Ronaldo returns as Juve crush Spezia

Juventus marked its 123rd birthday with a comprehensive away victory on Sunday, as the Old lady conquered Spezia 4-1 with a brace from Cristiano Ronaldo.

Juventus lost to Barcelona 2-0 in midweek while Ronaldo returned to the squad on Sunday after his test for COVID-19 turned negative.

The two sides scored a goal apiece in the first half, as Alvaro Morata broke the deadlock on Weston McKennie's assist before Tommaso Pobega scored the leveler.

Juve's coach Andrea Pirlo finally brought on his talisman in the 56th minute by hauling off Paulo Dybala and throwing on Ronaldo, and it took just three minutes to pay off as the Portuguese rounded the goalkeeper to send the ball into the net.

The Bianconeri extended the lead in the 67th minute when Adrien Rabiot collected a long ball from Federico Chiesa, finishing with a daisy-cutter, before Ronaldo converted a penalty earned by Chiesa.

Juve now moves into third place with 12 points, four behind top-placed AC Milan.

AC Milan continued its unbeaten run after a 2-1 win away to Udinese with Zlatan Ibrahimovic scoring one and setting up another.

The Rossoneri went ahead in the 18th minute when Ibrahimovic chested down the ball and squared for Franck Kessie to drill home.

The home side got back on level terms three minutes after the interval with Rodrigo de Paul's spot-kick.

Milan sealed the match with a spectacular goal in the 83rd minute when Sebastian de Maio's clearance turned into an assist for Ibrahimovic to hit a stunning bicycle kick.

It was a good day for Rome-based teams as Roma dominated Fiorentina 2-0 while Lazio edged Torino in a 4-3 thriller.

Elsewhere, Sassuolo remains in second place on the table after a 2-0 victory over Napoli while Sampdoria drew with Genoa 1-1.

TV BRICS reports with reference to Xinhua News Agency.


Photo: Xinhua News Agency