Madrid, Spain (SportsNetwork.com) - Real Madrid assumed control of Champions League Group B on Wednesday as Cristiano Ronaldo scored a pair of first-half goals in a 2-1 home victory for Madrid against Juventus.
Ronaldo was on target after just four minutes before Juve equalized through Fernando Llorente in the 22nd.
The hosts regained the lead just six minutes later through a Ronaldo penalty kick, and the Italian outfit was unable to mount much of a threat in the second half after Giorgio Chiellini was sent off shortly after the break.
Real now holds a five-point lead on second-place Galatasaray, which turned back FC Copenhagen, 3-1, on Wednesday, while Juve sits in third place with two points from three matches.
Angel Di Maria set up the opening goal with a nicely weighted pass into the area that allowed Ronaldo to round goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon and chip the ball into the net from a tight angle.
The visitors answered in the 22nd minute when a right-wing cross from Martin Caceres found Paul Pogba at the back post. His header was saved by goalkeeper Iker Casillas, but Llorente reacted first to score on the rebound.
Chiellini endured a tough evening and he handed Ronaldo a spot kick in the 27th minute when he pulled down Sergio Ramos inside the penalty area while defending a free kick.
Ronaldo made no mistake from the spot for his seventh goal in the competition this season, and things got tougher for Juve in the 48th minute when Chiellini was sent off for an elbow to the face of Ronaldo as he attempted to get into the box.
Karim Benzema should have scored a few minutes later for Madrid, but the hosts were able to see out the rest of the match without too much trouble.
PSG won for the third time in three games behind a four-goal effort from Zlatan Ibrahimovic as the French club pounded Anderlecht, 5-0, to sit comfortably atop Group C. Olympiakos and Benfica are second after the two teams played to a 1-1 draw in Portugal thanks to an 84th-minute goal from Benfica's Oscar Cardozo, leaving them five points adrift of PSG.
Bayern Munich continues to dominate in Group D as the German side rolled another three points on Wednesday, thrashing Plzen 5-0 behind two goals from Franck Ribery. Bayern has won its first three games to reside three points clear of second-place Manchester City after the English side secured a 2-1 win at CSKA Moscow behind two goals from Sergio Aguero.
In Group A, Manchester United stayed on top with a 1-0 win against Real Sociedad courtesy of a second-minute own goal from Inigo Martinez, while Bayer Leverkusen handed Shakhtar Donetsk a 4-0 defeat in Germany with Stefan Kiessling finding the net twice for Leverkusen.
Those results leave United one point clear of Leverkusen while Shakhtar slips to third with the defeat and Sociedad remains on the bottom with three losses in three games.
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