Watch Cristiano Ronaldo's amazing free-kick against Atletico Madrid.
Cristiano Ronaldo is mobbed by his team mates after his stunning strike. Reuters

Cristiano Ronaldo scored a stunning free-kick from fully 35 yards out in the first half of Real Madrid's La Liga encounter against Atletico Mardid on Wednesday.

With his familiar run-up and striking technique, Ronaldo let fly on a free-kick from fully 35 yards out that completely befuddled Atletico keeper Thibaut Courtois.

The match was a crucial one for Ronaldo's Real side, with their lead at the top of La Liga standing at just one point over Barcelona before kick-off.

Having registered their third draw in five La Liga matches at the weekend with a 0-0 stalemate against Valencia, Real's once 10 point lead over their bitter rivals was beginning to look mighty precarious.

But the nerves that Real's players must have been feeling would have been mitigated by their excellent recent record against Atletico. Indeed Real had not lost to their neighbors in over a decade.

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