Cristiano Ronaldo demonstrated how in one minute he can be the best footballer in the world and in the next be the villain of world football as he scored two goals but was later dismissed for violent conduct in a 2-0 victory for Real Madrid.

Real Madrid were clearly in the mood for victory after slipping further behind the pace with Barcelona's convincing victory in La Liga yesterday.

They took the lead in the 35th minute through Cristiano Ronaldo. Some great build up play led to Kaka' receiving the ball on the wing. His perfectly executed cross found Ronaldo who placed the ball in the corner with relative ease.

Cristiano and Madrid's second was even more devastating. The ball was played through the center up to Cristiano Ronaldo by Guti. He took a touch and unleashed an absolutely unstoppable drive into the top corner of the goal. It was a Ronaldo strike at its very finest.

In the 70th minute, disaster struck. Cristiano Ronaldo, who had tormented the Malaga defense all game, was being pursued by Patrick Mtiliga and in an attempt to wriggle free, Cristiano's elbow caught the Malaga defender who went down clutching his nose. Cristiano was immediately given his marching orders, but was applauded off by his own fans.

It was another valuable 3-points for Real Madrid and another instance where Cristiano Ronaldo showed the world his two sides - genius and petulance.