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  • Ronaldo hails Juventus after dominating Messi’s Barcelona

    Ronaldo hails Juventus after dominating Messi’s Barcelona

    Cristiano Ronaldo says Juventus have “nothing to fear” after their dominant 3-0 win over Barcelona.

    Ronaldo converted a penalty in each half as his great rival Lionel Messi toiled in vain – the margin of victory enough for Juve to pip Barca to top spot in Champions League Group G.

    After numerous memorable battles at Camp Nou in the white of Real Madrid, the 35-year-old revelled in the most impressive moment of Juventus’ fledgling Andrea Pirlo era.

    “Always great to return to Spain and to Catalunya, always hard to play in Camp Nou against one of the best teams I ever faced,” Ronaldo tweeted.

    “Today we were a team of Champions! A true, strong and united family!

    “Playing like this, we have nothing to fear until the end of the season… Let’s go!”

    Coach Andrea Pirlo, who has endured mixed fortunes during his debut season on the bench in Turin, was delighted to see Ronaldo star against his old La Liga rivals, while singling out the veteran’s work ethic for particular praise.

    READ ALSO: Ole Gunnar Solskjaer claims his team was ‘Unlucky‘ 

    “Ronaldo was very motivated to put in a good performance here against his eternal rival, so when you’re that motivated, it becomes simple,” he explained to Sky Sport Italia  after the final whistle.

    “There are many games in a season and it’s easier to get fired up for fixtures like this, but we mustn’t lose sight of the real target, which is Serie A, so we have to be this concentrated and committed there too.

    “It was important for our journey that we pick up where we left off in the derby. When you start with that focus, concentration and determination, then the quality emerges.

    “We had prepared the match to create superiority in midfield with three against their two, the midfielders like McKennie able to push up, as we knew they had difficulty stopping them pushing up through the middle.

    “The tactical plan worked and then the players did really well to make the most of the scoring opportunities.”

    Juve are back in action on Sunday, when they visit Genoa in Serie A.

  • Juventus midfielder says joining Premier League would be an ‘honour’

    Juventus midfielder says joining Premier League would be an ‘honour’

    Sami Khedira says it would be an “honour” to fulfil a career dream and play in the Premier League as he prepares for a new challenge away from Juventus.

    The experienced World Cup winner has fallen out of favour at the Serie A champions and is yet to feature for the club since the appointment of former midfield team-mate Andrea Pirlo.

    Reports have suggested Khedira, who continues to train with Juventus, refused to sign a termination agreement – something the midfielder denies – but he concedes the club told him they wanted to move in a different direction.

    Khedira, 33, has spent the last five years with Juventus, but with his contract due to end next summer is open to continuing his career in England.

    “When I was a child it was always a big dream of mine to be a Premier League player,” Khedira told Sky Germany.

    “I am really happy and satisfied with my career until now but one thing is still missing because I always had this dream and it has never come true… to be a part of the Premier League.

    “I have watched so many Premier League games since I was young [but] even now I am following the Premier League a lot.

    “I enjoyed always to play with my teams to play in the Champions League against the English clubs. The atmosphere, the style and idea of football has always impressed me.

    “If it is possible it will for sure be a really big dream [come true] and honour to be a part of the Premier League.”

    Khedira, who started his career at Stuttgart before his move to Real Madrid in 2010, has won the domestic league in Germany, Spain and Italy.

    The Germany international, who was speaking before the national side were beaten by Spain 6-0 in the Nations League on Tuesday, says his former boss Jose Mourinho remains the best manager he has played for.

    Asked why he held the Portuguese in such regard, Khedira said: “Because of his personality, He is always honest, direct, clear in his mind and a great coach.

    “Many people talk about him [being] too defensive but he is a winner, he is a champion. That is why he impressed me the most.”

    Khedira added he believes Mourinho can lead Tottenham to success this season but also spoke highly of Everton manager Carlo Ancelotti when pressed whether he would like the chance to work again with Mourinho.

    “I really enjoyed working with Jose Mourinho but there are many coaches who I would like to work with,” he said.

    “I would never say no again to Jose Mourinho but it is not the only guy who I would say I would like to work with again.

    “There are many coaches, even in the Premier League that I respect a lot. (Carlo) Ancelotti is doing a great job at the moment and is a great personality. He is one of the coaches who impressed me also.”

  • ‘Ronaldo has no respect for his team-mates’ – former Juventus defender Pasquale Bruno

    ‘Ronaldo has no respect for his team-mates’ – former Juventus defender Pasquale Bruno

    Cristiano Ronaldo has been labelled “ignorant” by Pasquale Bruno, with the former Juventus defender of the opinion that the Portuguese superstar lacks respect for both his team-mates and the country of Italy as a whole.

    Largely regarded as one of the best footballers in history, the five-time Ballon d’Or winner ended a nine-year stay at Real Madrid in 2018 as he opted to start a new chapter in his career with Juventus.

    READ ALSO: Danny Ings out for four to six weeks due to knee surgery

    Despite his advancing years, the 35-year-old has shown no signs of slowing down since his arrival, doing his fair share of graft and bagging plenty of goals to help the Bianconeri to back-to-back Serie A titles.

    But, while the Portugal captain’s talent is unquestioned, Bruno believes that a refusal to learn Italian throughout his two years in the country smacks of a lack of respect for the rest of the Juventus squad and general public in his new home.

    “He is ignorant,” the 58-year-old said during an appearance on Tiki Taka. “He has been in Italy for two years and has not yet learned to speak our language. He uses Spanish to express himself. He has no respect for his team-mates or for the Italians.”

    Ronaldo is unlikely to be affected by those comments, however, with Juan Cuadrado stating at the recent Champions League pre-match press conference that the attacker is a model professional who helps to drive his team forward.

    “Ronaldo is very happy, he couldn’t wait to come back and play,” the Colombian said of his team-mate’s return from a coronavirus-enforced lay-off. “You saw that from the moment he stepped onto the pitch [against Spezia].

    “He’s an extra weapon for us, we all know what he gives to the team. He is very confident and that helps us too, passing on the professionalism and desire to win that we all ought to have.”

    While Ronaldo came off the bench against Spezia, he is expected to feature from the start against Ferencvaros on Wednesday and head coach Andrea Pirlo confirmed that he will not change his tactics despite switching up his on-field personnel.

    “The attitude is the same. The players change from game to game but the positions are the same,” the Italy legend said. “[Weston] McKennie played against Spezia, [Aaron] Ramsey was there two games ago and [Dejan] Kulusevski before that.

    “It doesn’t matter who plays, the model remains the same.”

  • #SpeziaJuve: Cristiano Ronaldo doubles after COVID-19 return

    #SpeziaJuve: Cristiano Ronaldo doubles after COVID-19 return

    Cristiano Ronaldo returned from coronavirus to rescue Juventus from a third straight Serie A stalemate with a brace in their 4-1 win at Spezia on Sunday.

    Andrea Pirlo’s men had been held by both Crotone and Hellas Verona in the absence of the five-time Ballon d’Or winner before he finally tested negative on Friday and was cleared to make his comeback.

    READ ALSO: James Ward-Prowse magic inspires Southampton in seven-goal thriller against Aston Villa

    Ronaldo was still only fit enough to make the bench, however, and watched on as Alvaro Morata’s opener was cancelled out by Tommaso Pobega in fortuitous fashion and the Bianconeri subsequently toiled.

  • Barcelona troll Juventus, Ronaldo after UCL win

    Barcelona troll Juventus, Ronaldo after UCL win

    Barcelona trolled Cristiano Ronaldo and Juventus on Twitter following the Spanish side’s 2-0 win over the Italian champions on Wednesday.

    The Catalans took down Juve at the Camp Nou on Wednesday, moving atop their Champion League group with two wins from as many games.

    Barca benefitted from a first-half goal from Ousmane Dembele, whose shot deflected up and over Wojciech Szczesny for the game’s opener.

    They added a second in the 91st minute with a Lionel Messi spot-kick, with Juventus having seen Merih Demiral sent off moments earlier for a second yellow.

    Originally billed as a clash of two of the greatest of all time in Messi and Ronaldo, Juventus were without their talismanic striker once again on Wednesday.

    The Portuguese star has been absent after testing positive for the coronavirus during the international break, and he did not produce a negative test in time to take part in Wednesday’s Champions League clash.

    In an Instagram post on Wednesday, Ronaldo said he was “feeling good and healthy” but the Juventus star then commented questioning the accuracy of the Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) tests that ruled him out for the Barca match.

    “PCR IS BULLSH*T”, he wrote, before eventually deleting the comment.

    Without Ronaldo, Juventus were unable to produce a goal, although Alvaro Morata did see a trio of finishes ruled out due to offside calls.

    And Barcelona took to social media to troll their opponents after the match, saying: We are glad you were able to see the GOAT on your pitch, @juventusfcen!”

    Having defeated both Juventus and Ferencvaros, Barca currently sit atop the group, with Juventus just behind on three points. Goal

  • Juventus names Andrea Pirlo as new Manager

    Juventus names Andrea Pirlo as new Manager

    Following Juventus’ elimination from the Champions League on Friday night, club president Andrea Agnelli said he was going to evaluate things for a couple of days. It turned out to be a just a few hours. And when the hammer fell, it resulted in Juventus getting a new manager.

    It didn’t take long for Agnelli to appoint a new manager, either. It helped that said new manager was already on the payroll and set to coach a Juventus team next season.

    Shortly after just about every sports journalist in Italy reported that Andrea Pirlo was going be Maurizio Sarri’s replacement, the official announcement came down Saturday night. Pirlo, just days after becoming the club’s Under-23 manager, is now in charge of the first team, agreeing to a two-year contract through 2022. He replaces Sarri, who was sacked earlier in the day following Juve’s Champions League exit Friday night in Turin.

  • Ronaldo draws blank as Sassuolo hold jittery Juventus

    Ronaldo draws blank as Sassuolo hold jittery Juventus

    Cristiano Ronaldo’s run of scoring in six league games ended as jittery Juventus were held to a 3-3 draw at Sassuolo on Wednesday.

    With this result, the defending champions missed the chance to go nine points clear at the top of Serie A.

    Having taken two points from their last three games, Juventus are on 77 points, seven ahead of Atalanta, who thumped Brescia 6-2 on Tuesday, with five matches remaining.

    Defender Danilo opened the scoring for Juventus in the sixth minute.

    A corner kick found him unmarked on the edge of the box, and he drilled a powerful shot through a cluster of bodies into the net.

    Gonzalo Higuain made it two six minutes later, latching on to a superb ball from Miralem Pjanic.

    But a shot into the top corner by Filip Djuricic in the 29th minute signalled the start of a spirited fightback by the home side.

    They levelled six minutes into the second half when Domenico Berardi curled a beautiful free-kick in at the near post.

    Sassuolo went ahead three minutes later as Francesco Caputo stole in at the far post to steer in a wayward Berardi shot.

    Ronaldo’s best effort was an attempted lob in the first half that landed just wide, but he was well-shackled by the Sassuolo defence.

    Instead it fell to left-back Alex Sandro to produce a rare goal, meeting a 64th minute corner kick with a bullet header to level the scores.

    Chasing their ninth league title in a row, Juventus poured the pressure on but could not force a winner.

    Instead, Juventus goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny had to make a superb save to keep one point.

    He had to keep out a dipping shot from Mehdi Bourabia in stoppage time as they hung on for a draw that left coach Maurizio Sarri frustrated.

    “We struggle to maintain physical and mental continuity. It is difficult to understand why we have very good moments and others of passivity,” Sarri said.

    “It is difficult to understand, even allowing for the fact that we are meeting teams who are in extraordinary form. We have the feeling of ups and downs during the game,” he added.(Reuters/NAN)

  • Dybala stunner sends Juve top with behind-closed-doors’ win over Inter Milan

    Dybala stunner sends Juve top with behind-closed-doors’ win over Inter Milan

    A wonderful winning goal from substitute Paulo Dybala sent Juventus back to the top of Serie A with a 2-0 victory over title rivals Inter Milan on Sunday.

    Juve, who opened the scoring at an empty Allianz Stadium through Aaron Ramsey, lead on 63 points, one point ahead of Lazio and nine clear of Inter Milan in third.

    Antonio Conte’s Inter Milan side however have a game in hand.

    Ramsey fired home the first goal from close range soon after the break and was also involved in the second.

    Juventus’s Argentine forward Dybala exchanged passes with the Wales international on the edge of the area before dribbling around defender Ashley Young.

    He showed great invention to find the bottom corner with the outside of his boot.

    The game was played without fans present after the Italian government ordered that all matches are held behind closed doors until April 3.

    “This is an important victory, but there are still 12 games to go. So, it’s a long road ahead,” coach Maurizio Sarri said. “`This was far more what I wanted to see from my Juventus.

    “We had seemed a little empty and flat recently. So, we had to choose players who could guarantee more energy, both physical and psychological.

    “That’s the sensation we got in training from these players, but that could change in a couple of weeks.”

    Inter Milan goalkeeper Samir Handanovic returned from injury and they were grateful to have the Slovenian back as he blocked a Matthijs De Ligt header early.

    He also showed quick reactions to palm away a Blaise Matuidi drive inside the opening 15 minutes.

    The hosts had the better chances in a lively first half, but Marcelo Brozovic forced Juve goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny into a sharp save with a powerful drive before the break.

    Juventus made the breakthrough 10 minutes into the second half when Matuidi’s cut-back was taken off the toe of Cristiano Ronaldo by Inter Milan defender Alessandro Bastoni.

    The ball fell into the path of Ramsey who drilled a shot home via a deflection.

    Dybala was surprisingly dropped to the bench but made a huge impact after his introduction, controlling a long pass with his first touch before playing a one-two with Ramsey.

    He danced past Young and prodded in with a deft finish after 67 minutes.

    Ronaldo aimed to make his mark on his 1,000th official game as he chased a Serie A record of scoring in 12 straight games.

    He came close in stoppage time as his shot swerved narrowly wide before he dragged a low effort beyond the far post.

    The game marked Conte’s return to Turin after spells with Juventus as a player and coach.

    But it was not a happy one as his side fell to their second defeat of the season against the Italian champions.

    “The difference between us and Juventus, not counting the game in hand with Sampdoria, is six points,” Conte said. “That’s the two defeats, at San Siro and here.

    “We tried to stay in their slipstream, but must learn from defeat and take the lessons of comparison to grow in terms of character, quality and strength.

    “It’s a loss that must help us to grow and understand how far away we are.”(Reuters/NAN)

  • Ronaldo penalty earns Juve draw at 10-man Milan

    Ronaldo penalty earns Juve draw at 10-man Milan

    A stoppage-time Cristiano Ronaldo penalty rescued a 1-1 draw for Juventus at 10-man AC Milan on Thursday in the first leg of their Coppa Italia semi-final.

    Ante Rebic’s volley gave the hosts a deserved lead after 61 minutes, following a string of good saves from veteran Juve goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon.

    Ziyech set for Chelsea move, confirms Ajax boss Ten Hag

    But Stefano Pioli’s side were reduced to 10 men for the final 18 minutes when defender Theo Hernandez was shown a second yellow card for a rash challenge on Paulo Dybala.

    Juventus were awarded a penalty in the dying minutes following a Video Assistant Referee (VAR) review, which showed that a Ronaldo scissor kick had struck the arm of Milan defender Davide Calabria.

    The Portuguese forward smashed the spot-kick into the roof of the net to earn his side a draw ahead of the second leg in Turin on March 4.

    Napoli defeated Inter Milan 1-0 in the first leg of the other semi-final in Milan on Wednesday. (Reuters/NAN)

  • Ronaldo strikes again as Juventus go top with Roma win

    Ronaldo strikes again as Juventus go top with Roma win

    Cristiano Ronaldo continued his superb scoring form as Juventus won 2-1 away to AS Roma on Sunday and moved two points clear at the top of Serie A.

    Merih Demiral put the Italian champions ahead early on before Ronaldo fired home a penalty to double their advantage with just 10 minutes played.

    It was Ronaldo’s 14th league goal of the season and his ninth in the last six Serie A appearances.

    Things got worse for Roma towards the end of the first half when winger Nicolo Zaniolo was taken off in tears on a stretcher, and the club confirmed at full-time that the 20-year-old has ruptured the anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee.

    The hosts pulled one back on 68 minutes through a Diego Perotti penalty, before Juve substitute Gonzalo Higuain had a late strike ruled out for offside.

    The result leaves Juventus on 48 points at the top of the table at the midway stage of the season, two ahead of Inter Milan, while Roma are fifth on 35 points.

    “We played well for a good 60 minutes, and suffering at the Stadio Olimpico against Roma is almost inevitable,” Juventus coach Maurizio Sarri told Sky Sport Italia.

    “What I did not like is that we tried to sit on our lead rather than increase it, as three times we had three-against-one counter-attacks and didn’t finish them off.”

    Juve were in front after three minutes when Demiral volleyed home a Paulo Dybala delivery.

    Dybala then robbed Roma midfielder Jordan Veretout of possession before being hauled down inside the box to earn his side a penalty, which Ronaldo dispatched to give the visitors a dream start.

    Juve lost Demiral to injury after 17 minutes, but there were graver concerns for Zaniolo as he was carted off the pitch.

    Roma confirmed after full-time that the Italy international will undergo surgery on Monday after rupturing the ACL in his right knee, along with damaging the meniscus.

    “This is a bad moment and now Nicolo has to focus only on recovering as quickly as possible,” Roma coach Paulo Fonseca told Sky Sport Italia.

    “We are sad, but tomorrow is another day.”

    Edin Dzeko fired a shot off the post midway through the second half before sending a cross to Cengiz Under, whose header was blocked by Juve defender Alex Sandro.

    The Brazilian was adjudged to have handled following a Video Assistant Referee (VAR) review, and Perotti sent Wojciech Szczesny the wrong way from 12 yards.

    There were late chances at both ends as Ronaldo headed wide from a good position, before Roma midfielder Lorenzo Pellegrini lashed over inside the box.

    Earlier, Hellas Verona came from behind to beat Genoa 2-1 and rise to eighth in the standings on 25 points, leaving the relegation battling visitors stranded in 18th place with 14 points.