronaldo, who quickly moves through the centre, ignoring the runs of his team-mates in behind before smashing a beauty of a strike into the top right corner.
Goal type:
Long-Range Watch video |
|||||
