<p>Juventus star Cristiano Ronaldo flew back to Italy on Monday after almost two months in coronavirus lockdown in his native Portugal.</p>

<p>Ronaldo and his family landed in Turin Airport just after 10.20pm local time, according to media reports in Italy.</p>

<p>The five-time Ballon d'Or winner arrived by private jet from the Portuguese island of Madeira and will spend two weeks in quarantine.</p>

<p>The 35-year-old played Juventus's last Serie A game, a 2-0 win over Inter Milan behind closed doors at the Allianz Stadium on March 8, before the Italian football season was suspended amid the COVID-19 pandemic which has killed over 29,000 people in the country.</p>

<p>Ronaldo returned to Madeira after the Inter Milan match to be close to his mother Dolores who had suffered a stroke.</p>

<p>Juventus have recalled their 10 overseas players as Serie A clubs were given the green light to return to individual training on Monday.</p>

<p>The Italian interior ministry's go-ahead for players to return to club training facilities two weeks ahead of schedule has offered fans hope that the 2019-20 season might yet be salvaged.</p>

<p>Juventus are leading Serie A, one point ahead of Lazio, as they target a ninth consecutive Scudetto.</p>

<p>The club has not yet given an official date for a return to training.</p>

<p>Juventus began carrying out tests on their players at the club's medical centre in Turin on Monday.</p>

<p>The first to arrive were Federico Bernardeschi, Juan Cuadrado, Carlo Pinsoglio, Leonardo Bonucci and Aaron Ramsey, all wearing face masks.</p>

<p>Juventus are also waiting the return to Turin of&nbsp;Dutch centre-back Matthijs de Ligt and midfielder Blaise Matuidi, who returned to France after recovering from the virus.</p>

<p>Gonzalo Higuain remains in Argentina where he returned to be with his sick mother.</p>


Juventus star Cristiano Ronaldo flew back to Italy on Monday after almost two months in coronavirus lockdown in his native Portugal. Ronaldo and his family landed in Turin Airport just after 10.

Juventus star Cristiano Ronaldo flew back to Italy on Monday after almost two months in coronavirus lockdown in his native Portugal. Ronaldo and his family landed in Turin Airport just after 10.20pm local time, according to media reports in Italy. The five-time Ballon d'Or winner arrived by private jet from the Portuguese island of Madeira and will spend two weeks in quarantine. The 35-year-old played Juventus's last Serie A game, a 2-0 win over Inter Milan behind closed doors at the Allianz Stadium on March 8, before the Italian football season was suspended amid the COVID-19 pandemic which has killed over 29,000 people in the country. Ronaldo returned to Madeira after the Inter Milan match to be close to his mother Dolores who had suffered a stroke. Juventus have recalled their 10 overseas players as Serie A clubs were given the green light to return to individual training on Monday. The Italian interior ministry's go-ahead for players to return to club training facilities two weeks ahead of schedule has offered fans hope that the 2019-20 season might yet be salvaged. Juventus are leading Serie A, one point ahead of Lazio, as they target a ninth consecutive Scudetto. The club has not yet given an official date for a return to training. Juventus began carrying out tests on their players at the club's medical centre in Turin on Monday. The first to arrive were Federico Bernardeschi, Juan Cuadrado, Carlo Pinsoglio, Leonardo Bonucci and Aaron Ramsey, all wearing face masks. Juventus are also waiting the return to Turin of Dutch centre-back Matthijs de Ligt and midfielder Blaise Matuidi, who returned to France after recovering from the virus. Gonzalo Higuain remains in Argentina where he returned to be with his sick mother.

Cristiano Ronaldo returns to Turin after coronavirus lockdown

<p>The United Kingdom has now the highest death toll in Europe, deaths from Northern Ireland and Scotland have been added to UK's total.</p>

<p><strong>Also read:&nbsp;</strong><a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/coronavirus-survivors-in-china-want-to-sue-their-government-report-296858" hreflang="en">Coronavirus survivors in China want to sue their government: Report</a></p>

<p>Over 32,000 people have died in the UK due to coronavirus. The World Health Organisation (WHO) isn’t surprised that a coronavirus case was reported in France in December. WHO says more cases of early origins may come to light.</p>

<p><strong>Also read:&nbsp;</strong><a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/african-nations-decry-racism-in-china-296866" hreflang="en">African nations decry racism in China</a></p>

<p>A French hospital retested old pneumonia cases. One sample from December 27 was found to be positive for coronavirus.</p>

<p>Australia and New Zealand have agreed on a trans-Tasman travel bubble. The aim is to boost the trade, travel and aviation sectors.</p>

<p>Talks between Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison and New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern have begun.The move is still several weeks away</p>

<p>Nearly 200 stranded Pakistanis crossed the border from India. The Indian government opened the border crossing for the first time on Tuesday, it had earlier extended the visa of stranded Pakistanis amid the nationwide lockdown.</p>

<p>Only cyclists will be allowed on 50km of Paris's busiest roads and only pedestrians will be allowed on another 30 streets. The measures will come into effect when the lockdown is eased next week. The French government also unveiled a 20 million euro package to boost cycling in the post coronavirus era.</p>

<p>Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison says virus likely emerged in a Wuhan wet market. But he has not ruled out the possibility that the virus escaped from a lab. Morrison has called for an independent international probe.</p>

<p>&nbsp;Bars, fitness centres &amp; salons are set to reopen in Hong Kong from Friday. Dancing or live musical performances will not be allowed for now. Measures like temperature checks and social distancing will remain in place.</p>

<p>Leaders of Brazil’s indigenous people have appealed to the World Health Organisation. They have urged the who to set up and emergency fund and provide PPEs. Leaders claim Brazil’s 850,000 indigenous people have been ignored by the Bolsonaro government.</p>

<p>Football superstar Cristiano Ronaldo has returned to Italy. Ronaldo arrived in Turin in his private jet to rejoin his team Juventus. The Portuguese striker will have to complete a 14-day quarantine before he can resume training.</p>

<p>Tennis' World Number 2 Rafa Nadal believes the 2020 tennis season is virtually over. Nadal does not believe the tour will resume this year. Wimbledon has been cancelled, french open postponed, while doubts remain over the US Open.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Dozens of sheep paraded through the city of Atakum on Turkey’s northern Black Sea coast. Atakum is among 30 Turkish cities in a state of lockdown. Turkey has over 127,659 cases of coronavirus and 3,461 deaths.</p>


The United Kingdom has now the highest death toll in Europe, deaths from Northern Ireland and Scotland have been added to UK's total. Also read: Coronavirus survivors in China want to sue their government: Report Over 32,000 people have died in the UK due to coronavirus.

The United Kingdom has now the highest death toll in Europe, deaths from Northern Ireland and Scotland have been added to UK's total. Also read: Coronavirus survivors in China want to sue their government: Report Over 32,000 people have died in the UK due to coronavirus. The World Health Organisation (WHO) isn’t surprised that a coronavirus case was reported in France in December. WHO says more cases of early origins may come to light. Also read: African nations decry racism in China A French hospital retested old pneumonia cases. One sample from December 27 was found to be positive for coronavirus. Australia and New Zealand have agreed on a trans-Tasman travel bubble. The aim is to boost the trade, travel and aviation sectors. Talks between Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison and New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern have begun.The move is still several weeks away Nearly 200 stranded Pakistanis crossed the border from India. The Indian government opened the border crossing for the first time on Tuesday, it had earlier extended the visa of stranded Pakistanis amid the nationwide lockdown. Only cyclists will be allowed on 50km of Paris's busiest roads and only pedestrians will be allowed on another 30 streets. The measures will come into effect when the lockdown is eased next week. The French government also unveiled a 20 million euro package to boost cycling in the post coronavirus era. Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison says virus likely emerged in a Wuhan wet market. But he has not ruled out the possibility that the virus escaped from a lab. Morrison has called for an independent international probe. Bars, fitness centres & salons are set to reopen in Hong Kong from Friday. Dancing or live musical performances will not be allowed for now. Measures like temperature checks and social distancing will remain in place. Leaders of Brazil’s indigenous people have appealed to the World Health Organisation. They have urged the who to set up and emergency fund and provide PPEs. Leaders claim Brazil’s 850,000 indigenous people have been ignored by the Bolsonaro government. Football superstar Cristiano Ronaldo has returned to Italy. Ronaldo arrived in Turin in his private jet to rejoin his team Juventus. The Portuguese striker will have to complete a 14-day quarantine before he can resume training. Tennis' World Number 2 Rafa Nadal believes the 2020 tennis season is virtually over. Nadal does not believe the tour will resume this year. Wimbledon has been cancelled, french open postponed, while doubts remain over the US Open. Dozens of sheep paraded through the city of Atakum on Turkey’s northern Black Sea coast. Atakum is among 30 Turkish cities in a state of lockdown. Turkey has over 127,659 cases of coronavirus and 3,461 deaths.

From United Kingdom to Turkey, coronavirus across the globe!

<p>Welsh international Aaron Ramsey was the first Juventus player to return to individual training at the team's sports centre in Turin on Tuesday as Cristiano Ronaldo began two weeks' quarantine after returning to Italy.</p>

<p>Ronaldo flew back to northern Italy by private jet on Monday night after almost two months in coronavirus lockdown in his native Portugal.</p>

<p>Midfielder Ramsey joined Juventus this season after 11 years with Arsenal, and scored his fourth goal in their last game against Inter Milan behind closed doors before the championship was suspended on March 10.</p>

<p>Champions Juventus are leading Serie A, one point ahead of Lazio, as they target a ninth consecutive Scudetto.</p>

<p>Captain Giorgio Chiellini followed shortly after Ramsey, with fellow Italy defender Leonardo Bonucci, wearing a black face mask, arriving later in the afternoon.</p>

<p>Italy's interior ministry has given the go-ahead for players to return to club training facilities two weeks ahead of schedule, offering a glimmer of hope that the 2019-20 season might yet be saved.</p>

<p>But sports minister Vincenzo Spadafora warned that training in groups must wait until May 18, and it remains uncertain whether matches can restart as the country battles a pandemic which has killed over 29,000.</p>

<p>"A realistic prediction can be made in mid-May," Spadafora said in an interview with Corriere della Sera on Tuesday, denying that he wanted to call a halt to the season.&nbsp;</p>

<p>"It would be surreal for a sports minister to demonise football," he said.</p>

<p>"The majority of Italians do not welcome the resumption of the championship.&nbsp;</p>

<p>"But I'm not looking at polls at the moment. Football is an important world in this country, I know it well compared to those who want to give a different message.</p>

<p>"I hope to start again, but the government will decide. We will rely on scientific elements, which are not available today.</p>

<p>"There is no opposition of mine, but the desire to evaluate the restart only if the health of the people within the team group is safeguarded.</p>

<p>"If the government is forced, I hope not, to establish that there are no conditions (to resume), my effort will be twofold -- limit the financial damage to clubs and support the whole world of sport.</p>

<p>"Between ordinary and extraordinary resources, we will invest about one billion euros for the sector as a whole."&nbsp;</p>


Welsh international Aaron Ramsey was the first Juventus player to return to individual training at the team's sports centre in Turin on Tuesday as Cristiano Ronaldo began two weeks' quarantine after returning to Italy.

Welsh international Aaron Ramsey was the first Juventus player to return to individual training at the team's sports centre in Turin on Tuesday as Cristiano Ronaldo began two weeks' quarantine after returning to Italy. Ronaldo flew back to northern Italy by private jet on Monday night after almost two months in coronavirus lockdown in his native Portugal. Midfielder Ramsey joined Juventus this season after 11 years with Arsenal, and scored his fourth goal in their last game against Inter Milan behind closed doors before the championship was suspended on March 10. Champions Juventus are leading Serie A, one point ahead of Lazio, as they target a ninth consecutive Scudetto. Captain Giorgio Chiellini followed shortly after Ramsey, with fellow Italy defender Leonardo Bonucci, wearing a black face mask, arriving later in the afternoon. Italy's interior ministry has given the go-ahead for players to return to club training facilities two weeks ahead of schedule, offering a glimmer of hope that the 2019-20 season might yet be saved. But sports minister Vincenzo Spadafora warned that training in groups must wait until May 18, and it remains uncertain whether matches can restart as the country battles a pandemic which has killed over 29,000. "A realistic prediction can be made in mid-May," Spadafora said in an interview with Corriere della Sera on Tuesday, denying that he wanted to call a halt to the season. "It would be surreal for a sports minister to demonise football," he said. "The majority of Italians do not welcome the resumption of the championship. "But I'm not looking at polls at the moment. Football is an important world in this country, I know it well compared to those who want to give a different message. "I hope to start again, but the government will decide. We will rely on scientific elements, which are not available today. "There is no opposition of mine, but the desire to evaluate the restart only if the health of the people within the team group is safeguarded. "If the government is forced, I hope not, to establish that there are no conditions (to resume), my effort will be twofold -- limit the financial damage to clubs and support the whole world of sport. "Between ordinary and extraordinary resources, we will invest about one billion euros for the sector as a whole."

Ramsey first back at Juve training, Ronaldo in quarantine

<p>Sportspersons have taken to unorthodox ways to train indoors as almost the entire world continues to remain under lockdown due to COVID-19 pandemic. Juventus forward Cristiano Ronaldo, who is spending time with family at home in Funchal, Portugal weeks after being forced to self-isolate, found a new way to train indoors in a bid to keep himself fit for the resumption of footballing season.&nbsp;</p>

<p>In a video posted by Ronaldo on his Instagram feed, the Portuguese stalwart was seen doing crunches when his children Eva and Mateo decided to disrupt his training regime. Spontaneous as always, Ronaldo asked them to help him complete his crunches-set but as the former continued with his workout, the twins clambered on top of him.</p>

<p>Ronaldo, who has set a benchmark in the world of fitness, turned their kids into weights and lifted them up, turn by turn, to complete a single-handed lift and two-handed lift sets while enjoying a gala time with his children.&nbsp;</p>

<p><strong>ALSO READ:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/barca-announce-legal-action-against-ex-director-who-made-corruption-allegations-292411" hreflang="en">Barca announce legal action against ex-director who made 'corruption' allegations</a></strong></p>

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/tv/B-6_3FugRaE/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="12" style=" background:#FFF; border:0; border-radius:3px; box-shadow:0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width:540px; min-width:326px; padding:0; width:99.375%; width:-webkit-calc(100% - 2px); width:calc(100% - 2px);">
<div style="padding:16px;">
<div style=" display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;">
<div style="background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;">&nbsp;</div>

<div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;">
<div style=" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;">&nbsp;</div>

<div style=" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;">&nbsp;</div>
</div>
</div>

<div style="padding: 19% 0;">&nbsp;</div>

<div style="display:block; height:50px; margin:0 auto 12px; width:50px;"><a href="https://www.instagram.com/tv/B-6_3FugRaE/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" style=" background:#FFFFFF; line-height:0; padding:0 0; text-align:center; text-decoration:none; width:100%;" target="_blank"><svg height="50px" version="1.1" viewbox="0 0 60 60" width="50px" xmlns="https://www.w3.org/2000/svg" xmlns:xlink="https://www.w3.org/1999/xlink"><g fill="none" fill-rule="evenodd" stroke="none" stroke-width="1"><g fill="#000000" transform="translate(-511.000000, -20.000000)"><g><path d="M556.869,30.41 C554.814,30.41 553.148,32.076 553.148,34.131 C553.148,36.186 554.814,37.852 556.869,37.852 C558.924,37.852 560.59,36.186 560.59,34.131 C560.59,32.076 558.924,30.41 556.869,30.41 M541,60.657 C535.114,60.657 530.342,55.887 530.342,50 C530.342,44.114 535.114,39.342 541,39.342 C546.887,39.342 551.658,44.114 551.658,50 C551.658,55.887 546.887,60.657 541,60.657 M541,33.886 C532.1,33.886 524.886,41.1 524.886,50 C524.886,58.899 532.1,66.113 541,66.113 C549.9,66.113 557.115,58.899 557.115,50 C557.115,41.1 549.9,33.886 541,33.886 M565.378,62.101 C565.244,65.022 564.756,66.606 564.346,67.663 C563.803,69.06 563.154,70.057 562.106,71.106 C561.058,72.155 560.06,72.803 558.662,73.347 C557.607,73.757 556.021,74.244 553.102,74.378 C549.944,74.521 548.997,74.552 541,74.552 C533.003,74.552 532.056,74.521 528.898,74.378 C525.979,74.244 524.393,73.757 523.338,73.347 C521.94,72.803 520.942,72.155 519.894,71.106 C518.846,70.057 518.197,69.06 517.654,67.663 C517.244,66.606 516.755,65.022 516.623,62.101 C516.479,58.943 516.448,57.996 516.448,50 C516.448,42.003 516.479,41.056 516.623,37.899 C516.755,34.978 517.244,33.391 517.654,32.338 C518.197,30.938 518.846,29.942 519.894,28.894 C520.942,27.846 521.94,27.196 523.338,26.654 C524.393,26.244 525.979,25.756 528.898,25.623 C532.057,25.479 533.004,25.448 541,25.448 C548.997,25.448 549.943,25.479 553.102,25.623 C556.021,25.756 557.607,26.244 558.662,26.654 C560.06,27.196 561.058,27.846 562.106,28.894 C563.154,29.942 563.803,30.938 564.346,32.338 C564.756,33.391 565.244,34.978 565.378,37.899 C565.522,41.056 565.552,42.003 565.552,50 C565.552,57.996 565.522,58.943 565.378,62.101 M570.82,37.631 C570.674,34.438 570.167,32.258 569.425,30.349 C568.659,28.377 567.633,26.702 565.965,25.035 C564.297,23.368 562.623,22.342 560.652,21.575 C558.743,20.834 556.562,20.326 553.369,20.18 C550.169,20.033 549.148,20 541,20 C532.853,20 531.831,20.033 528.631,20.18 C525.438,20.326 523.257,20.834 521.349,21.575 C519.376,22.342 517.703,23.368 516.035,25.035 C514.368,26.702 513.342,28.377 512.574,30.349 C511.834,32.258 511.326,34.438 511.181,37.631 C511.035,40.831 511,41.851 511,50 C511,58.147 511.035,59.17 511.181,62.369 C511.326,65.562 511.834,67.743 512.574,69.651 C513.342,71.625 514.368,73.296 516.035,74.965 C517.703,76.634 519.376,77.658 521.349,78.425 C523.257,79.167 525.438,79.673 528.631,79.82 C531.831,79.965 532.853,80.001 541,80.001 C549.148,80.001 550.169,79.965 553.369,79.82 C556.562,79.673 558.743,79.167 560.652,78.425 C562.623,77.658 564.297,76.634 565.965,74.965 C567.633,73.296 568.659,71.625 569.425,69.651 C570.167,67.743 570.674,65.562 570.82,62.369 C570.966,59.17 571,58.147 571,50 C571,41.851 570.966,40.831 570.82,37.631"></path></g></g></g></svg></a></div>

<div style="padding-top: 8px;">
<div style=" color:#3897f0; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:550; line-height:18px;"><a href="https://www.instagram.com/tv/B-6_3FugRaE/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" style=" background:#FFFFFF; line-height:0; padding:0 0; text-align:center; text-decoration:none; width:100%;" target="_blank">View this post on Instagram</a></div>
</div>

<div style="padding: 12.5% 0;">&nbsp;</div>

<div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; margin-bottom: 14px; align-items: center;">
<div>
<div style="background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(0px) translateY(7px);">&nbsp;</div>

<div style="background-color: #F4F4F4; height: 12.5px; transform: rotate(-45deg) translateX(3px) translateY(1px); width: 12.5px; flex-grow: 0; margin-right: 14px; margin-left: 2px;">&nbsp;</div>

<div style="background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(9px) translateY(-18px);">&nbsp;</div>
</div>

<div style="margin-left: 8px;">
<div style=" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 20px; width: 20px;">&nbsp;</div>

<div style=" width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 2px solid transparent; border-left: 6px solid #f4f4f4; border-bottom: 2px solid transparent; transform: translateX(16px) translateY(-4px) rotate(30deg)">&nbsp;</div>
</div>

<div style="margin-left: auto;">
<div style=" width: 0px; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-right: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(16px);">&nbsp;</div>

<div style=" background-color: #F4F4F4; flex-grow: 0; height: 12px; width: 16px; transform: translateY(-4px);">&nbsp;</div>

<div style=" width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-left: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(-4px) translateX(8px);">&nbsp;</div>
</div>
</div>

<p style=" margin:8px 0 0 0; padding:0 4px;"><a href="https://www.instagram.com/tv/B-6_3FugRaE/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" style=" color:#000; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px; text-decoration:none; word-wrap:break-word;" target="_blank">Kids, let the Dad do his work #stayhome #stayactive</a></p>

<p style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px; margin-bottom:0; margin-top:8px; overflow:hidden; padding:8px 0 7px; text-align:center; text-overflow:ellipsis; white-space:nowrap;">A post shared by <a href="https://www.instagram.com/cristiano/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px;" target="_blank"> Cristiano Ronaldo</a> (@cristiano) on <time datetime="2020-04-13T12:57:43+00:00" style=" font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px;">Apr 13, 2020 at 5:57am PDT</time></p>
</div>
</blockquote>
<script async src="//www.instagram.com/embed.js"></script></div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">×</a></div>

<p><strong>ALSO READ:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/usain-bolt-goes-viral-with-social-distancing-olympic-photo-292407" hreflang="en">Usain Bolt goes viral with 'social distancing' Olympic photo</a></strong></p>

<p>Super dad, Ronaldo, in the video, showed how to strike a perfect balance to keep kids happy while not compromising on his workout schedule.&nbsp;<br />
Ronaldo has been training indoors in his mansion in Funchal and the former Manchester United forward has kept his fans engaged by posting his workout photographs and videos. The five-time Ballon d’Or winner was in red-hot form before the coronavirus outbreak was reported in Italy.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Ronaldo has scored 21 goals for Juventus in Serie A including seven penalties and is second to Ciro Immobile (27) in the race for the Serie A top-scorer.<br />
&nbsp;</p>


Sportspersons have taken to unorthodox ways to train indoors as almost the entire world continues to remain under lockdown due to COVID-19 pandemic. Juventus forward Cristiano Ronaldo, who is spending time with family at home in Funchal, Portugal weeks after being forced to self-isolate, found a new way to train indoors in a bid to keep himself fit for the resumption of footballing season.

Sportspersons have taken to unorthodox ways to train indoors as almost the entire world continues to remain under lockdown due to COVID-19 pandemic. Juventus forward Cristiano Ronaldo, who is spending time with family at home in Funchal, Portugal weeks after being forced to self-isolate, found a new way to train indoors in a bid to keep himself fit for the resumption of footballing season. In a video posted by Ronaldo on his Instagram feed, the Portuguese stalwart was seen doing crunches when his children Eva and Mateo decided to disrupt his training regime. Spontaneous as always, Ronaldo asked them to help him complete his crunches-set but as the former continued with his workout, the twins clambered on top of him. Ronaldo, who has set a benchmark in the world of fitness, turned their kids into weights and lifted them up, turn by turn, to complete a single-handed lift and two-handed lift sets while enjoying a gala time with his children. ALSO READ: Barca announce legal action against ex-director who made 'corruption' allegations View this post on Instagram Kids, let the Dad do his work #stayhome #stayactive A post shared by Cristiano Ronaldo (@cristiano) on Apr 13, 2020 at 5:57am PDT × ALSO READ: Usain Bolt goes viral with 'social distancing' Olympic photo Super dad, Ronaldo, in the video, showed how to strike a perfect balance to keep kids happy while not compromising on his workout schedule. Ronaldo has been training indoors in his mansion in Funchal and the former Manchester United forward has kept his fans engaged by posting his workout photographs and videos. The five-time Ballon d’Or winner was in red-hot form before the coronavirus outbreak was reported in Italy. Ronaldo has scored 21 goals for Juventus in Serie A including seven penalties and is second to Ciro Immobile (27) in the race for the Serie A top-scorer.

Watch: Cristiano Ronaldo turns 'super dad', uses kids as weights during home workout!

<p>The never-ending debate has begun again on &nbsp;Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo over who is the greatest of all time, this time the debate was sparked off by the Brazilian legend Pele, who in a recent interview said that Cristiano Ronaldo is a better player because of his consistency in the game.</p>

<p><strong>Also read:&nbsp;</strong><a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/pele-says-im-fine-after-his-son-talks-about-brazilian-football-legends-depression-280615">Pele says 'I will be 80, I'm fine', dismisses son's claim on depression</a></p>

<p>Pele gave an interview to a YouTube channel called the Pilhado where he said, "I think he's the best because he's more consistent, but you can't forget about Messi, of course, but he's not a striker."</p>

<p><strong>Also read:&nbsp;</strong><a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/pele-was-always-an-imposing-figure-and-today-he-cant-walk-properly-edinho-on-his-fathers-depression-279950">'Pele was always an imposing figure and today he can't walk properly': Edinho on father's depression</a></p>

<p>Talking about consistency, the track record of the Argentinien player tells a different story. Lionel Messi has played 856 games for club and country, he has scored 697 goals and 289 assists, averaging 1.15 goal involvements per game. Whereas, Cristiano Ronaldo has 725 goals and 220 assists in his 1000 games (includes country and club), an average of 0.945 goal involvements per game.</p>

<p>When asked about who is the greatest player of all time, Pele named himself.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Pele has been in news lately after his son said that the Brazilian legend has found it difficult to move and is slipping into depression. The three-time World Cup winner denied it by saying it that the scenario was all invented.</p>


The never-ending debate has begun again on Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo over who is the greatest of all time, this time the debate was sparked off by the Brazilian legend Pele, who in a recent interview said that Cristiano Ronaldo is a better player because of his consistency in the game.

The never-ending debate has begun again on Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo over who is the greatest of all time, this time the debate was sparked off by the Brazilian legend Pele, who in a recent interview said that Cristiano Ronaldo is a better player because of his consistency in the game. Also read: Pele says 'I will be 80, I'm fine', dismisses son's claim on depression Pele gave an interview to a YouTube channel called the Pilhado where he said, "I think he's the best because he's more consistent, but you can't forget about Messi, of course, but he's not a striker." Also read: 'Pele was always an imposing figure and today he can't walk properly': Edinho on father's depression Talking about consistency, the track record of the Argentinien player tells a different story. Lionel Messi has played 856 games for club and country, he has scored 697 goals and 289 assists, averaging 1.15 goal involvements per game. Whereas, Cristiano Ronaldo has 725 goals and 220 assists in his 1000 games (includes country and club), an average of 0.945 goal involvements per game. When asked about who is the greatest player of all time, Pele named himself. Pele has been in news lately after his son said that the Brazilian legend has found it difficult to move and is slipping into depression. The three-time World Cup winner denied it by saying it that the scenario was all invented.

Pele says Cristiano Ronaldo is a better player than Lionel Messi as he is 'more consistent'

<p>Juventus are back to their winning ways and top the Serie A table after beating Inter Milan 2-0 Derby D'Italia fixture in an empty Allianz Stadium.</p>

<p><strong>Also read:&nbsp;</strong><a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/inter-milan-chairman-zhang-lashes-out-on-serie-a-chairman-over-coronavirus-284172">Inter Milan chairman Zhang lashes out on Serie A chairman over coronavirus</a></p>

<p>Aaron Ramsey and substitute Paulo Dybala's goals secured the top berth for the Biancori side.</p>

<p><strong>Also read: </strong><a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/serie-a-fixture-delayed-due-to-confusion-over-italian-sports-ministers-post-calling-for-suspension-of-league-285134">Serie A: Fixture delayed due to confusion over Italian Sports Minister's post calling for suspension of league</a></p>

<p>Italy will witness empty stadiums during their top-flight games until April 3. The lockdown has taken place as a preventive measure to stop the on-going novel coronavirus outbreak.</p>

<p>Though Cristiano Ronaldo failed to net the ball for the first time in 12 league match, he was also a highlight of the match as he has reached an impressive milestone, the Portuguese football legend has got 1,000 career appearances al senior level for club and country.</p>

<p>This milestone was achieved in an empty stadium match against Inter Milan.</p>

<p>Serie A is forced to play the match behind closed doors as Italy has gone under lockdown due to the on-going coronavirus outbreak.</p>

<p>Ronaldo has featured in 1,000 games out of which 164 were for Portugal and 836 were for clubs such as Sporting Lisbon, Real Madrid and his current club Juventus.</p>

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/B9fQ0oXgpwe/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="12" style=" background:#FFF; border:0; border-radius:3px; box-shadow:0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width:540px; min-width:326px; padding:0; width:99.375%; width:-webkit-calc(100% - 2px); width:calc(100% - 2px);">
<div style="padding:16px;">
<div style=" display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;">
<div style="background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;">&nbsp;</div>

<div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;">
<div style=" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;">&nbsp;</div>

<div style=" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;">&nbsp;</div>
</div>
</div>

<div style="padding: 19% 0;">&nbsp;</div>

<div style="display:block; height:50px; margin:0 auto 12px; width:50px;"><a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/B9fQ0oXgpwe/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" style=" background:#FFFFFF; line-height:0; padding:0 0; text-align:center; text-decoration:none; width:100%;" target="_blank"><svg height="50px" version="1.1" viewbox="0 0 60 60" width="50px" xmlns="https://www.w3.org/2000/svg" xmlns:xlink="https://www.w3.org/1999/xlink"><g fill="none" fill-rule="evenodd" stroke="none" stroke-width="1"><g fill="#000000" transform="translate(-511.000000, -20.000000)"><g><path d="M556.869,30.41 C554.814,30.41 553.148,32.076 553.148,34.131 C553.148,36.186 554.814,37.852 556.869,37.852 C558.924,37.852 560.59,36.186 560.59,34.131 C560.59,32.076 558.924,30.41 556.869,30.41 M541,60.657 C535.114,60.657 530.342,55.887 530.342,50 C530.342,44.114 535.114,39.342 541,39.342 C546.887,39.342 551.658,44.114 551.658,50 C551.658,55.887 546.887,60.657 541,60.657 M541,33.886 C532.1,33.886 524.886,41.1 524.886,50 C524.886,58.899 532.1,66.113 541,66.113 C549.9,66.113 557.115,58.899 557.115,50 C557.115,41.1 549.9,33.886 541,33.886 M565.378,62.101 C565.244,65.022 564.756,66.606 564.346,67.663 C563.803,69.06 563.154,70.057 562.106,71.106 C561.058,72.155 560.06,72.803 558.662,73.347 C557.607,73.757 556.021,74.244 553.102,74.378 C549.944,74.521 548.997,74.552 541,74.552 C533.003,74.552 532.056,74.521 528.898,74.378 C525.979,74.244 524.393,73.757 523.338,73.347 C521.94,72.803 520.942,72.155 519.894,71.106 C518.846,70.057 518.197,69.06 517.654,67.663 C517.244,66.606 516.755,65.022 516.623,62.101 C516.479,58.943 516.448,57.996 516.448,50 C516.448,42.003 516.479,41.056 516.623,37.899 C516.755,34.978 517.244,33.391 517.654,32.338 C518.197,30.938 518.846,29.942 519.894,28.894 C520.942,27.846 521.94,27.196 523.338,26.654 C524.393,26.244 525.979,25.756 528.898,25.623 C532.057,25.479 533.004,25.448 541,25.448 C548.997,25.448 549.943,25.479 553.102,25.623 C556.021,25.756 557.607,26.244 558.662,26.654 C560.06,27.196 561.058,27.846 562.106,28.894 C563.154,29.942 563.803,30.938 564.346,32.338 C564.756,33.391 565.244,34.978 565.378,37.899 C565.522,41.056 565.552,42.003 565.552,50 C565.552,57.996 565.522,58.943 565.378,62.101 M570.82,37.631 C570.674,34.438 570.167,32.258 569.425,30.349 C568.659,28.377 567.633,26.702 565.965,25.035 C564.297,23.368 562.623,22.342 560.652,21.575 C558.743,20.834 556.562,20.326 553.369,20.18 C550.169,20.033 549.148,20 541,20 C532.853,20 531.831,20.033 528.631,20.18 C525.438,20.326 523.257,20.834 521.349,21.575 C519.376,22.342 517.703,23.368 516.035,25.035 C514.368,26.702 513.342,28.377 512.574,30.349 C511.834,32.258 511.326,34.438 511.181,37.631 C511.035,40.831 511,41.851 511,50 C511,58.147 511.035,59.17 511.181,62.369 C511.326,65.562 511.834,67.743 512.574,69.651 C513.342,71.625 514.368,73.296 516.035,74.965 C517.703,76.634 519.376,77.658 521.349,78.425 C523.257,79.167 525.438,79.673 528.631,79.82 C531.831,79.965 532.853,80.001 541,80.001 C549.148,80.001 550.169,79.965 553.369,79.82 C556.562,79.673 558.743,79.167 560.652,78.425 C562.623,77.658 564.297,76.634 565.965,74.965 C567.633,73.296 568.659,71.625 569.425,69.651 C570.167,67.743 570.674,65.562 570.82,62.369 C570.966,59.17 571,58.147 571,50 C571,41.851 570.966,40.831 570.82,37.631"></path></g></g></g></svg></a></div>

<div style="padding-top: 8px;">
<div style=" color:#3897f0; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:550; line-height:18px;"><a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/B9fQ0oXgpwe/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" style=" background:#FFFFFF; line-height:0; padding:0 0; text-align:center; text-decoration:none; width:100%;" target="_blank">View this post on Instagram</a></div>
</div>

<div style="padding: 12.5% 0;">&nbsp;</div>

<div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; margin-bottom: 14px; align-items: center;">
<div>
<div style="background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(0px) translateY(7px);">&nbsp;</div>

<div style="background-color: #F4F4F4; height: 12.5px; transform: rotate(-45deg) translateX(3px) translateY(1px); width: 12.5px; flex-grow: 0; margin-right: 14px; margin-left: 2px;">&nbsp;</div>

<div style="background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(9px) translateY(-18px);">&nbsp;</div>
</div>

<div style="margin-left: 8px;">
<div style=" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 20px; width: 20px;">&nbsp;</div>

<div style=" width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 2px solid transparent; border-left: 6px solid #f4f4f4; border-bottom: 2px solid transparent; transform: translateX(16px) translateY(-4px) rotate(30deg)">&nbsp;</div>
</div>

<div style="margin-left: auto;">
<div style=" width: 0px; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-right: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(16px);">&nbsp;</div>

<div style=" background-color: #F4F4F4; flex-grow: 0; height: 12px; width: 16px; transform: translateY(-4px);">&nbsp;</div>

<div style=" width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-left: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(-4px) translateX(8px);">&nbsp;</div>
</div>
</div>

<p style=" margin:8px 0 0 0; padding:0 4px;"><a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/B9fQ0oXgpwe/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" style=" color:#000; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px; text-decoration:none; word-wrap:break-word;" target="_blank">So proud to reach 1000 official games in my career with a very important victory that put us on the top of the table again!💪🏽 Thank you to all my teammates, coaches, my family &amp; friends and to my fans that helped me to reach this great achievement.</a></p>

<p style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px; margin-bottom:0; margin-top:8px; overflow:hidden; padding:8px 0 7px; text-align:center; text-overflow:ellipsis; white-space:nowrap;">A post shared by <a href="https://www.instagram.com/cristiano/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px;" target="_blank"> Cristiano Ronaldo</a> (@cristiano) on <time datetime="2020-03-08T21:54:44+00:00" style=" font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px;">Mar 8, 2020 at 2:54pm PDT</time></p>
</div>
</blockquote>
<script async src="//www.instagram.com/embed.js"></script></div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">×</a></div>

<p>Cristiano Ronaldo has five Ballon d'Ors, 725 career-goals, six league titles, five Champions Trophy, and Portugal's first-ever Euro Cup.</p>

<p>Italy's top league Serie A is under the radar the moment, especially after their sports minister took to Facebook to cancel the league.</p>

<p>The country has been under lockdown after being the worst-hit nation in terms of coronavirus outbreak outside China.</p>

<p>Italy's death toll from the novel coronavirus increased by 133 to 366 Sunday while the number of infections rose by a single-day record of 1,492 to hit 7,375.</p>

<p>The European nation has recorded the most deaths of any country outside China and the second-most COVID-19 infections in the world.</p>


Juventus are back to their winning ways and top the Serie A table after beating Inter Milan 2-0 Derby D'Italia fixture in an empty Allianz Stadium. Also read: Inter Milan chairman Zhang lashes out on Serie A chairman over coronavirus Aaron Ramsey and substitute Paulo Dybala's goals secured the top berth for the Biancori side.

Juventus are back to their winning ways and top the Serie A table after beating Inter Milan 2-0 Derby D'Italia fixture in an empty Allianz Stadium. Also read: Inter Milan chairman Zhang lashes out on Serie A chairman over coronavirus Aaron Ramsey and substitute Paulo Dybala's goals secured the top berth for the Biancori side. Also read: Serie A: Fixture delayed due to confusion over Italian Sports Minister's post calling for suspension of league Italy will witness empty stadiums during their top-flight games until April 3. The lockdown has taken place as a preventive measure to stop the on-going novel coronavirus outbreak. Though Cristiano Ronaldo failed to net the ball for the first time in 12 league match, he was also a highlight of the match as he has reached an impressive milestone, the Portuguese football legend has got 1,000 career appearances al senior level for club and country. This milestone was achieved in an empty stadium match against Inter Milan. Serie A is forced to play the match behind closed doors as Italy has gone under lockdown due to the on-going coronavirus outbreak. Ronaldo has featured in 1,000 games out of which 164 were for Portugal and 836 were for clubs such as Sporting Lisbon, Real Madrid and his current club Juventus. View this post on Instagram So proud to reach 1000 official games in my career with a very important victory that put us on the top of the table again!💪🏽 Thank you to all my teammates, coaches, my family & friends and to my fans that helped me to reach this great achievement. A post shared by Cristiano Ronaldo (@cristiano) on Mar 8, 2020 at 2:54pm PDT × Cristiano Ronaldo has five Ballon d'Ors, 725 career-goals, six league titles, five Champions Trophy, and Portugal's first-ever Euro Cup. Italy's top league Serie A is under the radar the moment, especially after their sports minister took to Facebook to cancel the league. The country has been under lockdown after being the worst-hit nation in terms of coronavirus outbreak outside China. Italy's death toll from the novel coronavirus increased by 133 to 366 Sunday while the number of infections rose by a single-day record of 1,492 to hit 7,375. The European nation has recorded the most deaths of any country outside China and the second-most COVID-19 infections in the world.

Serie A: Juventus back on top after beating Inter, Ronaldo features in 1,000 games

<p>In a shocker, Olympique Lyonnais (Lyon) manage to beat Italian giants Juventus in the first leg of the round of 16 clashes at Parc Olympique Lyonnais. Lyon beat Juventus 1-0.</p>

<p><strong>Also read: </strong><a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/champions-league-guardiolas-masterclass-ensures-man-city-comeback-against-real-madrid-282976" hreflang="en">Champions League: Guardiola's masterclass ensures Man City comeback against Real Madrid</a></p>

<p>The hosts (Lyon) currently are seventh in the Ligue 1 table whereas Cristiano Ronaldo's Juventus lead the Serie A table. Juventus was predicted to win the match as they seemed the stronger side.</p>

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
<p dir="ltr" lang="en">Lyon playmaker <a href="https://twitter.com/HoussemAouar?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@HoussemAouar</a> - who claimed an assist for the winner - secures <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/UCLMOTM?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#UCLMOTM</a> award! 🥇<br />
<br />
Houssem Aouar will be one of four candidates you can vote for to win Player of the Week! 🔝 <a href="https://t.co/YvqjQV9WFs">pic.twitter.com/YvqjQV9WFs</a></p>
— UEFA Champions League (@ChampionsLeague) <a href="https://twitter.com/ChampionsLeague/status/1232789746079928323?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 26, 2020</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">×</a></div>

<p>Lyon's Lucas Tousart struck the only goal of the match in the 31st minute. French team's defenders defended their way past the game and the Biancori side failed to score even a single goal.</p>

<p>Despite having 14 shots in the match, Juventus failed to hit even a single strike on target, whereas, Lyon had 12 shots out of which two were on target.</p>

<p>Juventus dominated the possession on the ground with 64 per cent, whereas, Lyon had 36 per cent.</p>

<p>Lyon has managed to beat Juventus for the very first time in European Competition (they had four encounters in the past where Lyon lost 3 and drew 1).</p>

<p>Last time Lyon won a knockout match in UEFA Champions League was back in 2012 (1-0 vs APOEL Nicosia).</p>

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
<p dir="ltr" lang="en">🔴🆚 Barcelona, round of 16, 2019 = ⚽️<br />
🔵🆚 Juventus, round of 16, 2020 = ⚽️<br />
<br />
👍 Lucas Tousart<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/UCL?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#UCL</a> <a href="https://t.co/SMXrskoe9b">pic.twitter.com/SMXrskoe9b</a></p>
— UEFA Champions League (@ChampionsLeague) <a href="https://twitter.com/ChampionsLeague/status/1232772796637417472?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 26, 2020</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">×</a></div>

<p>Lyon remains unbeaten at home in the UEFA Champions League for nine consecutive matches (Won 2 Draw 7). This is their longest run since December 2006 (18 matches streak).</p>

<p>Matthijs de Ligt was struck by a nasty head cut after he tripped while attempting a header in the opposition goal box. He was forced to leave after blood pours due to the cut. He has stud marks as Sandro landed on him.</p>

<p>The defender came back on to the field sporting a unique bandage and was able to complete the 90 minutes. &nbsp;</p>

<p>Juventus will look forward to overturning the scoreline at their home fixture in the second leg.</p>


In a shocker, Olympique Lyonnais (Lyon) manage to beat Italian giants Juventus in the first leg of the round of 16 clashes at Parc Olympique Lyonnais. Lyon beat Juventus 1-0.

In a shocker, Olympique Lyonnais (Lyon) manage to beat Italian giants Juventus in the first leg of the round of 16 clashes at Parc Olympique Lyonnais. Lyon beat Juventus 1-0. Also read: Champions League: Guardiola's masterclass ensures Man City comeback against Real Madrid The hosts (Lyon) currently are seventh in the Ligue 1 table whereas Cristiano Ronaldo's Juventus lead the Serie A table. Juventus was predicted to win the match as they seemed the stronger side. Lyon playmaker @HoussemAouar - who claimed an assist for the winner - secures #UCLMOTM award! 🥇 Houssem Aouar will be one of four candidates you can vote for to win Player of the Week! 🔝 pic.twitter.com/YvqjQV9WFs — UEFA Champions League (@ChampionsLeague) February 26, 2020 × Lyon's Lucas Tousart struck the only goal of the match in the 31st minute. French team's defenders defended their way past the game and the Biancori side failed to score even a single goal. Despite having 14 shots in the match, Juventus failed to hit even a single strike on target, whereas, Lyon had 12 shots out of which two were on target. Juventus dominated the possession on the ground with 64 per cent, whereas, Lyon had 36 per cent. Lyon has managed to beat Juventus for the very first time in European Competition (they had four encounters in the past where Lyon lost 3 and drew 1). Last time Lyon won a knockout match in UEFA Champions League was back in 2012 (1-0 vs APOEL Nicosia). 🔴🆚 Barcelona, round of 16, 2019 = ⚽️ 🔵🆚 Juventus, round of 16, 2020 = ⚽️ 👍 Lucas Tousart#UCL pic.twitter.com/SMXrskoe9b — UEFA Champions League (@ChampionsLeague) February 26, 2020 × Lyon remains unbeaten at home in the UEFA Champions League for nine consecutive matches (Won 2 Draw 7). This is their longest run since December 2006 (18 matches streak). Matthijs de Ligt was struck by a nasty head cut after he tripped while attempting a header in the opposition goal box. He was forced to leave after blood pours due to the cut. He has stud marks as Sandro landed on him. The defender came back on to the field sporting a unique bandage and was able to complete the 90 minutes. Juventus will look forward to overturning the scoreline at their home fixture in the second leg.

Champions League: Lyon stun Cristiano Ronaldo's Juventus in the first leg fixture

<p>Cristiano Ronaldo and&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/.../series-a-ibrahimovic-winner-lifts-ac-milan- gloom-with-victory-at-cagliari-273727">Zlatan&nbsp;Ibrahimovic</a>&nbsp;are set to go head-to-head in Thursday's Italian Cup semi-final, first leg between Juventus and AC Milan at the San Siro.</p>

<p><strong>Also read:&nbsp;</strong><a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/cristiano-ronaldo-breaks-juventus-record-scores-for-10th-consecutive-time-279751" hreflang="en">Cristiano Ronaldo breaks Juventus record, scores for 10th consecutive time</a></p>

<p>Both Ronaldo and&nbsp;Ibrahimovic&nbsp;scored at the weekend in defeats as Juventus fell 2-1 at Hellas Verona, while AC Milan threw away a two-goal lead in a 4-2 defeat by city rivals Inter.</p>

<p>"It wasn't the result we wanted," said the 35-year-old Ronaldo despite becoming the first Juventus player to score in 10 successive league games, just one game short of the Serie A record.</p>

<p>The five-time Ballon d'Or winner has scored 23 goals in all competitions this season.</p>

<p>Ibrahimovic, 38, has scored three goals since <a href="https://www.wionews.com/.../football-ibrahimovic-returns-to-italy-as-final- chapter-looms-270707">returning to Milan last month</a>.</p>

<p>The Swede headed in the second goal on Sunday after setting up the first, but Inter hit back with four second-half strikes.</p>

<p>"I showed that I can still make a difference, even at 38," he said.</p>

<p>But Inter striker Romelu Lukaku will be looking to upstage the two other former Manchester United players against Napoli in the other last-four first leg on Wednesday.</p>

<p>Gennaro Gattuso's Napoli, despite their current slump, ousted holders Lazio in the quarter-finals.</p>

<p>"There's a new king in town," a jubilant Lukaku wrote on Twitter after scoring the fourth goal for Inter in Sunday's derby.&nbsp;</p>

<p>"We run this town."</p>

<p>The Belgian was replying to&nbsp;Ibrahimovic's pre-derby post saying that "lions don't compare themselves to humans".</p>

<p>Juventus coach Maurizio Sarri has reason to be worried by his side's away form, with the defending Serie A champions having lost their last two games on the road.</p>

<p>"I hope that someone will help me, it's something we have to resolve," Sarri said after the loss to Verona.</p>

<p>"Right now we have a difference in performance between home and away."</p>

<p>Juventus are bidding to reclaim the trophy which they held for four seasons until losing to eventual runners-up Atalanta in the quarters last year.</p>

<p>Antonio Conte's Inter are the only one of the four semi-finalists to win in Serie A at the weekend, with Napoli crashing to a 3-2 defeat by lowly Lecce.</p>

<p>Inter's victory lifted them ahead of Juventus on goal difference at the top of the table, as they target their first Scudetto since 2010.</p>

<p>The second-leg ties will take place on March 4 and 5.</p>

<p><strong>Fixtures:</strong></p>

<p><strong>Semi-finals, first leg:</strong></p>

<p><strong>Wednesday</strong></p>

<p>Inter Milan v Napoli&nbsp;</p>

<p><strong>Thursday</strong></p>

<p>AC Milan v Juventus&nbsp;</p>


Cristiano Ronaldo and Zlatan Ibrahimovic are set to go head-to-head in Thursday's Italian Cup semi-final, first leg between Juventus and AC Milan at the San Siro.

Cristiano Ronaldo and Zlatan Ibrahimovic are set to go head-to-head in Thursday's Italian Cup semi-final, first leg between Juventus and AC Milan at the San Siro. Also read: Cristiano Ronaldo breaks Juventus record, scores for 10th consecutive time Both Ronaldo and Ibrahimovic scored at the weekend in defeats as Juventus fell 2-1 at Hellas Verona, while AC Milan threw away a two-goal lead in a 4-2 defeat by city rivals Inter. "It wasn't the result we wanted," said the 35-year-old Ronaldo despite becoming the first Juventus player to score in 10 successive league games, just one game short of the Serie A record. The five-time Ballon d'Or winner has scored 23 goals in all competitions this season. Ibrahimovic, 38, has scored three goals since returning to Milan last month. The Swede headed in the second goal on Sunday after setting up the first, but Inter hit back with four second-half strikes. "I showed that I can still make a difference, even at 38," he said. But Inter striker Romelu Lukaku will be looking to upstage the two other former Manchester United players against Napoli in the other last-four first leg on Wednesday. Gennaro Gattuso's Napoli, despite their current slump, ousted holders Lazio in the quarter-finals. "There's a new king in town," a jubilant Lukaku wrote on Twitter after scoring the fourth goal for Inter in Sunday's derby. "We run this town." The Belgian was replying to Ibrahimovic's pre-derby post saying that "lions don't compare themselves to humans". Juventus coach Maurizio Sarri has reason to be worried by his side's away form, with the defending Serie A champions having lost their last two games on the road. "I hope that someone will help me, it's something we have to resolve," Sarri said after the loss to Verona. "Right now we have a difference in performance between home and away." Juventus are bidding to reclaim the trophy which they held for four seasons until losing to eventual runners-up Atalanta in the quarters last year. Antonio Conte's Inter are the only one of the four semi-finalists to win in Serie A at the weekend, with Napoli crashing to a 3-2 defeat by lowly Lecce. Inter's victory lifted them ahead of Juventus on goal difference at the top of the table, as they target their first Scudetto since 2010. The second-leg ties will take place on March 4 and 5. Fixtures: Semi-finals, first leg: Wednesday Inter Milan v Napoli Thursday AC Milan v Juventus

Ronaldo, Ibrahimovic set for Italian Cup clash

<p>Cristiano Ronaldo, who turned 35 last week has proven that age is just a number. He has broken a Juventus record. The Portuguese striker has become the first player to score 10 consecutive goals for the Bianconeri side.&nbsp;</p>

<p><strong>Also read:&nbsp;</strong><a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/Football-news-cristiano-ronaldo-breaks-another-mile-stone-scores-50-goals-of-juventus-278271">Cristiano Ronaldo achieves another milestone, scores 50 goals for Juventus</a></p>

<p>He achieved this feat during his Serie A match with Hellas Verona, the five-time Ballon d'Or winner overtook former Juventus player David Trezeguet, who scored nine consecutive goals record which was achieved in 2005.</p>

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
<p dir="ltr" lang="en">📊 <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/StatOfTheGame?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#StatOfTheGame</a> | 10 in a row for <a href="https://twitter.com/Cristiano?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Cristiano</a> ⚽️<br />
<br />
➡️ <a href="https://t.co/Ji3r2ongOc">https://t.co/Ji3r2ongOc</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/VeronaJuve?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#VeronaJuve</a> <a href="https://t.co/4OihVM03KK">pic.twitter.com/4OihVM03KK</a></p>
— JuventusFC (@juventusfcen) <a href="https://twitter.com/juventusfcen/status/1226469611526336513?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 9, 2020</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">×</a></div>

<p>Ronaldo is closing in on the all-time Serie A record of scoring in 11 consecutive games held by Gabriel Batistuta and Fabio Quagliarella.</p>

<p>Previously, he added another record to his name after scoring 50 goals, donning the Juventus jersey. He achieved this feat after netting twice in the match against Fiorentina.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Juventus lost the match (2-1) against Hellas Verona&nbsp;despite an early goal by Cristiano, this loss has opened a title race in the league.&nbsp;</p>

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
<p dir="ltr" lang="it">FT | ⏱ | Full-time in Verona. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/VeronaJuve?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#VeronaJuve</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/FinoAllaFine?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#FinoAllaFine</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/ForzaJuve?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#ForzaJuve</a> <a href="https://t.co/b6uTu8s1tX">pic.twitter.com/b6uTu8s1tX</a></p>
— JuventusFC (@juventusfcen) <a href="https://twitter.com/juventusfcen/status/1226260463513677824?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 8, 2020</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">×</a></div>

<p>Sarri was furious with the loss, he said: "We have to understand that winning is not a foregone conclusion,".&nbsp;</p>

<p>"We need to get it into our heads that we can't have lapses in concentration as happened this evening," blasted Sarri. &nbsp;</p>

<p>"We dropped points through carelessness," Sarri added.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Cristiano right now has 23 goals this season in all competitions out of which 20 of them are in Serie A.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Cristiano's 2020 began with a bang after he scored a hattrick and an assist against Cagliari.&nbsp;</p>

<p>The Portuguese legend has been the highest goal scorer for his national team, and his previous club Real Madrid. He had scored 450 times in 438 matches for the La Liga table-toppers.&nbsp;</p>


Cristiano Ronaldo, who turned 35 last week has proven that age is just a number. He has broken a Juventus record. The Portuguese striker has become the first player to score 10 consecutive goals for the Bianconeri side.

Cristiano Ronaldo, who turned 35 last week has proven that age is just a number. He has broken a Juventus record. The Portuguese striker has become the first player to score 10 consecutive goals for the Bianconeri side. Also read: Cristiano Ronaldo achieves another milestone, scores 50 goals for Juventus He achieved this feat during his Serie A match with Hellas Verona, the five-time Ballon d'Or winner overtook former Juventus player David Trezeguet, who scored nine consecutive goals record which was achieved in 2005. 📊 #StatOfTheGame | 10 in a row for @Cristiano ⚽️ ➡️ https://t.co/Ji3r2ongOc #VeronaJuve pic.twitter.com/4OihVM03KK — JuventusFC (@juventusfcen) February 9, 2020 × Ronaldo is closing in on the all-time Serie A record of scoring in 11 consecutive games held by Gabriel Batistuta and Fabio Quagliarella. Previously, he added another record to his name after scoring 50 goals, donning the Juventus jersey. He achieved this feat after netting twice in the match against Fiorentina. Juventus lost the match (2-1) against Hellas Verona despite an early goal by Cristiano, this loss has opened a title race in the league. FT | ⏱ | Full-time in Verona. #VeronaJuve #FinoAllaFine #ForzaJuve pic.twitter.com/b6uTu8s1tX — JuventusFC (@juventusfcen) February 8, 2020 × Sarri was furious with the loss, he said: "We have to understand that winning is not a foregone conclusion,". "We need to get it into our heads that we can't have lapses in concentration as happened this evening," blasted Sarri. "We dropped points through carelessness," Sarri added. Cristiano right now has 23 goals this season in all competitions out of which 20 of them are in Serie A. Cristiano's 2020 began with a bang after he scored a hattrick and an assist against Cagliari. The Portuguese legend has been the highest goal scorer for his national team, and his previous club Real Madrid. He had scored 450 times in 438 matches for the La Liga table-toppers.

Cristiano Ronaldo breaks Juventus record, scores for 10th consecutive time

<p>Two South Korean soccer fans who sued the match organiser after&nbsp;Cristiano&nbsp;Ronaldo failed to play in a friendly during Juventus's pre-season tour in Seoul last year are entitled to compensation, a court ruled on Tuesday.</p>

<p><strong>Also read:&nbsp;</strong><a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/Football-news-cristiano-ronaldo-breaks-another-mile-stone-scores-50-goals-of-juventus-278271">Cristiano Ronaldo achieves another milestone, scores 50 goals for Juventus</a></p>

<p>A district court in Incheon, west of Seoul, ordered the local agency that organised the match, The Fasta Inc, to pay 371,000 won ($312) to both fans listed in the lawsuit.</p>

<p><strong>Also read:&nbsp;</strong><a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/cristiano-ronaldo-first-to-get-200-million-followers-on-instagram-277492">Cristiano Ronaldo first to get 200 million followers on Instagram</a></p>

<p>The lawsuit complained that The Fasta Inc had publicised Ronaldo would play for at least 45 minutes, but the Portugal star ultimately sat out the entire game in July 2019.</p>

<p>The court ordered The Fasta Inc to pay 70,000 won ($58.95) per ticket, 1,000 won ($0.8421) for the ticket commission fee, and 300,000 won ($252.63) each for "mental anguish" for the two plaintiffs, lawyer Kim Min-ki who filed the lawsuit, told Reuters.</p>

<p>Kim said he was also representing 87 other plaintiffs in several other cases that were filed in connection with the match.</p>

<p>The Fasta Inc's website was not online as of Tuesday, and phone calls to the company's president were not answered.</p>


Two South Korean soccer fans who sued the match organiser after Cristiano Ronaldo failed to play in a friendly during Juventus's pre-season tour in Seoul last year are entitled to compensation, a court ruled on Tuesday.

Two South Korean soccer fans who sued the match organiser after Cristiano Ronaldo failed to play in a friendly during Juventus's pre-season tour in Seoul last year are entitled to compensation, a court ruled on Tuesday. Also read: Cristiano Ronaldo achieves another milestone, scores 50 goals for Juventus A district court in Incheon, west of Seoul, ordered the local agency that organised the match, The Fasta Inc, to pay 371,000 won ($312) to both fans listed in the lawsuit. Also read: Cristiano Ronaldo first to get 200 million followers on Instagram The lawsuit complained that The Fasta Inc had publicised Ronaldo would play for at least 45 minutes, but the Portugal star ultimately sat out the entire game in July 2019. The court ordered The Fasta Inc to pay 70,000 won ($58.95) per ticket, 1,000 won ($0.8421) for the ticket commission fee, and 300,000 won ($252.63) each for "mental anguish" for the two plaintiffs, lawyer Kim Min-ki who filed the lawsuit, told Reuters. Kim said he was also representing 87 other plaintiffs in several other cases that were filed in connection with the match. The Fasta Inc's website was not online as of Tuesday, and phone calls to the company's president were not answered.

Ronaldo fans entitled to compensation after star's no-show, S.Korean court rules

<p><a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/cristiano-ronaldo-first-to-get-200-million-followers-on-instagram-277492">Cristiano Ronaldo</a> has added another feather to his cap by scoring 50 goals, donning the Bianconeri jersey. He achieved this feat after netting twice in the match against Fiorentina.&nbsp;</p>

<p><strong>Also read-&nbsp;</strong><a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/serie-a-ronaldo-scores-for-ninth-game-in-row-as-penalty-double-lifts-juventus-278195">Serie A: Ronaldo scores for ninth game in row as penalty double lifts Juventus</a></p>

<p>He scored twice via penalty. The five-time Ballon d'Or winner scored 50 goals in just 70 matches in the Serie A.&nbsp;Serie A leaders Juventus bounced back from their defeat to Napoli with a 3-0 win over Fiorentina.</p>

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
<p dir="ltr" lang="en">Good to get back to victories and happy to score again in our stadium!⚽⚽<br />
Proud to reach 50 goals with the bianconeri shirt!💪🏽<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/finoallafine?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#finoallafine</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/forzajuve?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#forzajuve</a> <a href="https://t.co/pzBrER9Uzt">pic.twitter.com/pzBrER9Uzt</a></p>
— Cristiano Ronaldo (@Cristiano) <a href="https://twitter.com/Cristiano/status/1223978421988024321?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 2, 2020</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">×</a></div>

<p>Lazio moved second, five points behind the reigning champions after Serie A top scorer Ciro Immobile and Felipe Caicedo both scored a brace in a 5-1 win over rock bottom SPAL.</p>

<p>Ronaldo&nbsp;has been in a great form recently, he also became just the second Juve player in history to score in nine successive Serie A matches. It was first&nbsp;achieved&nbsp;by French player David Trezeguet in the October-December&nbsp;2005 season.</p>

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
<p dir="ltr" lang="en">🎯 50 Juventus goals for <a href="https://twitter.com/Cristiano?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Cristiano</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/CR50?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#CR50</a> | <a href="https://twitter.com/juventusfcen?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@juventusfcen</a> <a href="https://t.co/Zx96Yq31Am">pic.twitter.com/Zx96Yq31Am</a></p>
— FIFA.com (@FIFAcom) <a href="https://twitter.com/FIFAcom/status/1223966921894264834?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 2, 2020</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">×</a></div>

<p>Ronaldo's&nbsp;2020 began with a bang after he scored a hattrick and an assist against Cagliari.&nbsp;</p>

<p>The Portuguese legend has been the highest goal scorer for his national team, and his previous club Real Madrid. He had scored 450 times in 438 matches for the La Liga table-toppers.</p>

<p>Cristiano&nbsp;has taken 151 penalties in his career (these include shootouts too), out of which he has scored in 126 penalties and missed 25 of them with a&nbsp;success rate of&nbsp;83.4 per cent.&nbsp;</p>

<p>"Cristiano Ronaldo continues to score repeatedly and for him, it's important psychologically," said Sarri of the player who turns 35 next Wednesday.</p>


Cristiano Ronaldo has added another feather to his cap by scoring 50 goals, donning the Bianconeri jersey. He achieved this feat after netting twice in the match against Fiorentina.

Cristiano Ronaldo has added another feather to his cap by scoring 50 goals, donning the Bianconeri jersey. He achieved this feat after netting twice in the match against Fiorentina. Also read- Serie A: Ronaldo scores for ninth game in row as penalty double lifts Juventus He scored twice via penalty. The five-time Ballon d'Or winner scored 50 goals in just 70 matches in the Serie A. Serie A leaders Juventus bounced back from their defeat to Napoli with a 3-0 win over Fiorentina. Good to get back to victories and happy to score again in our stadium!⚽⚽ Proud to reach 50 goals with the bianconeri shirt!💪🏽#finoallafine #forzajuve pic.twitter.com/pzBrER9Uzt — Cristiano Ronaldo (@Cristiano) February 2, 2020 × Lazio moved second, five points behind the reigning champions after Serie A top scorer Ciro Immobile and Felipe Caicedo both scored a brace in a 5-1 win over rock bottom SPAL. Ronaldo has been in a great form recently, he also became just the second Juve player in history to score in nine successive Serie A matches. It was first achieved by French player David Trezeguet in the October-December 2005 season. 🎯 50 Juventus goals for @Cristiano #CR50 | @juventusfcen pic.twitter.com/Zx96Yq31Am — FIFA.com (@FIFAcom) February 2, 2020 × Ronaldo's 2020 began with a bang after he scored a hattrick and an assist against Cagliari. The Portuguese legend has been the highest goal scorer for his national team, and his previous club Real Madrid. He had scored 450 times in 438 matches for the La Liga table-toppers. Cristiano has taken 151 penalties in his career (these include shootouts too), out of which he has scored in 126 penalties and missed 25 of them with a success rate of 83.4 per cent. "Cristiano Ronaldo continues to score repeatedly and for him, it's important psychologically," said Sarri of the player who turns 35 next Wednesday.

Cristiano Ronaldo achieves another milestone, scores 50 goals for Juventus

<p>Cristiano Ronaldo stretched his scoring streak to nine consecutive league games with a penalty double as Serie A leaders Juventus bounced back from their defeat to Napoli with a 3-0 win over Fiorentina whose owner said Sunday's result left him feeling "disgusted".</p>

<p><strong>Also read:&nbsp;</strong><a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/cristiano-ronaldo-first-to-get-200-million-followers-on-instagram-277492">Cristiano Ronaldo first to get 200 million followers on Instagram</a></p>

<p>Lazio moved second, five points behind the reigning champions after Serie A top scorer Ciro Immobile and Felipe Caicedo both scored a brace in a 5-1 win over rock bottom SPAL.</p>

<p><strong>Also see-&nbsp;</strong><a href="https://www.wionews.com/photos/instagram-followers-top-10-most-followed-accounts-ronaldo-crosses-200m-mark-277512#10-neymar-235544">Instagram followers: Top 10 most-followed accounts, Ronaldo crosses 200m mark</a></p>

<p>Inter Milan, one point behind the Romans in third place, travel to Udinese later on Sunday looking to reclaim the second spot.</p>

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
<p dir="ltr" lang="en">Good to get back to victories and happy to score again in our stadium!⚽⚽<br />
Proud to reach 50 goals with the bianconeri shirt!💪🏽<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/finoallafine?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#finoallafine</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/forzajuve?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#forzajuve</a> <a href="https://t.co/pzBrER9Uzt">pic.twitter.com/pzBrER9Uzt</a></p>
— Cristiano Ronaldo (@Cristiano) <a href="https://twitter.com/Cristiano/status/1223978421988024321?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 2, 2020</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">×</a></div>

<p>Ronaldo slotted in his goals in either half in Turin with Dutch defender Matthijs de Ligt heading in a third in injury time.</p>

<p>Juventus had fallen to just their second defeat of the season last weekend at coach Maurizio Sarri's former club Napoli.</p>

<p>"Cristiano Ronaldo continues to score repeatedly and for him it's important psychologically," said Sarri of the player who turns 35 next Wednesday.</p>

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
<p dir="ltr" lang="en">SUPER SUNDAY! 😁⚽️<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/JuveFiorentina?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#JuveFiorentina</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/FinoAllaFine?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#FinoAllaFine</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/ForzaJuve?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#ForzaJuve</a> <a href="https://t.co/mPxJehNifR">pic.twitter.com/mPxJehNifR</a></p>
— JuventusFC (@juventusfcen) <a href="https://twitter.com/juventusfcen/status/1224029916368441346?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 2, 2020</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">×</a></div>

<p>"Physically he's good and making a difference."</p>

<p>Fiorentina, in 14th position, have had a resurgence since Giuseppe Iachini took over on December 24, but suffered their first league defeat this year.</p>

<p>Club president Rocco Commisso was furious at the penalty decisions.</p>

<p>"I am disgusted with what I saw today," blasted the Italian-born US businessman who bought the Tuscany club last year.</p>

<p>"Juve are very strong, a team with a wage bill of 350 million doesn't need help. Referees cannot decide matches.</p>

<p>"Today they gave two penalties against us, maybe the first was there but the second certainly wasn't."</p>

<p>Juventus vice-President Pavel Nedved hit back, declaring he was "a bit fed up of these controversies".</p>

<p>"Juve won with merit. Teams have to stop trying to look for excuses and accept defeat."</p>

<p>Five-time Ballon d'Or winner Ronaldo slotted in the opener five minutes before the break after German Pezzella's handball was confirmed by VAR.</p>

<p>His second came 10 minutes from time for a disputed Federico Ceccherini foul on Rodrigo Bentancur, making it 14 goals in nine games to bring his tally to 19 this season, including seven penalties.</p>

<p>He also becomes the first Juventus player to achieve a run of goals in nine consecutive league games since David Trezeguet in December 2005.</p>

<p>The former Real Madrid player has now scored 50 goals in 70 games since moving to Juventus in 2018.</p>

<p>De Ligt nodded in a Paulo Dybala cross in stoppage time for his first goal for Juventus at the Allianz Stadium.</p>

<p>- Lazio maintain title push -<br />
Ronaldo is second only this season to Immobile who now has 25 goals as Lazio kept alive their push for a first Scudetto since 2000.</p>

<p>Immobile volleyed in after just three minutes, with Caicedo finishing off a rebound less than quarter of an hour later.</p>

<p>Immobile's second came before the half hour mark with a deflected shot and he then played a role in Caicedo's second seven minutes before the break.</p>

<p>Substitute Bobby Adekanye came on after the break with the former Liverpool player tapping in his first Serie A goal.</p>

<p>"Caicedo, Immobile and (Joaquin) Correa are untouchable," said Lazio coach Simone Inzaghi.</p>

<p>The race for Champions League and Europa League places remains tight.</p>

<p>Atalanta moved fourth despite being held 2-2 by struggling Genoa, going ahead of Roma on goal difference after the side from the capital fell 4-2 at Sassuolo on Saturday.</p>

<p>Behind Cagliari, Parma and AC Milan have 32 points.</p>

<p>Swedish star Zlatan Ibrahimovic missed AC Milan's game with flu, with the eighth-placed northerners held 1-1 by 10-man Hellas Verona.</p>

<p>For Milan, midfielder Daniel Maldini, 18, made his Serie A debut to follow in the footsteps of his father, club legend Paolo, and grandfather Cesare.</p>

<p>Torino plunged further into crisis, following last weekend's seven-goal thrashing by Atalanta with a 4-0 defeat to lowly Lecce, to sit 12th.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Lecce earned their first home win this season to move three points clear of the relegation zone, with new signings Alessandro Deiola and Antonin Barak getting the first two goals.</p>


Cristiano Ronaldo stretched his scoring streak to nine consecutive league games with a penalty double as Serie A leaders Juventus bounced back from their defeat to Napoli with a 3-0 win over Fiorentina whose owner said Sunday's result left him feeling "disgusted".

Cristiano Ronaldo stretched his scoring streak to nine consecutive league games with a penalty double as Serie A leaders Juventus bounced back from their defeat to Napoli with a 3-0 win over Fiorentina whose owner said Sunday's result left him feeling "disgusted". Also read: Cristiano Ronaldo first to get 200 million followers on Instagram Lazio moved second, five points behind the reigning champions after Serie A top scorer Ciro Immobile and Felipe Caicedo both scored a brace in a 5-1 win over rock bottom SPAL. Also see- Instagram followers: Top 10 most-followed accounts, Ronaldo crosses 200m mark Inter Milan, one point behind the Romans in third place, travel to Udinese later on Sunday looking to reclaim the second spot. Good to get back to victories and happy to score again in our stadium!⚽⚽ Proud to reach 50 goals with the bianconeri shirt!💪🏽#finoallafine #forzajuve pic.twitter.com/pzBrER9Uzt — Cristiano Ronaldo (@Cristiano) February 2, 2020 × Ronaldo slotted in his goals in either half in Turin with Dutch defender Matthijs de Ligt heading in a third in injury time. Juventus had fallen to just their second defeat of the season last weekend at coach Maurizio Sarri's former club Napoli. "Cristiano Ronaldo continues to score repeatedly and for him it's important psychologically," said Sarri of the player who turns 35 next Wednesday. SUPER SUNDAY! 😁⚽️#JuveFiorentina #FinoAllaFine #ForzaJuve pic.twitter.com/mPxJehNifR — JuventusFC (@juventusfcen) February 2, 2020 × "Physically he's good and making a difference." Fiorentina, in 14th position, have had a resurgence since Giuseppe Iachini took over on December 24, but suffered their first league defeat this year. Club president Rocco Commisso was furious at the penalty decisions. "I am disgusted with what I saw today," blasted the Italian-born US businessman who bought the Tuscany club last year. "Juve are very strong, a team with a wage bill of 350 million doesn't need help. Referees cannot decide matches. "Today they gave two penalties against us, maybe the first was there but the second certainly wasn't." Juventus vice-President Pavel Nedved hit back, declaring he was "a bit fed up of these controversies". "Juve won with merit. Teams have to stop trying to look for excuses and accept defeat." Five-time Ballon d'Or winner Ronaldo slotted in the opener five minutes before the break after German Pezzella's handball was confirmed by VAR. His second came 10 minutes from time for a disputed Federico Ceccherini foul on Rodrigo Bentancur, making it 14 goals in nine games to bring his tally to 19 this season, including seven penalties. He also becomes the first Juventus player to achieve a run of goals in nine consecutive league games since David Trezeguet in December 2005. The former Real Madrid player has now scored 50 goals in 70 games since moving to Juventus in 2018. De Ligt nodded in a Paulo Dybala cross in stoppage time for his first goal for Juventus at the Allianz Stadium. - Lazio maintain title push - Ronaldo is second only this season to Immobile who now has 25 goals as Lazio kept alive their push for a first Scudetto since 2000. Immobile volleyed in after just three minutes, with Caicedo finishing off a rebound less than quarter of an hour later. Immobile's second came before the half hour mark with a deflected shot and he then played a role in Caicedo's second seven minutes before the break. Substitute Bobby Adekanye came on after the break with the former Liverpool player tapping in his first Serie A goal. "Caicedo, Immobile and (Joaquin) Correa are untouchable," said Lazio coach Simone Inzaghi. The race for Champions League and Europa League places remains tight. Atalanta moved fourth despite being held 2-2 by struggling Genoa, going ahead of Roma on goal difference after the side from the capital fell 4-2 at Sassuolo on Saturday. Behind Cagliari, Parma and AC Milan have 32 points. Swedish star Zlatan Ibrahimovic missed AC Milan's game with flu, with the eighth-placed northerners held 1-1 by 10-man Hellas Verona. For Milan, midfielder Daniel Maldini, 18, made his Serie A debut to follow in the footsteps of his father, club legend Paolo, and grandfather Cesare. Torino plunged further into crisis, following last weekend's seven-goal thrashing by Atalanta with a 4-0 defeat to lowly Lecce, to sit 12th. Lecce earned their first home win this season to move three points clear of the relegation zone, with new signings Alessandro Deiola and Antonin Barak getting the first two goals.

Serie A: Ronaldo scores for ninth game in row as penalty double lifts Juventus

Instagram followers: Top 10 most-followed accounts, Ronaldo crosses 200m mark

<p><meta name="uuid" content="uuidUAVAzIGzwSI7" /><meta charset="utf-8" /></p>

<p>Cristiano Ronaldo has added another feather to his cap, although this one has nothing to do with his marvels on the football ground. The Portuguese forward has become the first person to cross 200 million followers on Instagram.&nbsp;</p>

<p><strong>Also read:&nbsp;</strong><a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/cristiano-ronaldo-beats-messi-to-become-most-influential-soccer-player-online-in-china-274930">Cristiano Ronaldo beats Messi to become most 'influential' football player online in China</a></p>

<p>5-time Ballon D'Or winner beat his arch-rival Lionel Messi who currently has 141 million followers. Ronaldo is currently second to Instagram who currently leads the all-time list in terms of followers (330 million followers).&nbsp;</p>

<h6><img alt="Cristiano Ronaldo" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="a484f25f-be05-4663-bbdf-718af980679e" src="//cdn.wionews.com/sites/default/files/inline-images/Untitled%20design%20%289%29_18.jpg" /><br />
<em>(@cristiano/ Instagram)</em></h6>

<p>He posted on Instagram thanking his followers after achieving this feat.&nbsp;</p>

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/B76UQsQIHSU/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="12" style=" background:#FFF; border:0; border-radius:3px; box-shadow:0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width:540px; min-width:326px; padding:0; width:99.375%; width:-webkit-calc(100% - 2px); width:calc(100% - 2px);">
<div style="padding:16px;">
<div style=" display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;">
<div style="background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;">&nbsp;</div>

<div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;">
<div style=" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;">&nbsp;</div>

<div style=" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;">&nbsp;</div>
</div>
</div>

<div style="padding: 19% 0;">&nbsp;</div>

<div style="display:block; height:50px; margin:0 auto 12px; width:50px;"><a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/B76UQsQIHSU/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" style=" background:#FFFFFF; line-height:0; padding:0 0; text-align:center; text-decoration:none; width:100%;" target="_blank"><svg height="50px" version="1.1" viewbox="0 0 60 60" width="50px" xmlns="https://www.w3.org/2000/svg" xmlns:xlink="https://www.w3.org/1999/xlink"><g fill="none" fill-rule="evenodd" stroke="none" stroke-width="1"><g fill="#000000" transform="translate(-511.000000, -20.000000)"><g><path d="M556.869,30.41 C554.814,30.41 553.148,32.076 553.148,34.131 C553.148,36.186 554.814,37.852 556.869,37.852 C558.924,37.852 560.59,36.186 560.59,34.131 C560.59,32.076 558.924,30.41 556.869,30.41 M541,60.657 C535.114,60.657 530.342,55.887 530.342,50 C530.342,44.114 535.114,39.342 541,39.342 C546.887,39.342 551.658,44.114 551.658,50 C551.658,55.887 546.887,60.657 541,60.657 M541,33.886 C532.1,33.886 524.886,41.1 524.886,50 C524.886,58.899 532.1,66.113 541,66.113 C549.9,66.113 557.115,58.899 557.115,50 C557.115,41.1 549.9,33.886 541,33.886 M565.378,62.101 C565.244,65.022 564.756,66.606 564.346,67.663 C563.803,69.06 563.154,70.057 562.106,71.106 C561.058,72.155 560.06,72.803 558.662,73.347 C557.607,73.757 556.021,74.244 553.102,74.378 C549.944,74.521 548.997,74.552 541,74.552 C533.003,74.552 532.056,74.521 528.898,74.378 C525.979,74.244 524.393,73.757 523.338,73.347 C521.94,72.803 520.942,72.155 519.894,71.106 C518.846,70.057 518.197,69.06 517.654,67.663 C517.244,66.606 516.755,65.022 516.623,62.101 C516.479,58.943 516.448,57.996 516.448,50 C516.448,42.003 516.479,41.056 516.623,37.899 C516.755,34.978 517.244,33.391 517.654,32.338 C518.197,30.938 518.846,29.942 519.894,28.894 C520.942,27.846 521.94,27.196 523.338,26.654 C524.393,26.244 525.979,25.756 528.898,25.623 C532.057,25.479 533.004,25.448 541,25.448 C548.997,25.448 549.943,25.479 553.102,25.623 C556.021,25.756 557.607,26.244 558.662,26.654 C560.06,27.196 561.058,27.846 562.106,28.894 C563.154,29.942 563.803,30.938 564.346,32.338 C564.756,33.391 565.244,34.978 565.378,37.899 C565.522,41.056 565.552,42.003 565.552,50 C565.552,57.996 565.522,58.943 565.378,62.101 M570.82,37.631 C570.674,34.438 570.167,32.258 569.425,30.349 C568.659,28.377 567.633,26.702 565.965,25.035 C564.297,23.368 562.623,22.342 560.652,21.575 C558.743,20.834 556.562,20.326 553.369,20.18 C550.169,20.033 549.148,20 541,20 C532.853,20 531.831,20.033 528.631,20.18 C525.438,20.326 523.257,20.834 521.349,21.575 C519.376,22.342 517.703,23.368 516.035,25.035 C514.368,26.702 513.342,28.377 512.574,30.349 C511.834,32.258 511.326,34.438 511.181,37.631 C511.035,40.831 511,41.851 511,50 C511,58.147 511.035,59.17 511.181,62.369 C511.326,65.562 511.834,67.743 512.574,69.651 C513.342,71.625 514.368,73.296 516.035,74.965 C517.703,76.634 519.376,77.658 521.349,78.425 C523.257,79.167 525.438,79.673 528.631,79.82 C531.831,79.965 532.853,80.001 541,80.001 C549.148,80.001 550.169,79.965 553.369,79.82 C556.562,79.673 558.743,79.167 560.652,78.425 C562.623,77.658 564.297,76.634 565.965,74.965 C567.633,73.296 568.659,71.625 569.425,69.651 C570.167,67.743 570.674,65.562 570.82,62.369 C570.966,59.17 571,58.147 571,50 C571,41.851 570.966,40.831 570.82,37.631"></path></g></g></g></svg></a></div>

<div style="padding-top: 8px;">
<div style=" color:#3897f0; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:550; line-height:18px;"><a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/B76UQsQIHSU/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" style=" background:#FFFFFF; line-height:0; padding:0 0; text-align:center; text-decoration:none; width:100%;" target="_blank">View this post on Instagram</a></div>
</div>

<div style="padding: 12.5% 0;">&nbsp;</div>

<div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; margin-bottom: 14px; align-items: center;">
<div>
<div style="background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(0px) translateY(7px);">&nbsp;</div>

<div style="background-color: #F4F4F4; height: 12.5px; transform: rotate(-45deg) translateX(3px) translateY(1px); width: 12.5px; flex-grow: 0; margin-right: 14px; margin-left: 2px;">&nbsp;</div>

<div style="background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(9px) translateY(-18px);">&nbsp;</div>
</div>

<div style="margin-left: 8px;">
<div style=" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 20px; width: 20px;">&nbsp;</div>

<div style=" width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 2px solid transparent; border-left: 6px solid #f4f4f4; border-bottom: 2px solid transparent; transform: translateX(16px) translateY(-4px) rotate(30deg)">&nbsp;</div>
</div>

<div style="margin-left: auto;">
<div style=" width: 0px; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-right: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(16px);">&nbsp;</div>

<div style=" background-color: #F4F4F4; flex-grow: 0; height: 12px; width: 16px; transform: translateY(-4px);">&nbsp;</div>

<div style=" width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-left: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(-4px) translateX(8px);">&nbsp;</div>
</div>
</div>

<p style=" margin:8px 0 0 0; padding:0 4px;"><a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/B76UQsQIHSU/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" style=" color:#000; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px; text-decoration:none; word-wrap:break-word;" target="_blank">Wow 200 million!!! Thank you to each and every one of you for sharing this journey with me every day!!👏🏽❤️</a></p>

<p style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px; margin-bottom:0; margin-top:8px; overflow:hidden; padding:8px 0 7px; text-align:center; text-overflow:ellipsis; white-space:nowrap;">A post shared by <a href="https://www.instagram.com/cristiano/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px;" target="_blank"> Cristiano Ronaldo</a> (@cristiano) on <time datetime="2020-01-29T17:09:06+00:00" style=" font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px;">Jan 29, 2020 at 9:09am PST</time></p>
</div>
</blockquote>
<script async src="//www.instagram.com/embed.js"></script></div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">×</a></div>

<p>Instagram has helped the Portugal legend earn loads of money too.&nbsp;</p>

<p>According to Instagram's marketing company Hopper HQ, Ronaldo earns 900,000 euros ($991,008) for every sponsored post he makes. The Juventus forward ends up making around 48 million euros ($52,853,040) every year.&nbsp;</p>

<p><strong>The list for the most followed individuals:</strong></p>

<ol>
	<li>Instagram (@Instagram): 330 million followers.</li>
	<li>Cristiano Ronaldo (@cristiano): 200 million followers.</li>
	<li>Ariana Grande (@arianagrande): 172 million followers.</li>
	<li>Dwayne Johnson (@therock): 169 million followers.</li>
	<li>Selena Gómez (@selenagomez): 166 million followers.</li>
	<li>Kylie Jenner (@kyliejenner): 158 million followers.</li>
	<li>Kim Kardashian (@kimkardashian): 157 million followers.</li>
	<li>Lionel Messi (@leomessi): 141 million followers.</li>
	<li>Beyoncé (@beyonce): 138 million followers.</li>
	<li>Neymar (@neymarjr): 131 million followers.</li>
</ol>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

<p>Ronaldo recently topped the list for being the most influential person on web in China. The survey was conducted by the 'Red Card' forum.&nbsp;</p>


Cristiano Ronaldo has added another feather to his cap, although this one has nothing to do with his marvels on the football ground. The Portuguese forward has become the first person to cross 200 million followers on Instagram.

Cristiano Ronaldo has added another feather to his cap, although this one has nothing to do with his marvels on the football ground. The Portuguese forward has become the first person to cross 200 million followers on Instagram. Also read: Cristiano Ronaldo beats Messi to become most 'influential' football player online in China 5-time Ballon D'Or winner beat his arch-rival Lionel Messi who currently has 141 million followers. Ronaldo is currently second to Instagram who currently leads the all-time list in terms of followers (330 million followers). (@cristiano/ Instagram) He posted on Instagram thanking his followers after achieving this feat. View this post on Instagram Wow 200 million!!! Thank you to each and every one of you for sharing this journey with me every day!!👏🏽❤️ A post shared by Cristiano Ronaldo (@cristiano) on Jan 29, 2020 at 9:09am PST × Instagram has helped the Portugal legend earn loads of money too. According to Instagram's marketing company Hopper HQ, Ronaldo earns 900,000 euros ($991,008) for every sponsored post he makes. The Juventus forward ends up making around 48 million euros ($52,853,040) every year. The list for the most followed individuals: Instagram (@Instagram): 330 million followers. Cristiano Ronaldo (@cristiano): 200 million followers. Ariana Grande (@arianagrande): 172 million followers. Dwayne Johnson (@therock): 169 million followers. Selena Gómez (@selenagomez): 166 million followers. Kylie Jenner (@kyliejenner): 158 million followers. Kim Kardashian (@kimkardashian): 157 million followers. Lionel Messi (@leomessi): 141 million followers. Beyoncé (@beyonce): 138 million followers. Neymar (@neymarjr): 131 million followers. Ronaldo recently topped the list for being the most influential person on web in China. The survey was conducted by the 'Red Card' forum.

Cristiano Ronaldo first to get 200 million followers on Instagram

<p>There are two things we all know about US President Donald Trump -&nbsp;first, he despises traditional media,&nbsp;and second, he absolutely loves social media.</p>

<p>The US President recently broke his own record of tweets by <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/125-tweets-in-a-day-donald-trump-floods-twitter-with-impeachment-proceedings-276114">tweeting 125 times within 24 hours</a>.</p>

<p>Now, during an interview at the World Economic Forum, Trump claimed that he is number one on the social media site Facebook.&nbsp;</p>

<div class="videoWrapper trancodeVideo"><iframe allowfullscreen="" autoplay="1" class="includeVideo" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/videos/gravitas-reality-check-trumps-facebook-popularity-276214/embed" style="width:100%;max-width:560px;" width="560"></iframe></div>

<p>During an interview at Davos, Trump said, ''Well, I met him (Mark Zuckerberg), and he told me that I am number one in the world on&nbsp;Facebook''.</p>

<p>"Zuckerberg told me I'm number one on Facebook", Trump said, adding, "it is always nice to be number one".</p>

<p>The US president claimed that Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi holds the second position on Facebook.<br />
&nbsp;<br />
Trump has over 27 million followers (27, 266,004), the number which Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi easily surpasses.</p>

<p>PM Modi has over 44 million followers (44,259,851).</p>

<p>Interestingly, Portugal&nbsp;football star Cristiano Ronaldo has over 123 million followers, while Colombian singer Shakira follows him with close to&nbsp;a hundred million followers.</p>

<p>Actor Vin Diesel makes the top three with a little over 94 million followers.</p>


There are two things we all know about US President Donald Trump - first, he despises traditional media, and second, he absolutely loves social media. The US President recently broke his own record of tweets by tweeting 125 times within 24 hours.

There are two things we all know about US President Donald Trump - first, he despises traditional media, and second, he absolutely loves social media. The US President recently broke his own record of tweets by tweeting 125 times within 24 hours. Now, during an interview at the World Economic Forum, Trump claimed that he is number one on the social media site Facebook. During an interview at Davos, Trump said, ''Well, I met him (Mark Zuckerberg), and he told me that I am number one in the world on Facebook''. "Zuckerberg told me I'm number one on Facebook", Trump said, adding, "it is always nice to be number one". The US president claimed that Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi holds the second position on Facebook. Trump has over 27 million followers (27, 266,004), the number which Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi easily surpasses. PM Modi has over 44 million followers (44,259,851). Interestingly, Portugal football star Cristiano Ronaldo has over 123 million followers, while Colombian singer Shakira follows him with close to a hundred million followers. Actor Vin Diesel makes the top three with a little over 94 million followers.

Now, Trump brags about beating PM Modi on Facebook

<p>Juventus coach Maurizio Sarri complimented&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/.../football-ronaldo-double-fires-juventus-four- points-clear-with-parma-win-275414">Cristiano Ronaldo</a>'s mother as the Portuguese star extended his scoring streak in a 3-1 win over Roma to advance to the Italian Cup semi-finals on Wednesday.</p>

<p><strong>Also read-&nbsp;</strong><a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/cristiano-ronaldo-beats-messi-to-become-most-influential-soccer-player-online-in-china-274930">Cristiano Ronaldo beats Messi to become most 'influential' football player online in China</a></p>

<p>The Portuguese star picked up a Gonzalo Higuain cross after 26 minutes, finishing off from an angle in the Allianz Stadium.</p>

<p><strong>Also read-&nbsp;</strong><a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/football-cristiano-ronaldo-continues-scoring-streak-to-put-juve-top-of-serie-a-273836">Cristiano Ronaldo continues scoring streak to put Juventus top of Serie A</a></p>

<p>It was the 34-year-old's 12th goal in eight consecutive games in which he has played in all competitions for the Turin giants but his first in the Italian Cup.</p>

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
<p dir="ltr" lang="en">🔥 <a href="https://twitter.com/Cristiano?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Cristiano</a> has now scored in 1️⃣5️⃣ different club competitions!<br />
<br />
Not bad...<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/JuveRoma?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#JuveRoma</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/CR7Juve?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#CR7Juve</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/CoppaItalia?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#CoppaItalia</a> <a href="https://t.co/2VyGHRMWYi">pic.twitter.com/2VyGHRMWYi</a></p>
— JuventusFC (@juventusfcen) <a href="https://twitter.com/juventusfcen/status/1220112809847148546?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 22, 2020</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">×</a></div>

<p>The five-time Ballon d'Or winner has also scored seven goals in four matches played in 2020.</p>

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
<p dir="ltr" lang="en">Our Coppa campaign continues! 🙌🏆<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/JuveRoma?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#JuveRoma</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/CoppaItalia?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#CoppaItalia</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/FinoAllaFine?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#FinoAllaFine</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/ForzaJuve?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#ForzaJuve</a> <a href="https://t.co/7j05QmcApy">pic.twitter.com/7j05QmcApy</a></p>
— JuventusFC (@juventusfcen) <a href="https://twitter.com/juventusfcen/status/1220134184158662659?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 23, 2020</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">×</a></div>

<p>"I believe that the compliments should be made to his mother," said Sarri of Ronaldo who has now scored in 15 different club competitions throughout his career.</p>

<p>"He is in super form physically. In terms of explosiveness he is doing well, he takes great care of the details.</p>

<p>"It is difficult to improve on an individual level. We are talking about one of the greatest of all time and I would like to help him win a sixth Ballon d'Or.</p>

<p>Rodrigo Bentancur added a second goal after 38 minutes with defender Leonardo Bonucci nodding in a third just before the break.</p>

<p>Cengiz Under pulled a goal back for Roma five minutes after the break, rifling in from a distance with the ball hitting the crossbar and bouncing in off goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon in the Juventus goal.</p>

<p>Buffon denied Alessandro Florenzi and Aleksandar Kolarov to keep Juventus on course in the competition they have won 13 times but exited in the quarter-finals last season to Atalanta.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Brazilian Danilo limped off before the break to be replaced by Juan Cuadrado, leaving Sarri with an injury worry ahead of this weekend's trip to Napoli.</p>

<p>Roma, fourth in the league, were struggling with injuries while Edin Dzeko was sitting out a ban, but their form was worrying just four days before their derby clash against city rivals Lazio.</p>

<p>"The difference in the first half was efficiency," said Roma coach Paulo Fonseca.</p>

<p>"The first chance they had, they scored. The same for the second.</p>

<p>"We know that Edin Dzeko is a very important player for us and his ban was damaging, but the forwards could have done much better this evening."</p>

<p>Juventus&nbsp;who lost the Italian SuperCup last month to Lazio&nbsp;will play either AC Milan or Torino in the semi-finals.</p>

<p>Holders Lazio were eliminated in the quarter-finals on Tuesday with a 1-0 loss to Napoli.</p>

<p>Italy international Lorenzo Insigne needed just 99 seconds to score the goal that won a match in which both teams had a player sent off and Serie A top scorer Ciro Immobile missed a penalty in the first 25 minutes.</p>

<p>AC Milan travel to Torino next Tuesday with Inter Milan hosting Fiorentina.</p>

<p>The final will be played on May 13 in Rome.</p>


Juventus coach Maurizio Sarri complimented Cristiano Ronaldo's mother as the Portuguese star extended his scoring streak in a 3-1 win over Roma to advance to the Italian Cup semi-finals on Wednesday.

Juventus coach Maurizio Sarri complimented Cristiano Ronaldo's mother as the Portuguese star extended his scoring streak in a 3-1 win over Roma to advance to the Italian Cup semi-finals on Wednesday. Also read- Cristiano Ronaldo beats Messi to become most 'influential' football player online in China The Portuguese star picked up a Gonzalo Higuain cross after 26 minutes, finishing off from an angle in the Allianz Stadium. Also read- Cristiano Ronaldo continues scoring streak to put Juventus top of Serie A It was the 34-year-old's 12th goal in eight consecutive games in which he has played in all competitions for the Turin giants but his first in the Italian Cup. 🔥 @Cristiano has now scored in 1️⃣5️⃣ different club competitions! Not bad...#JuveRoma #CR7Juve #CoppaItalia pic.twitter.com/2VyGHRMWYi — JuventusFC (@juventusfcen) January 22, 2020 × The five-time Ballon d'Or winner has also scored seven goals in four matches played in 2020. Our Coppa campaign continues! 🙌🏆#JuveRoma #CoppaItalia #FinoAllaFine #ForzaJuve pic.twitter.com/7j05QmcApy — JuventusFC (@juventusfcen) January 23, 2020 × "I believe that the compliments should be made to his mother," said Sarri of Ronaldo who has now scored in 15 different club competitions throughout his career. "He is in super form physically. In terms of explosiveness he is doing well, he takes great care of the details. "It is difficult to improve on an individual level. We are talking about one of the greatest of all time and I would like to help him win a sixth Ballon d'Or. Rodrigo Bentancur added a second goal after 38 minutes with defender Leonardo Bonucci nodding in a third just before the break. Cengiz Under pulled a goal back for Roma five minutes after the break, rifling in from a distance with the ball hitting the crossbar and bouncing in off goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon in the Juventus goal. Buffon denied Alessandro Florenzi and Aleksandar Kolarov to keep Juventus on course in the competition they have won 13 times but exited in the quarter-finals last season to Atalanta. Brazilian Danilo limped off before the break to be replaced by Juan Cuadrado, leaving Sarri with an injury worry ahead of this weekend's trip to Napoli. Roma, fourth in the league, were struggling with injuries while Edin Dzeko was sitting out a ban, but their form was worrying just four days before their derby clash against city rivals Lazio. "The difference in the first half was efficiency," said Roma coach Paulo Fonseca. "The first chance they had, they scored. The same for the second. "We know that Edin Dzeko is a very important player for us and his ban was damaging, but the forwards could have done much better this evening." Juventus who lost the Italian SuperCup last month to Lazio will play either AC Milan or Torino in the semi-finals. Holders Lazio were eliminated in the quarter-finals on Tuesday with a 1-0 loss to Napoli. Italy international Lorenzo Insigne needed just 99 seconds to score the goal that won a match in which both teams had a player sent off and Serie A top scorer Ciro Immobile missed a penalty in the first 25 minutes. AC Milan travel to Torino next Tuesday with Inter Milan hosting Fiorentina. The final will be played on May 13 in Rome.

Mum's the word as Ronaldo fires Juventus into Italian Cup semi-finals

<p><meta name="uuid" content="uuidL5RZyNhpx5om" /><meta charset="utf-8" /></p>

<p>Cristiano Ronaldo struck twice to continue his sensational scoring run and help move Juventus four points clear at the top of Serie A with a 2-1 win over Parma on Sunday.</p>

<p>The 34-year-old’s deflected shot opened the scoring in the first half, but Juve were pegged back after the break when Andreas Cornelius headed in from a corner.</p>

<p>Ronaldo restored the home side’s advantage just three minutes later with a low strike that took his tally for the season to 16 league goals, 11 of which have come in his last seven appearances.</p>

<p>“We knew that Inter drew and Lazio won, so it was important to build an advantage," Ronaldo told Sky Sport Italia.</p>

<p>"They were two important goals, it was a tough game as Parma are very organised and difficult to beat, but we fought hard and got the victory."</p>

<p>Maurizio Sarri’s side sit on top of the table with 51 points, four clear of second-placed Inter Milan following their draw at Lecce earlier in the day, while Parma are seventh on 28 points.</p>

<p>Ronaldo lit up an uneventful first half with the game’s first goal two minutes before halftime by cutting inside and firing in a finish, aided by a deflection off Parma defender Matteo Darmian.</p>

<p>The goal made the former Real Madrid star the first Juve player to score in seven consecutive Serie A appearances since David Trezeguet in December 2005.</p>

<p>Parma drew level on the 56th minute when Cornelius guided in a header from a corner, but Ronaldo responded with his second of the night just two minutes later when he fired in from a Paulo Dybala pass.</p>

<p>The visitors pushed forward in search of a late equaliser, but it was Ronaldo who went closest in the closing stages as he forced a save from Luigi Sepe before firing a shot wide as he searched in vain for a hat-trick.</p>


Cristiano Ronaldo struck twice to continue his sensational scoring run and help move Juventus four points clear at the top of Serie A with a 2-1 win over Parma on Sunday.

Cristiano Ronaldo struck twice to continue his sensational scoring run and help move Juventus four points clear at the top of Serie A with a 2-1 win over Parma on Sunday. The 34-year-old’s deflected shot opened the scoring in the first half, but Juve were pegged back after the break when Andreas Cornelius headed in from a corner. Ronaldo restored the home side’s advantage just three minutes later with a low strike that took his tally for the season to 16 league goals, 11 of which have come in his last seven appearances. “We knew that Inter drew and Lazio won, so it was important to build an advantage," Ronaldo told Sky Sport Italia. "They were two important goals, it was a tough game as Parma are very organised and difficult to beat, but we fought hard and got the victory." Maurizio Sarri’s side sit on top of the table with 51 points, four clear of second-placed Inter Milan following their draw at Lecce earlier in the day, while Parma are seventh on 28 points. Ronaldo lit up an uneventful first half with the game’s first goal two minutes before halftime by cutting inside and firing in a finish, aided by a deflection off Parma defender Matteo Darmian. The goal made the former Real Madrid star the first Juve player to score in seven consecutive Serie A appearances since David Trezeguet in December 2005. Parma drew level on the 56th minute when Cornelius guided in a header from a corner, but Ronaldo responded with his second of the night just two minutes later when he fired in from a Paulo Dybala pass. The visitors pushed forward in search of a late equaliser, but it was Ronaldo who went closest in the closing stages as he forced a save from Luigi Sepe before firing a shot wide as he searched in vain for a hat-trick.

Football: Ronaldo double fires Juventus four points clear with Parma win

<p>The 5-times Ballon d'Or winner <a href="https://www.wionews.com/.../football-cristiano-ronaldo-continues-scoring- streak-to-put-juve-top-of-serie-a-273836">Cristiano Ronaldo</a> continues to be the most influential player online in China for the second time in a row.&nbsp;</p>

<p><strong>Also read:&nbsp;</strong><a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/vaporfly-nikes-shoes-worn-by-marathon-champions-at-risk-of-getting-banned-274923">Unfair advantage? Nike's 'Vaporfly' shoes worn by top runners risk ban</a></p>

<p>The Juventus forward beat his Barcelona rival&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/.../spanish-super-cup-atletico-madrid-beat-fc- barcelona-exciting-game-play-ends-with-nail-biting-finish-273311">Lionel Messi</a> and PSG's Neymar to claim&nbsp;the top spot.</p>

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
<p dir="ltr" lang="en">New year, the same motivation 💪🏼<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/forzajuve?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#forzajuve</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/finoallafine?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#finoallafine</a> <a href="https://t.co/qhQzsuJ9sN">pic.twitter.com/qhQzsuJ9sN</a></p>
— Cristiano Ronaldo (@Cristiano) <a href="https://twitter.com/Cristiano/status/1213157713234018304?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 3, 2020</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">×</a></div>

<p><strong>Also read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/lareus-awards-2020-nominees-for-best-sportsperson-announced-274642Laureus Awards 2020: Nominees for best Sportsperson announced">Laureus Awards 2020: Nominees for best Sportsperson announced</a></strong></p>

<p>According to the annual 'Red Card' report, digital engagement with players has reduced by 15 per cent and the Portuguese legend was one of the few players who still saw growth in Weibo engagement and followers than the previous year.</p>

<p>Even though Lionel Messi was beaten by Cristiano Ronaldo, but the Argentine's club <a href="https://www.wionews.com/.../barcelona-sack-its-manager-valverde-setien-to- step-in-for-the-role-274138">FC Barcelona</a> topped the club standings.&nbsp;</p>

<p>The Catalan giants were fifth last year, but this year they toppled the table toppers and their arch-rivals Real Madrid.</p>

<p>English heavyweights <a href="https://www.wionews.com/.../fa-cup-rashford-injury-overshadows-man-utd- win-over-wolves-274713">Manchester United</a> and Liverpool were defeated by Chelsea, as the English club stood third (behind Barcelona and Real Madrid).</p>

<p>In terms of most influential leagues, the English Premier League easily beat the Spanish La Liga and the German Bundesliga.&nbsp;</p>

<p>China is now the Premier League's most profitable overseas market. The Asian country pays the league a mind-boggling $737.54 million.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Arsenal and the NBA have faced massive backlash in the year 2019.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Arsenal's midfielder Mesut Ozil criticized the treatment of Uighur Muslims in China, whereas NBA's Houston Rockets general manager Daryl Morey tweeted in support of the Hong Kong protests.</p>


The 5-times Ballon d'Or winner Cristiano Ronaldo continues to be the most influential player online in China for the second time in a row. Also read: Unfair advantage?

The 5-times Ballon d'Or winner Cristiano Ronaldo continues to be the most influential player online in China for the second time in a row. Also read: Unfair advantage? Nike's 'Vaporfly' shoes worn by top runners risk ban The Juventus forward beat his Barcelona rival Lionel Messi and PSG's Neymar to claim the top spot. New year, the same motivation 💪🏼#forzajuve #finoallafine pic.twitter.com/qhQzsuJ9sN — Cristiano Ronaldo (@Cristiano) January 3, 2020 × Also read: Laureus Awards 2020: Nominees for best Sportsperson announced According to the annual 'Red Card' report, digital engagement with players has reduced by 15 per cent and the Portuguese legend was one of the few players who still saw growth in Weibo engagement and followers than the previous year. Even though Lionel Messi was beaten by Cristiano Ronaldo, but the Argentine's club FC Barcelona topped the club standings. The Catalan giants were fifth last year, but this year they toppled the table toppers and their arch-rivals Real Madrid. English heavyweights Manchester United and Liverpool were defeated by Chelsea, as the English club stood third (behind Barcelona and Real Madrid). In terms of most influential leagues, the English Premier League easily beat the Spanish La Liga and the German Bundesliga. China is now the Premier League's most profitable overseas market. The Asian country pays the league a mind-boggling $737.54 million. Arsenal and the NBA have faced massive backlash in the year 2019. Arsenal's midfielder Mesut Ozil criticized the treatment of Uighur Muslims in China, whereas NBA's Houston Rockets general manager Daryl Morey tweeted in support of the Hong Kong protests.

Cristiano Ronaldo beats Messi to become most 'influential' football player online in China

<p><a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/cristiano-ronaldo-skips-ballon-dor-to-receive-serie-a-player-of-the-year-award-in-italy-266021">Cristiano Ronaldo</a> stretched his goal-scoring streak to six consecutive league games as Juventus took the top spot in <a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/martinez-fires-inter-top-of-serie-a-as-juventus-slip-up-265660">Serie A</a> on Sunday with a 2-1 win at Roma, whose defeat was made worse by the cruciate ligament injury of rising star Nicolo Zaniolo.</p>

<p>Juventus move two points ahead of Inter Milan, who were held 1-1 by Atalanta at the San Siro on Saturday, after going two goals up in just 10 minutes in Rome.</p>

<p>"We were very good for 60 minutes. Then, if you play against Roma, it is almost inevitable to suffer in the end," said Juventus coach Maurizio Sarri.</p>

<p>Turkish defender Merih Demiral found a way through after three minutes when he connected with a <a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/champions-league-dybala-stunner-seals-top-spot-for-juventus-but-atletico-must-wait-264915">Paulo Dybala</a> free-kick.</p>

<p>Minutes later Argentine Dybala was hauled down in the box, and Ronaldo stepped up to convert from the spot to make it nine goals in six league games.</p>

<p>"It's tough playing against a team like <a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/martinez-fires-inter-top-of-serie-a-as-juventus-slip-up-265660">Juventus</a> and we gave away two early goals," said Roma coach Paulo Fonseca.&nbsp;</p>

<p>"We put in a good performance after that, against a great side. But once you go two goals down, it's difficult."</p>

<p>Both sides had casualties in the first half with Demiral limping off with a knee injury not long after scoring his first Juventus goal.</p>

<p>And Zaniolo was stretchered off in tears eight minutes before the break after falling victim to what Roma later confirmed was a ruptured anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee while trying to dribble past Matthijs De Ligt and Adrien Rabiot.</p>

<p>Zaniolo, who is considered one of Italy's most exciting young talents and was a rare bright point for Roma in a torrid first half, will undergo surgery on Monday.</p>

<p>"I swear to you ... I'll be stronger than before," the 20-year-old later wrote on Instagram.</p>

<p>Roma had their chances with Edin Dzeko hitting the post and Wojciech Szczesny denying Cengiz Under from point-blank range.</p>

<p>Diego Perotti pulled a goal back for the hosts from the penalty spot on 68 minutes after an Alex Sandro handball.</p>

<p>However, the capital side drop to fifth, outside the <a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/champions-league-final-16-draw-date-rules-possible-scenarios-for-english-teams-and-all-you-need-to-know-268455">Champions League</a> places, level on 35 points with fourth-placed Atalanta and seven behind local rivals Lazio after their 1-0 win over Napoli on Saturday.</p>

<p>Earlier, Alejandro Berenguer struck the only goal as Torino beat Bologna to climb to seventh.</p>

<p>Spaniard Berenguer finished off a cross from captain Andrea Belotti on 11 minutes as Torino move two points off sixth-placed Cagliari, who are in the last <a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/europa-league-arsenal-held-as-guimaraes-grab-last-gasp-equaliser-260442">Europa League</a> place.</p>

<p>Hellas Verona is two points behind Torino in eighth after snatching a 2-1 win over Genoa in a game that was delayed for 15 minutes in order to redo the uneven lines of the two penalty areas.</p>

<p>A pitch inspection at Verona's Stadio Bentegodi before the home side's win which also left Genoa in the relegation zone found that the lines marking the penalty box were visibly not straight.</p>

<p>Genoa's local rivals Sampdoria moved five points clear of the drop zone with veteran striker <a>Fabio Quagliarella</a> scoring a brace in their thumping 5-1 win over Brescia.</p>

<p>"We are starting to break away from the quicksand of the relegation zone, but it's still there and we have to keep going," said coach Claudio Ranieri, who next play title-chasing Lazio.</p>

<p>Jhon Chancellor nodded in after 12 minutes for Brescia.</p>

<p>But Karol Linetty volleyed in the equaliser on 34 minutes and provided the cross for Jakub Jankto to put the hosts ahead just before the break.</p>

<p>Last season's top scorer Quagliarella gave Sampdoria a third from the spot for his first home goal this season and added a second in injury time.</p>

<p>In Florence, Patrick Cutrone got his first start for Fiorentina since his move from Wolverhampton Wanderers this week, playing the final 15 minutes in the tight win over rock-bottom SPAL.</p>

<p>German Pezzella struck eight minutes from time to give new coach Giuseppe Iachini his first win for 14th-placed Fiorentina who are now seven points above the drop zone.</p>

<p>Udinese beat Sassuolo 3-0 for their third consecutive victory to move level on points with last season's runners-up <a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/juventus-inter-milan-return-to-serie-a-duel-as-napoli-try-to-snap-winless-run-265161">Napoli</a> who are in 11th position.</p>


Cristiano Ronaldo stretched his goal-scoring streak to six consecutive league games as Juventus took the top spot in Serie A on Sunday with a 2-1 win at Roma, whose defeat was made worse by the cruciate ligament injury of rising star Nicolo Zaniolo.

Cristiano Ronaldo stretched his goal-scoring streak to six consecutive league games as Juventus took the top spot in Serie A on Sunday with a 2-1 win at Roma, whose defeat was made worse by the cruciate ligament injury of rising star Nicolo Zaniolo. Juventus move two points ahead of Inter Milan, who were held 1-1 by Atalanta at the San Siro on Saturday, after going two goals up in just 10 minutes in Rome. "We were very good for 60 minutes. Then, if you play against Roma, it is almost inevitable to suffer in the end," said Juventus coach Maurizio Sarri. Turkish defender Merih Demiral found a way through after three minutes when he connected with a Paulo Dybala free-kick. Minutes later Argentine Dybala was hauled down in the box, and Ronaldo stepped up to convert from the spot to make it nine goals in six league games. "It's tough playing against a team like Juventus and we gave away two early goals," said Roma coach Paulo Fonseca. "We put in a good performance after that, against a great side. But once you go two goals down, it's difficult." Both sides had casualties in the first half with Demiral limping off with a knee injury not long after scoring his first Juventus goal. And Zaniolo was stretchered off in tears eight minutes before the break after falling victim to what Roma later confirmed was a ruptured anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee while trying to dribble past Matthijs De Ligt and Adrien Rabiot. Zaniolo, who is considered one of Italy's most exciting young talents and was a rare bright point for Roma in a torrid first half, will undergo surgery on Monday. "I swear to you ... I'll be stronger than before," the 20-year-old later wrote on Instagram. Roma had their chances with Edin Dzeko hitting the post and Wojciech Szczesny denying Cengiz Under from point-blank range. Diego Perotti pulled a goal back for the hosts from the penalty spot on 68 minutes after an Alex Sandro handball. However, the capital side drop to fifth, outside the Champions League places, level on 35 points with fourth-placed Atalanta and seven behind local rivals Lazio after their 1-0 win over Napoli on Saturday. Earlier, Alejandro Berenguer struck the only goal as Torino beat Bologna to climb to seventh. Spaniard Berenguer finished off a cross from captain Andrea Belotti on 11 minutes as Torino move two points off sixth-placed Cagliari, who are in the last Europa League place. Hellas Verona is two points behind Torino in eighth after snatching a 2-1 win over Genoa in a game that was delayed for 15 minutes in order to redo the uneven lines of the two penalty areas. A pitch inspection at Verona's Stadio Bentegodi before the home side's win which also left Genoa in the relegation zone found that the lines marking the penalty box were visibly not straight. Genoa's local rivals Sampdoria moved five points clear of the drop zone with veteran striker Fabio Quagliarella scoring a brace in their thumping 5-1 win over Brescia. "We are starting to break away from the quicksand of the relegation zone, but it's still there and we have to keep going," said coach Claudio Ranieri, who next play title-chasing Lazio. Jhon Chancellor nodded in after 12 minutes for Brescia. But Karol Linetty volleyed in the equaliser on 34 minutes and provided the cross for Jakub Jankto to put the hosts ahead just before the break. Last season's top scorer Quagliarella gave Sampdoria a third from the spot for his first home goal this season and added a second in injury time. In Florence, Patrick Cutrone got his first start for Fiorentina since his move from Wolverhampton Wanderers this week, playing the final 15 minutes in the tight win over rock-bottom SPAL. German Pezzella struck eight minutes from time to give new coach Giuseppe Iachini his first win for 14th-placed Fiorentina who are now seven points above the drop zone. Udinese beat Sassuolo 3-0 for their third consecutive victory to move level on points with last season's runners-up Napoli who are in 11th position.

Cristiano Ronaldo continues scoring streak to put Juventus top of Serie A

<p><a href="https://www.wionews.com/photos/cristiano-ronaldo-hits-milestone-with-700th-career-goal-256054">Cristiano Ronaldo</a> continued his hot streak as his towering header gave Juventus a 2-1 win at Parma to put Juventus top of the table as Gianluigi Buffon equalled Paolo Maldini's Serie A appearance record.</p>

<p>Ronaldo met Alex Sandro's looping cross with an incredible leap and header just before half-time to put Juve on 42 points, three ahead of Inter ahead of their match with struggling Genoa on Saturday.</p>

<p>"I'm really happy with the result... It was a really good goal also because it was the one that won the three points," said Ronaldo, who earlier in the season was off-form amid injury concerns.</p>

<p>"Like I said before I'd had pain in my knee for around a month, but now I'm OK and now I want to help Juventus win trophies."&nbsp;</p>

<p>His 10th league goal of the season came after Samp's Gianluca Caprari had levelled Paulo Dybala's superb volleyed opener.</p>

<p>The Argentine met Alex Sandro's raking cross in the 19th minute with the most delicate of volleys, caressing the ball past Emil Audero from the edge of the box.</p>

<p>Maurizio Sarri's side had so much of the ball they already looked home and dry but they failed to capitalise on their possession and were punished by Gianluca Caprari 10 minutes before the break, the Italian pouncing after Sandro was caught on the ball to crash his finish past Buffon.</p>

<p>However Ronaldo soon sparked into action, first fizzing in a cross that both Gonzalo Higuain and Dybala just only just failed to get contact on.</p>

<p>The Portugal forward then put the away side back in front in the final minute of the half with his sixth goal in five matches in all competitions, a hanging header from another pinpoint Sandro cross.</p>

<p>The 34-year-old twice came close to a second in the dying seconds, first when he was ruled to be in an offside position after latching on to Aaron Ramsey's through ball and tapping past an onrushing Audero.</p>

<p>He then flashed a curling shot just wide in added time as <a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/champions-league-last-16-fixtures-liverpool-to-clash-with-atletico-madrid-city-to-face-real-madrid-268559">Juventus</a> closed out what was a tight match against Claudio Ranieri's side, who sit just two points above the relegation zone.</p>

<p><strong>Buffon landmark&nbsp;</strong></p>

<p>The win, gained early in the week ahead of Sunday's Italian Super Cup clash with Lazio in Riyadh, was a further source of happiness for Buffon, who made his 647th Serie A appearance in place of the injured Wojciech Szczesny.</p>

<p>The 41-year-old also became Juve's all-time record appearance maker on 479 matches, one ahead of Alessandro Del Piero.</p>

<p>Buffon began his professional career as a teenager in 1995 at Parma, where he won the UEFA Cup and Coppa Italia in 1999 before moving to Juve two years later.</p>

<p>He has won nine <a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/serie-a-chief-apologises-for-anti-racism-ape-artwork-268895">Serie A</a> titles and the Coppa Italia four times in Turin but has failed to conquer Europe despite reaching two Champions League finals under previous coach Massimiliano Allegri.</p>

<p>However he will have another chance at winning Europe's top club competition after returning to Juve in the summer following a disappointing season at Paris Saint-Germain.</p>

<p>His team cruised into the last 16 after qualifying from Group D unbeaten, six points ahead of second-placed Atletico Madrid.</p>

<p>The former Italy captain also holds the appearance record for his national team, with 176 caps between 1997-2018, winning the 2006 World Cup.</p>

<p>Later on Wednesday, Brescia missed out on a chance to escape the relegation zone when they lost 2-0 at home to Sassuolo.</p>

<p>The game was a rescheduled week seven fixture that was postponed following the death of Sassuolo president Giorgio Squinzi.</p>


Cristiano Ronaldo continued his hot streak as his towering header gave Juventus a 2-1 win at Parma to put Juventus top of the table as Gianluigi Buffon equalled Paolo Maldini's Serie A appearance record.

Cristiano Ronaldo continued his hot streak as his towering header gave Juventus a 2-1 win at Parma to put Juventus top of the table as Gianluigi Buffon equalled Paolo Maldini's Serie A appearance record. Ronaldo met Alex Sandro's looping cross with an incredible leap and header just before half-time to put Juve on 42 points, three ahead of Inter ahead of their match with struggling Genoa on Saturday. "I'm really happy with the result... It was a really good goal also because it was the one that won the three points," said Ronaldo, who earlier in the season was off-form amid injury concerns. "Like I said before I'd had pain in my knee for around a month, but now I'm OK and now I want to help Juventus win trophies." His 10th league goal of the season came after Samp's Gianluca Caprari had levelled Paulo Dybala's superb volleyed opener. The Argentine met Alex Sandro's raking cross in the 19th minute with the most delicate of volleys, caressing the ball past Emil Audero from the edge of the box. Maurizio Sarri's side had so much of the ball they already looked home and dry but they failed to capitalise on their possession and were punished by Gianluca Caprari 10 minutes before the break, the Italian pouncing after Sandro was caught on the ball to crash his finish past Buffon. However Ronaldo soon sparked into action, first fizzing in a cross that both Gonzalo Higuain and Dybala just only just failed to get contact on. The Portugal forward then put the away side back in front in the final minute of the half with his sixth goal in five matches in all competitions, a hanging header from another pinpoint Sandro cross. The 34-year-old twice came close to a second in the dying seconds, first when he was ruled to be in an offside position after latching on to Aaron Ramsey's through ball and tapping past an onrushing Audero. He then flashed a curling shot just wide in added time as Juventus closed out what was a tight match against Claudio Ranieri's side, who sit just two points above the relegation zone. Buffon landmark The win, gained early in the week ahead of Sunday's Italian Super Cup clash with Lazio in Riyadh, was a further source of happiness for Buffon, who made his 647th Serie A appearance in place of the injured Wojciech Szczesny. The 41-year-old also became Juve's all-time record appearance maker on 479 matches, one ahead of Alessandro Del Piero. Buffon began his professional career as a teenager in 1995 at Parma, where he won the UEFA Cup and Coppa Italia in 1999 before moving to Juve two years later. He has won nine Serie A titles and the Coppa Italia four times in Turin but has failed to conquer Europe despite reaching two Champions League finals under previous coach Massimiliano Allegri. However he will have another chance at winning Europe's top club competition after returning to Juve in the summer following a disappointing season at Paris Saint-Germain. His team cruised into the last 16 after qualifying from Group D unbeaten, six points ahead of second-placed Atletico Madrid. The former Italy captain also holds the appearance record for his national team, with 176 caps between 1997-2018, winning the 2006 World Cup. Later on Wednesday, Brescia missed out on a chance to escape the relegation zone when they lost 2-0 at home to Sassuolo. The game was a rescheduled week seven fixture that was postponed following the death of Sassuolo president Giorgio Squinzi.

Flying Cristiano Ronaldo fires Juventus top as Buffon equals Maldini's Serie A record

Champions League gears up for Final 16 draw after record breaking group stage

<p><a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/cristiano-ronaldo-skips-ballon-dor-to-receive-serie-a-player-of-the-year-award-in-italy-266021">Cristiano Ronaldo</a> and Gonzalo Higuain scored late goals as already-qualified Juventus beat hosts Bayer Leverkusen 2-0 in the <a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/football-gabriel-jesus-hat-trick-gives-man-city-4-1-win-at-dinamo-zagreb-267832">Champions League</a> Group D finale on Wednesday to eliminate the Germans from the competition.</p>

<p>Ronaldo tapped in from close range in the 75th minute after having missed an almost identical chance in the first half and Higuain scored in stoppage time to put Juve top of the group on 16 points.</p>

<p>Atletico Madrid, on 10, also advanced with a <a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/atletico-madrid-stroll-into-champions-league-knockouts-267845">2-0 win over Lokomotiv</a> Moscow, leaving Leverkusen in third place on six points and with a spot in the Europa League the next year.</p>

<p>Leverkusen started strongly and looked for an early goal but it was the Italians who came agonisingly close when Higuain cut into the box and Ronaldo was a fraction too late.</p>

<p>Leverkusen's Moussa Diaby then let fly from 20 metres and seemed set to beat 41-year-old keeper Gianluigi Buffon, who was making his first Champions League appearance this season, but the ball bounced off the post.</p>

<p>After the break, Juve controlled the pace with the hosts growing more desperate.</p>

<p>Ronaldo, who ended his goal drought earlier this month and also scored in the league at the weekend, struck with 15 minutes left, tapping in substitute <a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/serie-a-juventus-dybala-sinks-milan-as-angry-ronaldo-substituted-261314">Paulo Dybala'</a>s cross to end any lingering hopes of qualifying for the Germans.</p>

<p>Dybala then set up Higuain for their second goal with the Argentine scoring with a low drive.</p>


Cristiano Ronaldo and Gonzalo Higuain scored late goals as already-qualified Juventus beat hosts Bayer Leverkusen 2-0 in the Champions League Group D finale on Wednesday to eliminate the Germans from the competition.

Cristiano Ronaldo and Gonzalo Higuain scored late goals as already-qualified Juventus beat hosts Bayer Leverkusen 2-0 in the Champions League Group D finale on Wednesday to eliminate the Germans from the competition. Ronaldo tapped in from close range in the 75th minute after having missed an almost identical chance in the first half and Higuain scored in stoppage time to put Juve top of the group on 16 points. Atletico Madrid, on 10, also advanced with a 2-0 win over Lokomotiv Moscow, leaving Leverkusen in third place on six points and with a spot in the Europa League the next year. Leverkusen started strongly and looked for an early goal but it was the Italians who came agonisingly close when Higuain cut into the box and Ronaldo was a fraction too late. Leverkusen's Moussa Diaby then let fly from 20 metres and seemed set to beat 41-year-old keeper Gianluigi Buffon, who was making his first Champions League appearance this season, but the ball bounced off the post. After the break, Juve controlled the pace with the hosts growing more desperate. Ronaldo, who ended his goal drought earlier this month and also scored in the league at the weekend, struck with 15 minutes left, tapping in substitute Paulo Dybala's cross to end any lingering hopes of qualifying for the Germans. Dybala then set up Higuain for their second goal with the Argentine scoring with a low drive.

Champions League: Cristiano Ronaldo and Higuain on target as Juventus beat Leverkusen 2-0

<p>Manchester United forward <a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/premier-league-rashford-double-as-united-spoil-mourinhos-return-266316">Marcus Rashford</a> has all the attributes to be as good as five-times Ballon d'Or winner <a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/cristiano-ronaldo-skips-ballon-dor-to-receive-serie-a-player-of-the-year-award-in-italy-266021">Cristiano Ronaldo</a>, manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has said.</p>

<p>Rashford scored in <a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/united-win-feisty-manchester-derby-as-liverpool-secure-christmas-no1-266926">United's 2-1 win</a> over champions Manchester City at the weekend to take his tally to 10 league goals for the season, already equalling his best return in the top flight midway through the campaign.</p>

<p>The 22-year-old England international has 13 goals in his last 14 games for club and country and Solskjaer said he saw similarities with Portuguese forward Ronaldo, who scored 118 times in 292 appearances for United from 2003-2009.</p>

<p>"It's very easy to compare the two of them, yes," Solskjaer said. "Both with skills, body shape, attitude, attributes – everything. The boy has every chance in the world to become a top, top player. Let's hope he continues like this."</p>

<p>Rashford has previously been criticised for a perceived lack of composure in front of goal but he is flourishing under Solskjaer, who scored 126 goals in 366 appearances as a player for United.</p>

<p>The Norwegian said there was much more to come from Rashford.</p>

<p>"As long as he keeps being positive and being direct and thinking about getting in front of the goal and getting chances, he'll score goals," Solskjaer said.</p>

<p>United, who are fifth in the Premier League, face Dutch side AZ Alkmaar in the <a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/unai-emery-reaches-breaking-point-as-arsenal-crash-in-europa-league-265159">Europa League</a> on Thursday.</p>


Manchester United forward Marcus Rashford has all the attributes to be as good as five-times Ballon d'Or winner Cristiano Ronaldo, manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has said.

Manchester United forward Marcus Rashford has all the attributes to be as good as five-times Ballon d'Or winner Cristiano Ronaldo, manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has said. Rashford scored in United's 2-1 win over champions Manchester City at the weekend to take his tally to 10 league goals for the season, already equalling his best return in the top flight midway through the campaign. The 22-year-old England international has 13 goals in his last 14 games for club and country and Solskjaer said he saw similarities with Portuguese forward Ronaldo, who scored 118 times in 292 appearances for United from 2003-2009. "It's very easy to compare the two of them, yes," Solskjaer said. "Both with skills, body shape, attitude, attributes – everything. The boy has every chance in the world to become a top, top player. Let's hope he continues like this." Rashford has previously been criticised for a perceived lack of composure in front of goal but he is flourishing under Solskjaer, who scored 126 goals in 366 appearances as a player for United. The Norwegian said there was much more to come from Rashford. "As long as he keeps being positive and being direct and thinking about getting in front of the goal and getting chances, he'll score goals," Solskjaer said. United, who are fifth in the Premier League, face Dutch side AZ Alkmaar in the Europa League on Thursday.

Football: Rashford can be as good as Cristiano Ronaldo, says Solskjaer

<p><strong>By Mallika Singh&nbsp;</strong></p>

<p>Juventus giant <a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/cristiano-ronaldo-back-against-favourite-enemy-atletico-264553">Cristiano Ronaldo </a>skipped&nbsp;the Ballon d’Or ceremony to receive Serie A award,&nbsp;where he was also named in the Italian top flight’s best XI following his debut season at the club.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Ronaldo attended the Gran Gala del Calcio in Milan on Wednesday to collect the award, skipping the Ballon d’Or ceremony in Paris where he was third in the voting for the best player in the world behind Lionel Messi and runner up Virgil Van Dijk.&nbsp;</p>

<p>The five-time winner of the Ballon d’Or award failed to rank in the top two for the first time since 2010.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Ronaldo&nbsp;turned up at the Italian event about an hour before the main award was announced, arriving two hours later than the other guests.&nbsp;</p>

<p>On receiving the award, Ronaldo thanked his Juventus teammates and expressed his happiness for being able to play in the league.&nbsp;</p>

<p>“It’s&nbsp;an honour to hold this award...I thank my Juventus teammates,” said Ronaldo in Italian.&nbsp;“I&nbsp;am very happy to play in Italy, it’s a very difficult league. Thanks to everyone for having voted for me. I want to do as well this year too,” he added.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Ronaldo also took to social media to express his gratitude at winning the award.&nbsp;</p>

<p>“For me it’s a pride to be the best player in Serie A, I thank my fellow Juve and all the players who voted for me. Last year was my first year in Italy, a difficult championship but I’m very happy. And I want to make this year equal to last,” he posted with a picture of him holding his two trophies.&nbsp;</p>

<p>The 34-year-old Ronaldo got transferred from Real Madrid to Juventus in 2018 and he helped Italian club win their eighth consecutive Serie A title.&nbsp;</p>

<p>The Juventus forward has scored a total of 28 goals in 43 matches for the team so far, out of which he scored 21 goals in the league. The average of 0.65 goals-per-game is Ronaldo’s lowest tally since his Manchester United days, ten years ago.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Women footballers were awarded for the first time at the Italian ceremony with Roma and Italy forward Manuela Giugliano winning the top prize.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Gian Piero Gasperini beat former Juventus coach Massimiliano Allegri to win the best coach award after leading Atalanta to second runners up and a Champions League berth.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Brescia’s 19-year-old forward Sandro Tonali won the award for&nbsp;the best Serie B player after helping his side win second division title last season.&nbsp;</p>

<p>The awards are voted by an amalgamation of footballers, coaches, referees and journalists.&nbsp;</p>


By Mallika Singh Juventus giant Cristiano Ronaldo skipped the Ballon d’Or ceremony to receive Serie A award, where he was also named in the Italian top flight’s best XI following his debut season at the club.

By Mallika Singh Juventus giant Cristiano Ronaldo skipped the Ballon d’Or ceremony to receive Serie A award, where he was also named in the Italian top flight’s best XI following his debut season at the club. Ronaldo attended the Gran Gala del Calcio in Milan on Wednesday to collect the award, skipping the Ballon d’Or ceremony in Paris where he was third in the voting for the best player in the world behind Lionel Messi and runner up Virgil Van Dijk. The five-time winner of the Ballon d’Or award failed to rank in the top two for the first time since 2010. Ronaldo turned up at the Italian event about an hour before the main award was announced, arriving two hours later than the other guests. On receiving the award, Ronaldo thanked his Juventus teammates and expressed his happiness for being able to play in the league. “It’s an honour to hold this award...I thank my Juventus teammates,” said Ronaldo in Italian. “I am very happy to play in Italy, it’s a very difficult league. Thanks to everyone for having voted for me. I want to do as well this year too,” he added. Ronaldo also took to social media to express his gratitude at winning the award. “For me it’s a pride to be the best player in Serie A, I thank my fellow Juve and all the players who voted for me. Last year was my first year in Italy, a difficult championship but I’m very happy. And I want to make this year equal to last,” he posted with a picture of him holding his two trophies. The 34-year-old Ronaldo got transferred from Real Madrid to Juventus in 2018 and he helped Italian club win their eighth consecutive Serie A title. The Juventus forward has scored a total of 28 goals in 43 matches for the team so far, out of which he scored 21 goals in the league. The average of 0.65 goals-per-game is Ronaldo’s lowest tally since his Manchester United days, ten years ago. Women footballers were awarded for the first time at the Italian ceremony with Roma and Italy forward Manuela Giugliano winning the top prize. Gian Piero Gasperini beat former Juventus coach Massimiliano Allegri to win the best coach award after leading Atalanta to second runners up and a Champions League berth. Brescia’s 19-year-old forward Sandro Tonali won the award for the best Serie B player after helping his side win second division title last season. The awards are voted by an amalgamation of footballers, coaches, referees and journalists.

Cristiano Ronaldo skips Ballon d’Or to receive Serie A ‘Player of the Year award’ in Italy

Lionel Messi receives his sixth Ballon d'Or, Megan Rapinoe bags women's award

<p>Lautaro Martinez's first-half brace sent Inter Milan top of Serie A on Sunday with a 2-1 win over SPAL after champions <a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/juventus-inter-milan-return-to-serie-a-duel-as-napoli-try-to-snap-winless-run-265161">Juventus</a> were held at home by Sassuolo.</p>

<p>"We didn't use our heads," lamented Juventus boss Maurizio Sarri after his side dropped their first points at home this season.</p>

<p><a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/cristiano-ronaldo-back-against-favourite-enemy-atletico-264553">Cristiano Ronaldo</a> scored from the spot to rescue a 2-2 draw but Juventus slipped one point behind Antonio Conte's Inter.</p>

<p>Argentinian Martinez put Inter ahead on 16 minutes at the San Siro, and then headed in Antonio Candreva's cross to score his eighth league goal this season.</p>

<p>Mattia Valoti pulled a goal back, but second-from-bottom SPAL fell to their ninth defeat of the campaign.</p>

<p>Conte has guided Chinese-owned Inter to 12 victories in 14 league games for the first time, and they reclaimed the top spot which they had previously held until their 2-1 defeat by Juventus on October 6.</p>

<p>"When a team like Juventus drops points, you need to make sure that you make the most of that," said former Juve coach Conte.</p>

<p>In Turin, Leonardo Bonucci struck early for the eight-time reigning champions but Ivorian Jeremie Boga and Francesco Caputo hit back for Sassuolo before Ronaldo's intervention.</p>

<p>Sassuolo, in 12th, claimed their first ever point at Juventus, and held Sarri's unbeaten champions to their third draw this season.</p>

<p>"We got into trouble on our own, we didn't use our heads in the first half, as the goals conceded show," said Sarri.</p>

<p>"But we were coming off two games in which we used up a lot of energy against Atalanta and Atletico Madrid. We woke up after going behind."</p>

<p>Veteran Gianluigi Buffon endured a nightmare in the Juventus goal.</p>

<p>The 41-year-old was making just his fifth start this season, putting him two short of Paolo Maldini's record of 647 <a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/serie-a-juventus-dybala-sinks-milan-as-angry-ronaldo-substituted-261314">Serie A</a> appearances.</p>

<p>Boga dinked the first Sassuolo goal on 22 minutes over the onrushing Buffon, who then fumbled in Caputo's second after the break following a mix-up between Juan Cuadrado and Matthijs de Ligt.</p>

<p><strong>Napoli crisis intensifies&nbsp;</strong></p>

<p>By contrast, 18-year-old Stefano Turati made an impressive debut in the Sassuolo goal, and pulled off a string of fine saves, denying a Ronaldo free-kick, Gonzalo Higuain and Paulo Dybala late on.</p>

<p>Ronaldo's penalty pulled the hosts level in the 68th minute after Filippo Romagna fouled substitute Dybala.</p>

<p>It was the Portuguese star's fifth Serie A goal this season, with the five-time Ballon d'Or winner also having an effort ruled out for offside.</p>

<p>"Ronaldo has regained stamina, the next step will be to recover brilliance, but the road is right," insisted Sarri.</p>

<p>Lazio consolidated third place,&nbsp;seven points behind Inter,&nbsp;with a 3-0 win over Udinese thanks to a double from Serie A top scorer Ciro Immobile, including one from the spot, to bring his tally to 17 goals this season, and a Luis Alberto penalty.</p>

<p>Roma moved up to fourth, two points behind their city rivals, after a 3-1 win at midtable Verona, ahead of Cagliari, who host Sampdoria on Monday.</p>

<p>Justin Kluivert score after 17 minutes in Verona with Diego Perotti converting a penalty just before the break, and Henrikh Mkhitaryan adding a third in injury time.</p>

<p>But Napoli's winless run stretched to eight games in all competitions with a 2-1 defeat at home by Bologna, leaving last season's runners-up in seventh.</p>

<p>Bologna got their first win since October 27 with coach Sinisa Mihajlovic back on the bench following a bone marrow transplant as he fights leukaemia.</p>

<p>Despite taking a point in their <a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/champions-league-liverpool-and-napoli-left-with-work-to-do-after-anfield-draw-264987">Champions League game</a> at Liverpool in midweek Carlo Ancelotti's Napoli are five points off the top four.</p>

<p>"It's a very delicate time for us," said Ancelotti.</p>

<p>Fernando Llorente put Napoli ahead four minutes before half-time, but Dane Andreas Skov Olsen volleyed in an equaliser just before the hour with Nicola Sansone scoring the winner 10 minutes from time.</p>

<p>Llorente thought he had scored a 95th-minute leveller, but it was ruled offside by VAR.</p>

<p>AC Milan, struggling in 11th, got their first win in a month, 1-0 at Parma.</p>


Lautaro Martinez's first-half brace sent Inter Milan top of Serie A on Sunday with a 2-1 win over SPAL after champions Juventus were held at home by Sassuolo. "We didn't use our heads," lamented Juventus boss Maurizio Sarri after his side dropped their first points at home this season.

Lautaro Martinez's first-half brace sent Inter Milan top of Serie A on Sunday with a 2-1 win over SPAL after champions Juventus were held at home by Sassuolo. "We didn't use our heads," lamented Juventus boss Maurizio Sarri after his side dropped their first points at home this season. Cristiano Ronaldo scored from the spot to rescue a 2-2 draw but Juventus slipped one point behind Antonio Conte's Inter. Argentinian Martinez put Inter ahead on 16 minutes at the San Siro, and then headed in Antonio Candreva's cross to score his eighth league goal this season. Mattia Valoti pulled a goal back, but second-from-bottom SPAL fell to their ninth defeat of the campaign. Conte has guided Chinese-owned Inter to 12 victories in 14 league games for the first time, and they reclaimed the top spot which they had previously held until their 2-1 defeat by Juventus on October 6. "When a team like Juventus drops points, you need to make sure that you make the most of that," said former Juve coach Conte. In Turin, Leonardo Bonucci struck early for the eight-time reigning champions but Ivorian Jeremie Boga and Francesco Caputo hit back for Sassuolo before Ronaldo's intervention. Sassuolo, in 12th, claimed their first ever point at Juventus, and held Sarri's unbeaten champions to their third draw this season. "We got into trouble on our own, we didn't use our heads in the first half, as the goals conceded show," said Sarri. "But we were coming off two games in which we used up a lot of energy against Atalanta and Atletico Madrid. We woke up after going behind." Veteran Gianluigi Buffon endured a nightmare in the Juventus goal. The 41-year-old was making just his fifth start this season, putting him two short of Paolo Maldini's record of 647 Serie A appearances. Boga dinked the first Sassuolo goal on 22 minutes over the onrushing Buffon, who then fumbled in Caputo's second after the break following a mix-up between Juan Cuadrado and Matthijs de Ligt. Napoli crisis intensifies By contrast, 18-year-old Stefano Turati made an impressive debut in the Sassuolo goal, and pulled off a string of fine saves, denying a Ronaldo free-kick, Gonzalo Higuain and Paulo Dybala late on. Ronaldo's penalty pulled the hosts level in the 68th minute after Filippo Romagna fouled substitute Dybala. It was the Portuguese star's fifth Serie A goal this season, with the five-time Ballon d'Or winner also having an effort ruled out for offside. "Ronaldo has regained stamina, the next step will be to recover brilliance, but the road is right," insisted Sarri. Lazio consolidated third place, seven points behind Inter, with a 3-0 win over Udinese thanks to a double from Serie A top scorer Ciro Immobile, including one from the spot, to bring his tally to 17 goals this season, and a Luis Alberto penalty. Roma moved up to fourth, two points behind their city rivals, after a 3-1 win at midtable Verona, ahead of Cagliari, who host Sampdoria on Monday. Justin Kluivert score after 17 minutes in Verona with Diego Perotti converting a penalty just before the break, and Henrikh Mkhitaryan adding a third in injury time. But Napoli's winless run stretched to eight games in all competitions with a 2-1 defeat at home by Bologna, leaving last season's runners-up in seventh. Bologna got their first win since October 27 with coach Sinisa Mihajlovic back on the bench following a bone marrow transplant as he fights leukaemia. Despite taking a point in their Champions League game at Liverpool in midweek Carlo Ancelotti's Napoli are five points off the top four. "It's a very delicate time for us," said Ancelotti. Fernando Llorente put Napoli ahead four minutes before half-time, but Dane Andreas Skov Olsen volleyed in an equaliser just before the hour with Nicola Sansone scoring the winner 10 minutes from time. Llorente thought he had scored a 95th-minute leveller, but it was ruled offside by VAR. AC Milan, struggling in 11th, got their first win in a month, 1-0 at Parma.

Martinez fires Inter top of Serie A as Juventus slip up

<p>The eight-time reigning Serie A champions are unbeaten this season and are one point ahead of Inter Milan, who kept their European ambitions burning with a 3-1 win at Slavia Prague.</p>

<p><a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/champions-league-dybala-stunner-seals-top-spot-for-juventus-but-atletico-must-wait-264915">Juventus </a>have a perfect home record against Sassuolo with six wins in as many games.</p>

<p>"Right now, we are only showing flashes of what we feel we can achieve and we would like to show more consistently," said Juve coach Maurizio Sarri.</p>

<p><a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/cristiano-ronaldo-back-against-favourite-enemy-atletico-264553">Cristiano Ronaldo </a>has returned after a slight knee problem, giving Sarri a selection dilemma with Paulo Dybala and Gonzalo Higuain in top form.</p>

<p>Veteran goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon, 41, could start in place of Wojciech Szczesny, as he looks to close in on Paolo Maldini's record for Serie A appearances.</p>

<p>Antonio Conte's Inter have a chance to keep the momentum going as they host lowly SPAL, who have never won in the San Siro.</p>

<p>But Conte sees the side from Emilia-Romagna, who are second-bottom of the league, as "another test" as they build towards their Champions League clash with Barcelona.</p>

<p>Carlo Ancelotti's Napoli host Bologna after a 1-1 draw at Anfield left them well-placed to reach the knockout stages of the Champions League.</p>

<p>The Italians had travelled to Merseyside in disarray with Ancelotti seemingly on the brink of being sacked after a slump to seventh in Serie A.</p>

<p>President Aurelio De Laurentiis has also threatened to sell the entire squad and take legal action against the players after they refused his orders to be confined to a week-long training camp earlier this month.</p>

<p>But Ancelotti declared that "coming out of Anfield alive," had pleased De Laurentiis and boosted morale.</p>

<p>"We are united and there is determination on the part of everyone to return and demonstrate our potential," said Ancelotti.</p>

<p>Napoli have taken just four points from their last five league games, but have won their last five home games against 15th-placed Bologna.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Atalanta host the 'Derby of Lombardy' against Brescia after creating history with their first ever Champions League win, 2-0 over Dinamo Zagreb.</p>

<p>Atalanta star striker Duvan Zapata's injury absence has seen the team slip to sixth, three points off the Champions League places.</p>

<p>Lazio will be looking to hold third place at home against Udinese, at the expense of Cagliari, two points behind in fourth, who host Sampdoria on Monday.</p>

<p>Joint-fourth, Roma's good form will be tested at Verona, as AC Milan, struggling in 12th, travel to Parma.</p>

<p>Fiorentina host promoted Lecce looking to avoid a third consecutive league defeat.</p>

<p><strong>One to watch</strong></p>

<p>Dries Mertens scored for Napoli at Liverpool to bring his tally to 117 goals for the southerners, just four goals off Slovak Marek Hamsik's all-time club record of 121.</p>

<p>The Belgian striker has a good opportunity at the weekend against Bologna, a team he has got 11 goals past in nine Serie A matches, more than against any other opponent.</p>

<p><strong>Key stats:</strong></p>

<p>644 - Juventus goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon's Serie A appearances, three short of AC Milan legend Paolo Maldini's record</p>

<p>31 - Atalanta have scored the most goals in Serie A after 13 matches&nbsp;</p>

<p>18 - Inter Milan's unbeaten run against SPAL</p>

<p>7 - Napoli's games without a win in all competitions</p>

<p>4 - Cagliari goalkeeper Robin Olsen's ban after being sent of for fighting with Lecce's Gianluca Lapadula in their last game</p>

<p>1 - Juventus's lead on Inter at the top of the table</p>

<p><strong>Fixtures (all times GMT)</strong></p>

<p>Saturday</p>

<p>Brescia v Atalanta (1400), Genoa v Torino (1700), Fiorentina v Lecce (1945).</p>

<p>Sunday</p>

<p>Juventus v Sassuolo (1130), Inter Milan v SPAL, Lazio v Udinese, Parma v AC Milan (all 1400), Napoli v Bologna (1700), Verona v AS Roma (1945).</p>

<p>Monday</p>

<p>Cagliari v Sampdoria (1945)</p>


The eight-time reigning Serie A champions are unbeaten this season and are one point ahead of Inter Milan, who kept their European ambitions burning with a 3-1 win at Slavia Prague.

The eight-time reigning Serie A champions are unbeaten this season and are one point ahead of Inter Milan, who kept their European ambitions burning with a 3-1 win at Slavia Prague. Juventus have a perfect home record against Sassuolo with six wins in as many games. "Right now, we are only showing flashes of what we feel we can achieve and we would like to show more consistently," said Juve coach Maurizio Sarri. Cristiano Ronaldo has returned after a slight knee problem, giving Sarri a selection dilemma with Paulo Dybala and Gonzalo Higuain in top form. Veteran goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon, 41, could start in place of Wojciech Szczesny, as he looks to close in on Paolo Maldini's record for Serie A appearances. Antonio Conte's Inter have a chance to keep the momentum going as they host lowly SPAL, who have never won in the San Siro. But Conte sees the side from Emilia-Romagna, who are second-bottom of the league, as "another test" as they build towards their Champions League clash with Barcelona. Carlo Ancelotti's Napoli host Bologna after a 1-1 draw at Anfield left them well-placed to reach the knockout stages of the Champions League. The Italians had travelled to Merseyside in disarray with Ancelotti seemingly on the brink of being sacked after a slump to seventh in Serie A. President Aurelio De Laurentiis has also threatened to sell the entire squad and take legal action against the players after they refused his orders to be confined to a week-long training camp earlier this month. But Ancelotti declared that "coming out of Anfield alive," had pleased De Laurentiis and boosted morale. "We are united and there is determination on the part of everyone to return and demonstrate our potential," said Ancelotti. Napoli have taken just four points from their last five league games, but have won their last five home games against 15th-placed Bologna. Atalanta host the 'Derby of Lombardy' against Brescia after creating history with their first ever Champions League win, 2-0 over Dinamo Zagreb. Atalanta star striker Duvan Zapata's injury absence has seen the team slip to sixth, three points off the Champions League places. Lazio will be looking to hold third place at home against Udinese, at the expense of Cagliari, two points behind in fourth, who host Sampdoria on Monday. Joint-fourth, Roma's good form will be tested at Verona, as AC Milan, struggling in 12th, travel to Parma. Fiorentina host promoted Lecce looking to avoid a third consecutive league defeat. One to watch Dries Mertens scored for Napoli at Liverpool to bring his tally to 117 goals for the southerners, just four goals off Slovak Marek Hamsik's all-time club record of 121. The Belgian striker has a good opportunity at the weekend against Bologna, a team he has got 11 goals past in nine Serie A matches, more than against any other opponent. Key stats: 644 - Juventus goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon's Serie A appearances, three short of AC Milan legend Paolo Maldini's record 31 - Atalanta have scored the most goals in Serie A after 13 matches 18 - Inter Milan's unbeaten run against SPAL 7 - Napoli's games without a win in all competitions 4 - Cagliari goalkeeper Robin Olsen's ban after being sent of for fighting with Lecce's Gianluca Lapadula in their last game 1 - Juventus's lead on Inter at the top of the table Fixtures (all times GMT) Saturday Brescia v Atalanta (1400), Genoa v Torino (1700), Fiorentina v Lecce (1945). Sunday Juventus v Sassuolo (1130), Inter Milan v SPAL, Lazio v Udinese, Parma v AC Milan (all 1400), Napoli v Bologna (1700), Verona v AS Roma (1945). Monday Cagliari v Sampdoria (1945)

Juventus, Inter Milan return to Serie A duel as Napoli try to snap winless run

<p>Paulo Dybala's ferocious curled free-kick earned&nbsp;Juventus&nbsp;a 1-0 home win over Atletico Madrid and top spot in <a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/champions-league-mourinho-masterstroke-pays-off-as-tottenham-spurs-hit-back-to-win-264816">Champions League</a> Group D.</p>

<p>The Italian champions had already booked their place for the last 16 with two games to spare but made sure of top spot with an impressive win on Tuesday.</p>

<p>Dybala struck two minutes into first-half injury time. His left-footed effort whipped into the net from a seemingly impossible angle leaving goalkeeper Jan Oblak with no chance.</p>

<p>Diego Simeone's Atletico will need to win their final group game against Lokomotiv Moscow in Madrid to be sure of advancing to the knockout rounds.</p>

<p>"I think Dybala scored a goal that we can't recommend," said his coach Maricio Sarri.</p>

<p>"The first thing a coach says when he sees someone trying to shoot from that position is 'but why the hell are you shooting from there!'&nbsp;</p>

<p>"He did something extraordinary, he deserved the applause," said Sarri. "It was an extraordinary piece of skill."</p>

<p><a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/cristiano-ronaldo-back-against-favourite-enemy-atletico-264553">Cristiano Ronaldo returned</a> to the side and played for the entire match after missing last weekend's game against Atalanta and was substituted in their previous two games because of a slight knee problem.</p>

<p>"I haven't spoken to him yet about the pain in his knee, but he looked to be in good shape," added Sarri.</p>

<p>Juventus&nbsp;have 13 points from five games, with <a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/champions-league-atletico-madrid-dig-deep-to-snatch-draw-with-juventus-250480">Atletico</a> still on seven, one point ahead of third-placed Bayer Leverkusen who beat Lokomotiv 2-0.</p>

<p>"We had a good match against a great rival," said Simeone. "We had chances but we lacked a little efficiency.&nbsp;</p>

<p>"We &nbsp;didn't score ourselves, which is the most important thing in football, but we were always in the match."</p>

<p>Ronaldo was partnered up front by <a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/serie-a-juventus-dybala-sinks-milan-as-angry-ronaldo-substituted-261314">Dybala</a> as in-form Gonzalo Higuain started on the bench.</p>

<p>Ronaldo had another injury scare in the first half, grimacing in pain and limping after colliding with the corner flag, but he played on.</p>

<p>Atletico had their chances in a balanced first half. Thomas Partey sent a long-range volley wide after 13 minutes.&nbsp;Juventus&nbsp;goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny got down low to smother a goal-bound Saul Niguez effort.</p>

<p>The 26-year-old Dybala was the standout player. &nbsp;He made the breakthrough just before the break when he curled in a superb strike from a tight angle to leave Atletico goalkeeper Oblak completely beaten.</p>

<p>Dybala's celebrations included a military-style salute to Turkish international teammate Merih Demiral.</p>

<p>"It was just a joke between us in the dressing room, there was no message in that," said the Argentine.</p>

<p>"It was a good goal from a tight angle, there were a lot of players on front of me," he added.</p>

<p>Ronaldo threatened after an hour, racing towards goal only to shoot wide. Then Federico Bernadeschi rattled the post after coming on for Welsh international Aaron Ramsey.</p>

<p>Dybala went off to a standing ovation and was replaced by Higuain for the last quarter of an hour.</p>

<p>Matthijs de Ligt, who had been a doubt after dislocating his shoulder at the weekend, pulled off a brilliant sliding tackle to steal the ball from the feet of a goal-bound Angel Correa with seven minutes to go.</p>

<p>Alvaro Morata missed the chance to poach a point in the final moments of the game.</p>

<p>Correa sent the ball across the face of goal but the former&nbsp;Juventus&nbsp;striker failed to finish off on front of an empty goal.</p>


Paulo Dybala's ferocious curled free-kick earned Juventus a 1-0 home win over Atletico Madrid and top spot in Champions League Group D. The Italian champions had already booked their place for the last 16 with two games to spare but made sure of top spot with an impressive win on Tuesday.

Paulo Dybala's ferocious curled free-kick earned Juventus a 1-0 home win over Atletico Madrid and top spot in Champions League Group D. The Italian champions had already booked their place for the last 16 with two games to spare but made sure of top spot with an impressive win on Tuesday. Dybala struck two minutes into first-half injury time. His left-footed effort whipped into the net from a seemingly impossible angle leaving goalkeeper Jan Oblak with no chance. Diego Simeone's Atletico will need to win their final group game against Lokomotiv Moscow in Madrid to be sure of advancing to the knockout rounds. "I think Dybala scored a goal that we can't recommend," said his coach Maricio Sarri. "The first thing a coach says when he sees someone trying to shoot from that position is 'but why the hell are you shooting from there!' "He did something extraordinary, he deserved the applause," said Sarri. "It was an extraordinary piece of skill." Cristiano Ronaldo returned to the side and played for the entire match after missing last weekend's game against Atalanta and was substituted in their previous two games because of a slight knee problem. "I haven't spoken to him yet about the pain in his knee, but he looked to be in good shape," added Sarri. Juventus have 13 points from five games, with Atletico still on seven, one point ahead of third-placed Bayer Leverkusen who beat Lokomotiv 2-0. "We had a good match against a great rival," said Simeone. "We had chances but we lacked a little efficiency. "We didn't score ourselves, which is the most important thing in football, but we were always in the match." Ronaldo was partnered up front by Dybala as in-form Gonzalo Higuain started on the bench. Ronaldo had another injury scare in the first half, grimacing in pain and limping after colliding with the corner flag, but he played on. Atletico had their chances in a balanced first half. Thomas Partey sent a long-range volley wide after 13 minutes. Juventus goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny got down low to smother a goal-bound Saul Niguez effort. The 26-year-old Dybala was the standout player. He made the breakthrough just before the break when he curled in a superb strike from a tight angle to leave Atletico goalkeeper Oblak completely beaten. Dybala's celebrations included a military-style salute to Turkish international teammate Merih Demiral. "It was just a joke between us in the dressing room, there was no message in that," said the Argentine. "It was a good goal from a tight angle, there were a lot of players on front of me," he added. Ronaldo threatened after an hour, racing towards goal only to shoot wide. Then Federico Bernadeschi rattled the post after coming on for Welsh international Aaron Ramsey. Dybala went off to a standing ovation and was replaced by Higuain for the last quarter of an hour. Matthijs de Ligt, who had been a doubt after dislocating his shoulder at the weekend, pulled off a brilliant sliding tackle to steal the ball from the feet of a goal-bound Angel Correa with seven minutes to go. Alvaro Morata missed the chance to poach a point in the final moments of the game. Correa sent the ball across the face of goal but the former Juventus striker failed to finish off on front of an empty goal.

Champions League: Dybala stunner seals top-spot for Juventus but Atletico must wait

<p>Juventus star <a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/soccer-ronaldo-moves-onto-99-as-portugal-qualify-for-euro-2020-262792">Cristiano Ronaldo</a> warned he was 'back' and ready for Tuesday's Champions League meeting with old rivals Atletico Madrid in Turin.</p>

<p>Coach Maurizio Sarri said the 34-year-old Portugal international's fitness still had to be assessed before the Group D clash as he battles a knee problem.</p>

<p>But the 34-year-old showed his eagerness to play by posting a photo on Twitter with the caption: "I'm back," followed by an emoji of a flexed bicep.</p>

<p>Ronaldo has a long history with the Spanish side going back to his nine years with city rivals Real Madrid.</p>

<p>The five-time <a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/liverpool-dominates-ballon-dor-shortlist-with-seven-names-257421">Ballon d'Or</a> winner scored 22 goals against Atletico for Real, including in the 2014 Champions League final triumph. He also hit the winning spot-kick as they were defeated in the final again two years later.</p>

<p>In last season's Champions League, the Spanish were 2-0 winners in the first leg of their last 16 tie, but a Ronaldo hat-trick in Turin in March denied them a quarter-final berth.</p>

<p>"I have five Champions Leagues, these guys zero," Ronaldo had declared after the defeat in Madrid, holding up five fingers to the home fans throughout the game.</p>

<p>This season Ronaldo has scored just once in the Champions League and was <a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/serie-a-juventus-dybala-sinks-milan-as-angry-ronaldo-substituted-261314">furious after being substituted</a> by coach Maurizio Sarri in their last game against Lokomotiv Moscow, also being hauled off before the hour in the following game against AC Milan.</p>

<p>In characteristic defiant style he hit back with four goals to qualify holders <a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/soccer-ronaldo-moves-onto-99-as-portugal-qualify-for-euro-2020-262792">Portugal for Euro 2020.</a></p>

<p>But he was rested for Saturday's Serie A game against Atalanta which Juventus won 2-1 thanks to a Gonzalo Higuain double to stay top of the Italian league.</p>

<p>"Cristiano trained with his teammates yesterday (Sunday)," Sarri told a press conference at the Juventus Stadium.&nbsp;</p>

<p>"It seems that his condition is improving but we still have to evaluate between today and tomorrow.</p>

<p>"The positive thing he was able to play throughout the training session with his teammates."</p>

<p>Atletico coach Diego Simeone knows what to expect from a player who holds the record of <a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/champions-league-costas-stoppage-time-gem-sends-juventus-into-last-16-260436">Champions League </a>goals with 127.</p>

<p>"Ronaldo is a champion, we have always suffered a lot against him. He is number one, but I don't think it's Ronaldo against Atletico because Juve is a great team.&nbsp;</p>

<p>"I have no doubt, Juventus will be the protagonist again this year."</p>

<p>Atletico midfielder Koke added: "We consider the team as a whole, not just Ronaldo.</p>

<p>"Ronaldo had scored a lot of goals against us, we'll see if he will play one of his typical matches tomorrow."</p>

<p>Sarri said he had "a good relationship with Ronaldo" despite the player's harsh words in his direction at being substituted.</p>

<p>"If a player who has won so much is angry about being substituted, it means he still has a lot of motivation, and this is something positive," said the former Chelsea and Napoli coach.&nbsp;</p>

<p><a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/champions-league-costas-stoppage-time-gem-sends-juventus-into-last-16-260436">Juventus</a> are already through to the last 16 and want to finish top of their group with second-placed Atletico needing a win to guarantee their place.</p>

<p>The Italian champions will be without defender Matthijs de Ligt, with a dislocated shoulder, with forward Federico Bernardeschi, who bruised his chest, in doubt.</p>

<p>Atletico's Portugal forward Joao Felix is also fighting for fitness.</p>

<p>But Sarri conceded he was spoilt for choice up front between Ronaldo, Paulo Dybala and Higuain.</p>

<p>"We have three very strong strikers for just two roles, I think it is an ideal situation," continued the Juventus coach.</p>

<p>"Playing Dybala, Higuain and Cristiano all together is difficult because of their characteristics, but all three know how to play really well and are comfortable with each other."&nbsp;</p>

<p>Higuain, who has scored five goals this season, said he was not trying to take Ronaldo's throne.</p>

<p>"I don't have to steal anything from anyone," said the 31-year-old, who played alongside Ronaldo at <a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/real-madrid-keep-pace-with-barca-as-bale-suffers-hostile-reception-264159">Real Madrid</a>.&nbsp;</p>

<p>"We know who Ronaldo is, a winner. I try to help the team win, we are all important and crucial, both those who play and those who don't play.</p>

<p>"In the long run, this is what leads a team to winning things."</p>


Juventus star Cristiano Ronaldo warned he was 'back' and ready for Tuesday's Champions League meeting with old rivals Atletico Madrid in Turin. Coach Maurizio Sarri said the 34-year-old Portugal international's fitness still had to be assessed before the Group D clash as he battles a knee problem.

Juventus star Cristiano Ronaldo warned he was 'back' and ready for Tuesday's Champions League meeting with old rivals Atletico Madrid in Turin. Coach Maurizio Sarri said the 34-year-old Portugal international's fitness still had to be assessed before the Group D clash as he battles a knee problem. But the 34-year-old showed his eagerness to play by posting a photo on Twitter with the caption: "I'm back," followed by an emoji of a flexed bicep. Ronaldo has a long history with the Spanish side going back to his nine years with city rivals Real Madrid. The five-time Ballon d'Or winner scored 22 goals against Atletico for Real, including in the 2014 Champions League final triumph. He also hit the winning spot-kick as they were defeated in the final again two years later. In last season's Champions League, the Spanish were 2-0 winners in the first leg of their last 16 tie, but a Ronaldo hat-trick in Turin in March denied them a quarter-final berth. "I have five Champions Leagues, these guys zero," Ronaldo had declared after the defeat in Madrid, holding up five fingers to the home fans throughout the game. This season Ronaldo has scored just once in the Champions League and was furious after being substituted by coach Maurizio Sarri in their last game against Lokomotiv Moscow, also being hauled off before the hour in the following game against AC Milan. In characteristic defiant style he hit back with four goals to qualify holders Portugal for Euro 2020. But he was rested for Saturday's Serie A game against Atalanta which Juventus won 2-1 thanks to a Gonzalo Higuain double to stay top of the Italian league. "Cristiano trained with his teammates yesterday (Sunday)," Sarri told a press conference at the Juventus Stadium. "It seems that his condition is improving but we still have to evaluate between today and tomorrow. "The positive thing he was able to play throughout the training session with his teammates." Atletico coach Diego Simeone knows what to expect from a player who holds the record of Champions League goals with 127. "Ronaldo is a champion, we have always suffered a lot against him. He is number one, but I don't think it's Ronaldo against Atletico because Juve is a great team. "I have no doubt, Juventus will be the protagonist again this year." Atletico midfielder Koke added: "We consider the team as a whole, not just Ronaldo. "Ronaldo had scored a lot of goals against us, we'll see if he will play one of his typical matches tomorrow." Sarri said he had "a good relationship with Ronaldo" despite the player's harsh words in his direction at being substituted. "If a player who has won so much is angry about being substituted, it means he still has a lot of motivation, and this is something positive," said the former Chelsea and Napoli coach. Juventus are already through to the last 16 and want to finish top of their group with second-placed Atletico needing a win to guarantee their place. The Italian champions will be without defender Matthijs de Ligt, with a dislocated shoulder, with forward Federico Bernardeschi, who bruised his chest, in doubt. Atletico's Portugal forward Joao Felix is also fighting for fitness. But Sarri conceded he was spoilt for choice up front between Ronaldo, Paulo Dybala and Higuain. "We have three very strong strikers for just two roles, I think it is an ideal situation," continued the Juventus coach. "Playing Dybala, Higuain and Cristiano all together is difficult because of their characteristics, but all three know how to play really well and are comfortable with each other." Higuain, who has scored five goals this season, said he was not trying to take Ronaldo's throne. "I don't have to steal anything from anyone," said the 31-year-old, who played alongside Ronaldo at Real Madrid. "We know who Ronaldo is, a winner. I try to help the team win, we are all important and crucial, both those who play and those who don't play. "In the long run, this is what leads a team to winning things."

Champions League: I'm back, warns Ronaldo as Juventus face Atletico Madrid

<p><meta name="uuid" content="uuid4064MkDT1qry" /><meta charset="utf-8" /></p>

<p>Portugal captain Cristiano Ronaldo scored his 99th international goal as the defending champions edged past Luxembourg 2-0 in difficult conditions away from home on Sunday to qualify for Euro 2020.</p>

<p>Bruno Fernandes broke the deadlock in the 39th minute and Ronaldo wrapped it up with four minutes left to ensure that Portugal finished second in Group B with 17 points, three ahead of Serbia who drew 2-2 with Ukraine.</p>

<p>Diogo Jota's shot appeared to be going in any way but Ronaldo prodded it over to claim the goal.</p>

<p>He is one short of joining Iran's Ali Daei, the only player to have scored a century of goals for a national team.</p>

<p>"I would have been very proud to have scored my first goal for the national team, but the important thing is we won," said Jota. "It doesn't matter who scores -- we are in the Euros and that is what we wanted."</p>

<p>Portugal survived several early scares as they struggled to impose their game on a rain-soaked pitch full of divots at the Josy Barthel stadium.</p>

<p>Ronaldo, in particular, was not enjoying the conditions and gestured angrily at the pitch after sending a speculative wide in the first half.</p>

<p>Needing a win to qualify without having to worry about Serbia's result, Portugal were in trouble early on as Luxembourg saw a chance to spring an upset.</p>

<p>Maurice Deville got above his marker and headed over from Laurent Jans' cross and Vincent Thill, a thorn in Portugal's side, had a goalbound shot blocked by Ruben Dias.</p>

<p>Luxembourg were even closer when a corner found Gerons Rodrigues unmarked but he headed over.</p>

<p>Portugal began to adapt to the conditions and their more direct approach was rewarded with a goal.</p>

<p>Bernardo Silva floated a pass over the Luxembourg defence from deep inside his own half and into the path of Fernandes who took it superbly in his stride and fired a low shot between Anthony Moris and the near post.</p>

<p>The second half was more comfortable for Portugal as they dominated possession although there still anxious moments.</p>

<p>Ronaldo nearly sealed it when he curled a free kick narrowly wide from the edge of the area.</p>

<p>With four minutes left, Silva's cross found Jota and Moris got a hand to it but could not stop it crossing the line and Ronaldo poked it home for good measure.</p>

<p>"We won't be favourites but we are going there to win," said Portugal coach Fernando Santos, whose side also won the inaugural Nations League this year.</p>

<p>"We are not the prettiest team but we have won two European tournaments in the last four years."</p>


Portugal captain Cristiano Ronaldo scored his 99th international goal as the defending champions edged past Luxembourg 2-0 in difficult conditions away from home on Sunday to qualify for Euro 2020.

Portugal captain Cristiano Ronaldo scored his 99th international goal as the defending champions edged past Luxembourg 2-0 in difficult conditions away from home on Sunday to qualify for Euro 2020. Bruno Fernandes broke the deadlock in the 39th minute and Ronaldo wrapped it up with four minutes left to ensure that Portugal finished second in Group B with 17 points, three ahead of Serbia who drew 2-2 with Ukraine. Diogo Jota's shot appeared to be going in any way but Ronaldo prodded it over to claim the goal. He is one short of joining Iran's Ali Daei, the only player to have scored a century of goals for a national team. "I would have been very proud to have scored my first goal for the national team, but the important thing is we won," said Jota. "It doesn't matter who scores -- we are in the Euros and that is what we wanted." Portugal survived several early scares as they struggled to impose their game on a rain-soaked pitch full of divots at the Josy Barthel stadium. Ronaldo, in particular, was not enjoying the conditions and gestured angrily at the pitch after sending a speculative wide in the first half. Needing a win to qualify without having to worry about Serbia's result, Portugal were in trouble early on as Luxembourg saw a chance to spring an upset. Maurice Deville got above his marker and headed over from Laurent Jans' cross and Vincent Thill, a thorn in Portugal's side, had a goalbound shot blocked by Ruben Dias. Luxembourg were even closer when a corner found Gerons Rodrigues unmarked but he headed over. Portugal began to adapt to the conditions and their more direct approach was rewarded with a goal. Bernardo Silva floated a pass over the Luxembourg defence from deep inside his own half and into the path of Fernandes who took it superbly in his stride and fired a low shot between Anthony Moris and the near post. The second half was more comfortable for Portugal as they dominated possession although there still anxious moments. Ronaldo nearly sealed it when he curled a free kick narrowly wide from the edge of the area. With four minutes left, Silva's cross found Jota and Moris got a hand to it but could not stop it crossing the line and Ronaldo poked it home for good measure. "We won't be favourites but we are going there to win," said Portugal coach Fernando Santos, whose side also won the inaugural Nations League this year. "We are not the prettiest team but we have won two European tournaments in the last four years."

Football: Ronaldo moves onto 99 as Portugal qualify for Euro 2020

<p>Cristiano Ronaldo's fitness and attitude has come under the spotlight after he reacted angrily to being substituted during <a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/serie-a-juventus-dybala-sinks-milan-as-angry-ronaldo-substituted-261314">Juventus' win over AC Milan</a> and coach Maurizio Sarri said the 34-year-old had been nursing a knee injury for some time.</p>

<p>Ronaldo now faces two matches with Portugal where he will want to help the European champions guarantee their place at Euro 2020 and close in on the 100-goal milestone for his country.</p>

<p>He currently has 95 goals and, given his prolific record, it is not inconceivable that he could reach 100 against Lithuania and Luxemburg,&nbsp;if he can play.</p>

<p>Ronaldo gave Sarri a dirty look and walked straight down the tunnel after being substituted in the 55th minute on Sunday, prompting widespread criticism led by former Real Madrid, Juventus and England coach Fabio Capello.</p>

<p>"Ronaldo hasn't dribbled past a player in three years and I remember when he could leave them on the floor," Capello told Sky Sport Italia. "Sarri was right to take him off. The fact that he did not go and sit on the bench was not a good image."</p>

<p>Sarri said the player had taken a knock on the knee in training a month ago was still feeling the effects.</p>

<p>"When he trains with high intensity and plays matches, he feels some pain. He can't train too hard and has difficulty when he kicks the ball."</p>

<p>Sarri added that Ronaldo was also suffering problems with his thigh and calf, raising questions as to whether the striker was taking unnecessary risks by playing on rather than taking some time out to regain full fitness.</p>

<p>Ronaldo's career has been remarkably injury-free and his longest layoff was in 2008 when a fractured knee cap sidelined him for 94 days, during which he missed 11 games.</p>

<p>An ankle injury cost him nine games in 2009 and he suffered another knee injury during the Euro 2016 final for Portugal against France.</p>

<p>He was also troubled by tendinosis around his left knee in the run-up to the 2014 World Cup. He played in all of Portugal's games but later admitted that he had taken a risk by playing through it.</p>

<p>According to the specialist website Transfermarkt, he has only missed 53 games in his entire career due to injury.</p>

<p>Sarri described Ronaldo's angry reaction to being substituted as normal for a top player, but he will probably be more than happy to let Portugal coach Fernando Santos deal with the problem for the next week.</p>


Cristiano Ronaldo's fitness and attitude has come under the spotlight after he reacted angrily to being substituted during Juventus' win over AC Milan and coach Maurizio Sarri said the 34-year-old had been nursing a knee injury for some time.

Cristiano Ronaldo's fitness and attitude has come under the spotlight after he reacted angrily to being substituted during Juventus' win over AC Milan and coach Maurizio Sarri said the 34-year-old had been nursing a knee injury for some time. Ronaldo now faces two matches with Portugal where he will want to help the European champions guarantee their place at Euro 2020 and close in on the 100-goal milestone for his country. He currently has 95 goals and, given his prolific record, it is not inconceivable that he could reach 100 against Lithuania and Luxemburg, if he can play. Ronaldo gave Sarri a dirty look and walked straight down the tunnel after being substituted in the 55th minute on Sunday, prompting widespread criticism led by former Real Madrid, Juventus and England coach Fabio Capello. "Ronaldo hasn't dribbled past a player in three years and I remember when he could leave them on the floor," Capello told Sky Sport Italia. "Sarri was right to take him off. The fact that he did not go and sit on the bench was not a good image." Sarri said the player had taken a knock on the knee in training a month ago was still feeling the effects. "When he trains with high intensity and plays matches, he feels some pain. He can't train too hard and has difficulty when he kicks the ball." Sarri added that Ronaldo was also suffering problems with his thigh and calf, raising questions as to whether the striker was taking unnecessary risks by playing on rather than taking some time out to regain full fitness. Ronaldo's career has been remarkably injury-free and his longest layoff was in 2008 when a fractured knee cap sidelined him for 94 days, during which he missed 11 games. An ankle injury cost him nine games in 2009 and he suffered another knee injury during the Euro 2016 final for Portugal against France. He was also troubled by tendinosis around his left knee in the run-up to the 2014 World Cup. He played in all of Portugal's games but later admitted that he had taken a risk by playing through it. According to the specialist website Transfermarkt, he has only missed 53 games in his entire career due to injury. Sarri described Ronaldo's angry reaction to being substituted as normal for a top player, but he will probably be more than happy to let Portugal coach Fernando Santos deal with the problem for the next week.

Cristiano Ronaldo's fitness and attitude both under the spotlight

cristiano-ronaldo

Cristiano Ronaldo, News on Cristiano Ronaldo, stories on Cristiano Ronaldo, articles on Cristiano Ronaldo, Cristiano Ronaldo stories at Wion, Cristiano Ronaldo news, Cristiano Ronaldo latest news

cristiano ronaldo