Cristiano Ronaldo did everything in his power to create another Champions League miracle on Friday night.Juventus had their backs against the wall during the second leg of their round of 16 tie against Lyon, going 1-0 down thanks to Memphis Depay having lost the first game by the same scoreline.However, the ears of every football fan around the world pricked up when news of Ronaldo scoring an equaliser filtered through, seemingly giving everyone the same sense of deja vu.
Ronaldo's heroics vs Lyon
Besides, not only is Ronaldo the greatest player in Champions League history, but he also has an uncanny knack of rescuing his team from 2-0 down in the knockout stages.
The Portuguese achieved that very feat against Atletico Madrid in the same round last season and also against Wolfsburg during his Real Madrid days, bagging a hat-trick on both occasions.
And the anticipation only grew further when Ronaldo notched his second of the game after the break, this time in the form of a spectacular long-range effort with his weaker foot.
Have Juventus let Ronaldo down?
And then, well, that was it. Juventus were able to win 2-1 on the night thanks to Ronaldo's heroic, but it wasn't enough for them to prevent Lyon progressing to the quarter-finals on away goals.
Was it because of Ronaldo? Look, of course not, you can't expect the man to produce a miracle every time it's required and frankly, bagging a brace was heroic enough in the circumstances.
That, and the fact it does nothing but fit the narrative that Ronaldo has been papering over some of the cracks at Juventus this season.
Some are even arguing that Ronaldo scoring over 30 goals in 2019/20 should be considered one of the most impressive achievements of his career, such are the deficiencies of this Juve side.
Video of Ronaldo being 'let down'
It's important to clarify that that statement is relative: Juve are still continental giants and deserving Serie A winners, but did Ronaldo deserve more when the chips were down in Europe?
Well, you'd certainly imagine that's the opinion of Twitter user @TheRonaldoZone, who produced a viral video about a week ago that marries all-too well to the events of Friday night.
It serves to illustrate that Ronaldo has been 'let down' this season - something many fans think about the Lyon game - and you can make up your minds by checking it out down below:
GIVEMESPORT's Kobe Tong says
Let's get one thing clear: Juventus are a top, top side and any criticisms are within the theatre of knowing that they are indeed Serie A's best.
That being said, this has been one of their weakest campaigns both domestically and on the continent, so there's legs to the theory that Ronaldo has inadvertently hidden some of their widening cracks and deficiencies.
In fact, you can check out an entire, fascinating Twitter thread here that explains the aforementioned theory about this season being one of Ronaldo's greatest achievements.
In terms of taking the Lyon game in isolation, it's important not to read too much into things and Ronaldo missed a handful of chances just like Gonzalo Higuain and Federico Bernardeschi.
But you just don't get the impression that certain members of the Juve squad are capable of raising their game, relative to their own ability, to the degree that Ronaldo does.
It might just be me, but I feel as though when the pressure is on, Ronaldo is often left standing and some of his Juventus teammates simply are not.
