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29.12.2018 » Juventus 2-1 Sampdoria. Ronaldo says goodbye to 2018 in style!
The Serie A has reached its midpoint today and Juventus are certainly happy to finish the year with another 3 points and their 17th win out of 19 league fixtures this season. This Saturday, the Vecchia Signora got the better of Sampdoria in a 2-1 win and they have a lot to thank Ronaldo for. The Portuguese forward scored the home side's two goals today and reached the 49-goal mark in the 2018 calendar year. For the first time since he landed in Italy, CR7 will also enjoy the upcoming weeks knowing he is Serie A's top scorer with 14 goals, one goal above Piatek. For those who believed in Ronaldo's capabilities after his slow start of the season in September, some of the bookmakers offers available at the time for Ronaldo to become the Serie A's topscorer have now proved to be a great opportunity. Juventus will now go through a short break and will return to action on January 12, in a Coppa Italia game against Bologna.
Cristiano Ronaldo game photos in Juventus vs Sampdoria
Juventus 2-1 Sampdoria - Goals and highlights:
All Cristiano Ronaldo actions vs Sampdoria:
The Ronaldo effect
With Cristiano Ronaldo on the pitch, everything becomes easier. Not only Juventus went through the whole first half of the Serie A unbeaten (19 fixtures), as they also set a new record for the maximum points earned after half league was played. Some call it the Ronaldo effect!
This is what Cristiano Ronaldo brings to whichever teams he plays at. He earns his teams the 3 points, even when he's on his off days. Or to be more precise, even in days where he's not performing as well as he usually does. We've seen it happening against Atalanta just a few days ago and it happened again earlier today against Sampdoria. This time, Ronaldo scored the opener in the 2nd minute and then restored Juventus' lead later in the second half, from the penalty-kick spot.
After witnessing how thinfs unfolded in Bergamo in midweek, Massimiliano Allegri didn't take risks in his last fixture of the year and started the game with both Pjanic and Ronaldo. The Bosnian is who organizes and dictates the pace in Juve's game, while CR7 is a constant threat to their opponents every time he's on the pitch. And everything was going Juventus' way in the first half an hour, with Ronaldo breaking the deadlock and their opponent not creating much danger. Things changed a bit when the referee used the VAR to point to the spot and earn Sampdoria a penalty-kick. Quagliarella didn't miss his chance and we went into half-time with a quite unfair 1-1 result on the scoreboard.
A little bit of VAR here and there...
In the second half, Juventus pushed up higher in seek of their second goal, but they only got it in the 65th minute, when Cristiano Ronaldo was given the opportunity to put his team in front from the penalty spot. Once again, all thanks to a video review call (VAR)... It's Ronaldo's 4th goal from the penalty mark this season and his 14th goal in the Serie A. The former Manchester United star is now Serie A topscorer after surpassing Genoa's Piatek (13 goals), who didn't score this weekend, on the top of the table.
The most controversial moment of the game happened inside added time in the second half, when Sampdoria actually managed to equalise at two goals and even celebrated it for a minute or two. However, the VAR would intervene again and rule it offside. Juventus got away from a second consecutive upset in the league...
In post-match statements, Ronaldo praised the VAR and showed his confidence about next year. "I like this VAR system because it simply reduces the referee mistakes in a football game. Our team performed very well today and we also completed a great first half of the season. We need to keep focused next year and I'm confident great things await us", stated the 33-year old forward.
Juventus line-up vs Sampdoria:
Goalkeeper: Perin
Defenders: Alex Sandro, Chiellini, Rugani, De Sciglio
Midfielders: Matuidi, Can, Pjanic
Attackers: Dybala, Cristiano Ronaldo, Mandzukic.
Match stats provided by www.ronaldo7.net
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|---|---|---|
Juventus
|
vs
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Sampdoria
|
2 |
Goals |
1 |
17 |
Shots |
11 |
8 |
Shots on goal |
2 |
6 |
Corner kicks |
3 |
13 |
Fouls commited |
17 |
2 |
Yellow cards |
2 |
0 |
Red cards |
0 |
55% |
Ball possession |
45% |
Cristiano Ronaldo next game for Juventus is on January 12 of 2019 against Bologna. You can watch Bologna vs Juventus, Brighton vs Everton, Watford vs Newcastle, Liverpool vs Arsenal, Tottenham vs Wolves, and Leicester vs Cardiff City, all matches provided from our football live game pages.
Juventus next game:
Bologna vs Juventus kick-off time (12-01-2019):
Beijing (China) | UTC/GMT+8: 03:45
Jakarta (Indonesia) | UTC/GMT+7: 02:45
India (New Delhi) | UTC/GMT+5.30: 01:15
Italy (Turin) | UTC/GMT+1: 20:45
Spain (Madrid) | UTC/GMT+1: 20:45
Portugal and England (Lisbon/London) | UTC/GMT+0: 19:45
Rio de Janeiro (Brazil) | UTC/GMT-3: 16:45
New York (United States) | UTC/GMT-4: 15:45
Los Angeles (United States) | UTC/GMT-7: 12:45
Sources: ronaldo7.net / juventus.com / skysports.com / espn.com
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