Cristiano Ronaldo was present in the stands as Real Madrid recorded their first El Clasico win in two years with Vinicius Junior and Mariano hitting the targets for Los Blancos. Real, who had not won a single El Clasico match ever since Ronaldo departed the club for Juventus in 2018, leap-frogged Barcelona to top the La Liga points table with the 2-0 victory as Ronaldo watched from the stands. This was the first time Ronaldo had returned to the Santiago Bernabeu after leaving the club and the club honoured him with a victory. The Portuguese talisman was even seen celebrating in delight as Vinicius raced Real ahead in the 71st minute and followed it up with former star’s iconic “Sii” celebration. Lionel Messi Trolled With Funny Memes and Jokes for Poor Performance in Barcelona’s El Clasico Defeat.

This was Real Madrid’s first win in six El Clasico matches after three defeats and two draws and they achieved it with Ronaldo in attendance. According to reports, Ronaldo, who rocked the Bernabeu during his years with Real Madrid, came to watch the match in a black van to avoid fans from noticing him. But he was later seen enjoying the game from the VIP.

Vinicius Junior Emulates Idol Cristiano Ronaldo

Vinicius does the Ronaldo celebration while CR7 is applauding in the stands 👏 pic.twitter.com/MZrEkmwpG6

— stefan yu (@yutc0202) March 2, 2020

Vinicius' Tribute to GOAT

A tribute to the Goat by doing his celebration from Vinicius jr. ♥️🔥 #ElClasico pic.twitter.com/M8S9S2nP5m

— Imran Khan🇵🇰 (@Wazeer_e_Azam) March 1, 2020

Then when Vinicius, who hails Ronaldo as his idol, put Real ahead Ronaldo celebrated with claps and fist pumps. Vinicius, who at 19 years became the youngest to score in an El Clasico, even paid a small tribute to Ronaldo by emulating the latter’s iconic “sii” goal celebration.

Ronaldo Loves a Real Madrid Win

Cristiano celebrating Real Madrid’s win against Barcelona at the Bernabéu. #ElClasico pic.twitter.com/mjpDXfm5xs

— Real Madrid Info (@RMadridInfo) March 1, 2020

Mariano then added a second just 60 seconds after coming on as a substitute in injury-time to seal the win for the home team. Madrid have struggled in front of goal ever since Ronaldo’s £100m transfer to Juventus in the summer of 2018. But on the night they managed to pin Barcelona down with goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois even keeping a clean sheet.

Courtois was another of the unsung hero in the El Clasico victory with the Belgian man keeping out several saves, including three sitters from Arthur, Antoine Griezmann and Lionel Messi in the first half. The win also halted Real’s three-match winless run and took them to top of the points table.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Mar 02, 2020 02:44 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).