Bayern Munich defender, Jerome Boateng has noted that only a defensive team effort can prevent Real Madrid’s superstar, Cristiano Ronaldo from scoring.
Bayern host Real in a blockbuster Champions League semi-final, first-leg, at the Allianz Arena on Wednesday with the Portugal international in goal-scoring form.
Ronaldo has scored 15 goals in the Champions League this season, hitting the net in each of Real’s 10 games in Europe.
Boateng told German magazine, Kicker, “We can only stop Cristiano Ronaldo as a team.
“In front of goal, he’s like a machine.
“You can’t shut him out completely; he always gets his chances in a game, because of the lines he runs and his excellent timing.
“Real base their game around him and it’s important we give him as little room as possible.”
“There is a no more complete striker than Ronaldo. Left foot, right foot, header – he is in perfect control of everything he does,” said Boateng.
In his six Champions League knock-out games for Bayern against Ronaldo’s Real, Boateng had lost five of them.
His only success was a 2-1 win in Munich in the 2012 semi-finals when Bayern later progressed by winning a penalty shoot-out in Madrid after losing 2-1 in the second-leg.
“I went through only once against him with Bayern, but twice we have gone out,” said Boateng.
“He also has the best team-mates at Real.
“Shutting him out is only 50 percent of it, the other players are simply too good for that at this level.”
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