SOCCER/UEFA Champions League/Group B/ AS Roma - 0 Real Madrid - 3: In a ground bereft of fans and noise Real Madrid made silent progress to the last 16 of the Champions League last night.
But even in Spain few will be shouting that from there Real will go on to win the the European Cup for a 10th time.
In this most peculiar of settings - Roma were forced to play behind closed doors by UEFA as punishment for a previous disturbance - Real offered little suggestion that they are about to recover former glories and were reliant on dreadful goalkeeping by Ivan Pelizzoli and a weak decision by the Dutch referee Rene Temmink for their opening two goals.
Ronaldo profited from Pelizzoli's ninth-minute error and Ronaldo then conned the referee with a second-half dive under a featherweight challenge from Traianos Dellas from which Luis Figo scored from the penalty spot.
Conspiracy theorists will be stimulated by the nature of those goals but at least Figo's second, eight minutes from time, was suspicion free, and another wholesome factor was that Roma's B team tried.
Nevertheless it is a disappointment that Real did not have to come here and play in front of 80,000 supporters cheering on Roma's first team. Polite applause from the couple of hundred club officials greeted the teams as they walked on to the pitch before kick-off. It was a village cricket reception.
UEFA still blasted out the Champions League anthem, but its final chord was met by a huge silence. For players used to intense environments it must have been weird.
Roma, as anticipated, chose to leave figures such as Francesco Totti and Antonio Cassano on the bench, but there was still a smattering of internationals in their line-up.
When they forced three corners in the opening few minutes there were even eyebrows raised that these mainly reserve team players might have something to prove. Then Ronaldo scored.
It could be said that this killed the atmosphere. Certainly it felt like a moment from which Roma would not be able to recover and the pathetic attempt to save Ronaldo's effort by Pelizzoli hardly countered the nagging feeling that Real were always going to progress.
Collecting a touch by Zinedine Zidane from a pass by David Beckham, Ronaldo - all the galacticos started - burst into the Roma penalty area. The Brazilian's angle was not great yet Ronaldo steered the ball into the far corner while Pelizzoli concentrated on keeping his gloves clean.
Real were able to relax after that and to their credit Roma's makeshift midfield moved forward, at times with purpose and threat.
On the half-hour Vincent Candela, a France international, even struck the Madrid crossbar with a swerving free-kick, and before the interval Alberto Aquilani went close with a 20-yard shot. Seconds before the half-time whistle the Argentinian Leandro Cufre also forced Iker Casillas into a sprightly fisted save. So, while the overall game smacked of a training ground kickabout, Roma were displaying signs of intent.
It would be an exaggeration to say Real were similarly threatening. The goal from Ronaldo was their only shot on target in the first half and there was a general lack of zip in their passing.
On 49 minutes Ronaldo rectified that shot-shyness with a low drive that even Pelizzoli could not allow underneath him and just past the hour Ronaldo's determination to fall over in the penalty area ended all chances of an upset.
Winning the ball in midfield he weaved forward past a couple of indifferent challenges, but he was being forced too wide to shoot by Dellas when he checked again. Dellas then made the most feint of contact with Ronaldo's arm, but the beefy Brazilian went to ground as if he had been hit by a tank.
Referee Temmink, an experienced man who should have recognised the theatre in Ronaldo's fall, pointed to the spot. Figo stepped up and casually beat Pelizzoli.
ROMA: Pelizzoli, Mexes, Ferrari, Dellas, Cufre, Perrotta (De Martino 82), Aquilani, Candela, Mancini, Delvecchio, Corvia. Subs Not Used: Zotti, Sartor, D'Agostino, Cerci, Briotti, Simonetta. Booked: Dellas, Perrotta.
REAL MADRID: Casillas, Helguera, Samuel, Salgado, Carlos, Beckham, Zidane (Celades 85), Guti, Figo (Pavon 82), Raul, Ronaldo (Owen 84). Subs Not Used: Cesar, Morientes, Bravo, Solari. Booked: Zidane. Goals: Ronaldo 9, Figo 61 pen, 82.
Referee: Rene Temmink (Holland).
