Real Madrid vs Sporting Lisbon match report: Cristiano Ronaldo cancels out old club's lead before Alvaro Morata winner

Real Madrid 2 Sporting Lisbon 1: Ronaldo's former club went unrewarded for their spirited, impressive performance as the defending champions scored twice late on

Ronaldo decided not to celebrate scoring against his former club (Getty)

Cristiano Ronaldo said he wouldn’t celebrate and he kept his word but that will serve as little consolation to Sporting Club de Portugal as they saw a well-earned 1-0 lead wiped clean by their former star player.

On his 350th appearance for Real Madrid, Ronaldo scored against his old side with an 89th minute free-kick that beat a flapping Rui Patricio.

It would have been hard enough on Jorge Jesus’ spirited, impressive side who had played the better football throughout, but worse was to come when substitute James Rodriguez crossed from the left in the last attack of the game and another late introduction, Alvaro Morata, rose to head home the winner.

Madrid had somehow won a game they had sleepwalked through until the last 10 minutes of frantic urgency. Ronaldo was as mediocre as any of his team-mates but his ability to provide the goals when Madrid need them most can never been questioned and this time he had saved face as well as the points.

The story of the first half was one of Sporting superiority. Gareth Bale was the home side’s best player breaking down the Madrid right, cutting past Marvin Zeegelaar, but seeing his shot smothered by Patricio at the near post.

When he swapped wings he was just as dangerous crossing from the left only for Ruben Semedo to clear. But after a crunching challenge just before half time from Joao Pereira he hobbled off as the last man down the tunnel and although he reappeared he never really recovered.

Sporting celebrate as Ronaldo walks back to the halfway line (Getty)

Sporting had come into the game on a run of four straight league wins and they had had the first chance of the match when Bruno Cesar found a surprising amount of space on the edge of the area and curled his shot just wide of Kiko Casilla’s right post.

They fashioned the second chance too when Gelson Martins shot from the right and Casilla had to palm the shot away. He was giving Marcelo a torrid time down the Madrid left. The 21-year-old looks like being the next big thing to come from the club’s Alcochete Academy and when he crossed dangerously on 33 minutes all it needed was a touch from a team-mate on the edge of the six-yard area and Real Madrid would have been behind.

When Sporting took the lead at the start of the second half it was thoroughly deserved. Real Madrid had emerged just as sleepily as they had played the first half and with a big help from some indecision from Luka Modric and Sergio Ramos, getting in each other's way, Bruno Cesar swept the ball past Casilla from the edge of the area.

Morata is congratulated on his late winner (Getty)

Sporting coach Jorge Jesus was sent off for dissent after William Carvalho was booked. But when he took a seat three rows behind the dug-out he must have thought he was watching his side take all three points and cause the shock of the Champions League’s first round of matches.

But when Zinedine Zidane finally made changes with 20 minutes left they were decisive. Bale was still feeling the knock he picked up just before the break and made way for Lucas Vazquez and Morata replaced Karim Benzema.

Vazquez was lively and it was Morata and James who combined for the winner. But only after Ronaldo had had his say.

He scored twice against Sporting when he was at Manchester United and he had done it again. They want him back when he is finished winning things with Real Madrid – for now they must be sick of the sight of him. They should have won the game instead their most famous former player finished up with the points.