It was an eventful Champions League debut for Cristiano Ronaldo in Juventus colours.Juve beat Valencia 2-0 in Spain but the former Real Madrid superstar was shown a straight red card in the 29th minute for an off-the-ball incident with Jeison Murillo.Ronaldo, 33, left the pitch in tears following the controversial decision.Emre Can, who also joined Juventus this summer, was on the pitch when Ronaldo was sent off.On Thursday afternoon, the former Liverpool midfielder posted a statement on his social media account apologising for offensive comments he made after the match."I would like to take a moment to clear the air regarding the comments I made after last night's game," wrote Can on Twitter."My response after seeing the video footage of Cristiano's sending off seemed to have caused some commotion."I would like to state that the comments made were never focused on nor meant to degrade women, women's football or equality in any form. Everyone who knows me knows about my respect for women, equality and respect.

"My intention was to stick up for my team mate regarding a wrong decision which could have affected our game.

"I sincerely apologise if any of the comments I made have caused any harm."

Can was interviewed on German television after the 2-0 victory - but the 24-year-old has faced a backlash online.

He made a sexist remark while criticising the referee's decision to send off Ronaldo.

“That’s supposed to be a red!?” said Can when shown footage of the incident by DAZN.

“I just heard that he said it was because of hair pulling. We’re not women, we’re playing football.

“If you’re giving that as a red card, you can be sent off for any foul. One hundred per cent, that is not a red card.”

Women play football too, Emre.

Juventus boss Massimiliano Allegri also wasn't happy with the red card and suggested that UEFA should consider introducing VAR.

"VAR would've helped the referee in this decision," said the Juventus coach.

"Going down to 10 men in the Champions League for an incident like that is disappointing. We risked losing tonight with this and we'll miss him for the next games too.

"He was disappointed, but it takes time to calm down. He must get over it, and get ready for Sunday [against Frosinone], even if they are situations that leave a bitter taste in the mouth."