Making his first start back at the Bernabeu since his return from injury, Cristiano Ronaldo certainly left an impression on the home side crowd. An assist, a penalty miss, a goal, and a pair of yellows had the Portuguese international as the main topic of conversation throughout the Spanish capital Sunday after the host’s come from behind triumph. The 4-2 victory over visiting Almeria leaves Real Madrid five points behind FC Barcelona with a game in hand; however, save a five-minute laps in the second half, Real played what was, in my opinion, one of their most complete games of the year.

Continuing the trend of quick starts, Los Blancos peppered the visitors net in the opening minute. Almeria keeper Diego Alves needing to use every bit of his ability to push away the early Madrid threats while the home side considerably dominated play, a theme that would continue through the rest of the match. In the thirty-first minute, Real’s efforts would be rewarded after Sergio Ramos headed home Ronaldo’s cross. Everything was looking in favor of the home side at the start of the second half when a pair of defensive mistakes conceded not only the equalizer, but also the lead to the visitors. It seemed pretty standard for Real this season: a quick start followed by lackluster play, though this time the visitors had taken advantage. Nevertheless, Madrid was quickly able to rediscover their early form, with Gonzalo Higuain hitting the equalizer less than ten minutes later.

In the minutes that would follow, the possession by Madrid created an air of optimism throughout the Bernabeu, culminating as the referee pointed to the spot after Ronaldo was brought down in the area. The Portuguese star would miss the coinciding penalty though substitute Karim Benzema was in the right position to slot home the rebound, reestablishing Real Madrid’s deserved lead. Two minutes later a creative run from the Argentine Higuain would lead to a cross onto the waiting feet of Ronaldo, who redirected it to seal the victory for the home side. The consequent celebration earned him a yellow card and the yellow Ronaldo would see three minutes later sent off the Portuguese as well as suspending him for next weekends match against fourth place Valencia. Ronaldo’s controversies aside, it was a fantastic game for the home side as they overcame the concession of two quick goals to deliver their most complete performance to date.

The discussions about what type of teammate Ronaldo is after he did not celebrate the Benzema goal, which put them on top, are ridiculous. Players of his caliber put such high pressure on themselves; his first reaction to the play was shock and dismay after missing the penalty. Ronaldo is always shown celebrating with teammates, as Coach Pellegrini pointed out, the circumstances in this scenario were different. The focus should not be, whether Ronaldo’s first yellow was foolish and how it jeopardized him for the important tie next week against Valencia (it was), but on sealing up their group with a result Tuesday night in Marseilles. Real keeps improving, and with play like this, who knows where the ceiling is.