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07.12.2019 » Lazio 3-1 Juventus. Ronaldo's goal didn't avoid first loss of the season
The title fight in the Serie A is hotter than ever, as Juventus suffered their first loss of the season in Rome this Saturday night, succumbing 3-1 to Lazio. The Italian champions were well aware of the challenge they had in front this weekend, as Lazio walked into this game with 4 straight wins and holding the 3rd place in the Serie A table, just behind Juve and Inter. However and despite Cristiano Ronaldo's opening goal still inside the first half an hour, the Biancocelesti showed their determination and managed to initiate the comeback with the equalizer just before the half-time break.In the second half, the hosts completed the job and delivered the Vecchia Signora the first defeat of the season.
Cristiano Ronaldo game photos in Lazio vs Juventus
Lazio 3-1 Juventus - Goals and highlights:
All Cristiano Ronaldo actions vs Lazio:
The Romans made a statement...
After seeing Inter drawing 0-0 against AS Roma this past Friday, Maurizzio Sarri knew he had a golden chance to regain the leadership in the Serie A this weekend, even though the Romans ware extremely confident they could cause an upset and cut the lead on the top of the table. The Serie A leadership was already stolen by Inter a week ago and maybe it's time for Sarri to browse through leadership essay topics in order to motivate his players to charge back to the top of the table... Lazio has the second best attack in Italy at the moment, having scored more than 10 goals than Juventus. They were not going to make things easy to their opponents and much less to Cristiano Ronaldo and his teammates.
Sarri only made three changes prior to tonight's game, but the team didn't put in the intensity required to win a tough game as this one. Szczesny was in goal, with a defense formed by Alex Sandro, Bonucci, De Ligt and Cuadrado. In midfield, Matuidi, Pjanic, Bentancur and Bernardeschi took their positions, leaving the attacking duties for Paulo Dybala and Cristiano Ronaldo.
It's difficult to understand how a team like Juventus has been struggling so much to find the back of the net this season. The champions have only scored 26 goals in 15 fixtures in the Serie A in the currrent campaign and even Sassuolo, who are sitting in 15th place in the league and still have two games in hand, have only scored 2 goals less than the Bianconeri...
A 3-goal comeback crushed
Juventus hopes...
Curiously, the game started on a good note for Juventus and the Vecchia Signora broke the deadlock in the 25th minute, thanks to a goal from Cristiano Ronaldo. The play was a brilliant attacking combination between Dybala, Bentancur and Ronaldo, with the three exchanging quick passes that would lead to a low cross to the far post where CR7 would finish with an easy tap-in to make it 1-0. It was the Portuguese forward's 7th goal in the Serie A this season, his 8th in all competitions, but it was also his first goal from an open play in the last 49 days.
However, the hosts were far from giving up and they went after the equalizer still before the half-time break. Just a few minutes after Ronaldo almost scored his second goal on the night, the Biancocelesti found a way to beat Szczesny and make things level in Rome. A powerful header from Luiz Felipe was too strong for the Polish goalkeeper and just like that, we were back to square one...
The key moment in this game happened in the second half, when Cuadrado was forced to foul Manuel Lazzari when the Italian winger was already preparing to run without opposition in Szczesny's direction. The referee pulled his yellow card in a first occasion, but following VAR's advice he rectified his decision and showed Cuadrado the red card. Juve were suddenly down to 10 men and that event changed the game from that moment onwards.
The hosts completed the comeback just 5 minutes after Cuadrado's red card, when Milinković-Savić controlled a long ball with great technique, before beating Szczesny with a strong left-footed strike that made the Roman fans go wild at the Stadio Olimpico. It was a brilliant control and finish from the Serbian, who scored his 3rd goal in the Serie A this season.
The last goal of the night was a pure counter-attack play from Lazio, as Juventus were naturally throwing bodies in the attack in an attempt to get the equalizer and left a lot of space at their back. After a first shot by Lazzari blocked by Szczesny, Caicedo scored on the rebound and slammed the final nail in the coffin, making it 3-1 to Lazio.
Juventus line-up vs Lazio:
Goalkeeper: Szczesny
Defenders: Alex Sandro, De Ligt, Bonucci, Cuadrado
Midfielders: Matuidi, Pjanic, Bentancur, Bernardeschi
Attackers: Dybala, Cristiano Ronaldo.
Match stats provided by www.ronaldo7.net
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|---|---|---|
Lazio
|
vs
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Juventus
|
3 |
Goals |
1 |
18 |
Shots |
9 |
9 |
Shots on goal |
4 |
4 |
Corner kicks |
5 |
15 |
Fouls commited |
11 |
4 |
Yellow cards |
3 |
0 |
Red cards |
1 |
39% |
Ball possession |
61% |
Cristiano Ronaldo next game for Juventus in the UEFA Champions League is on December 11, against Bayer Leverkusen. You can watch Bayer Leverkusen vs Juventus, Aston Villa vs Leicester City, Bologna vs AC Milan, Brighton vs Wolverhampton, Newcastle vs Southampton, and Norwich City vs Sheffield United, all matches provided from our live football game pages.
Juventus next game:
Bayer Leverkusen vs Juventus kick-off time (11-12-2019):
Beijing (China) | UTC/GMT+8: 04:00
Jakarta (Indonesia) | UTC/GMT+7: 03:00
India (New Delhi) | UTC/GMT+5.30: 01:30
Italy (Turin) | UTC/GMT+1: 21:00
Spain (Madrid) | UTC/GMT+1: 21:00
Portugal and England (Lisbon/London) | UTC/GMT+0: 20:00
Rio de Janeiro (Brazil) | UTC/GMT-3: 17:00
New York (United States) | UTC/GMT-4: 16:00
Los Angeles (United States) | UTC/GMT-7: 13:00
Sources: ronaldo7.net / juventus.com / sslazio.it / inter.it
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