Ronaldo praises VAR after Juventus' dramatic win over Sampdoria

Cristiano Ronaldo expressed his support for VAR in Serie A after it made three key interventions in Juventus' win over Sampdoria.

Published : Dec 29, 2018 20:20 IST

Cristiano Ronaldo (CL) confronts referee Paolo Valeri
Cristiano Ronaldo (CL) confronts referee Paolo Valeri
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Cristiano Ronaldo (CL) confronts referee Paolo Valeri

Cristiano Ronaldo praised the use of VAR in Serie A after Juventus beat Sampdoria 2-1 in dramatic circumstances on Saturday.

Ronaldo scored twice to take his tally to 14 league goals in 2018-19 and move the champion onto 53 points at the halfway stage of the season - a new record in Italy's top flight.

The 33-year-old opened the scoring after just two minutes, but Fabio Quagliarella equalised after the referee awarded a penalty for handball against Emre Can following a VAR review.

The video technology was called on again when Alex Ferrari was penalised for handling in the box, allowing Ronaldo to restore Juve's lead, and Riccardo Saponara was denied a stunning injury-time leveller when he was deemed offside in the build-up after a review.

The stoppages led to eight minutes of time being added on at the end of the game at the Allianz Stadium, but Ronaldo insists anything that makes life easier for referees should be supported.

"I'm in favour of VAR because there are fewer mistakes," he told Sky Sport Italia. "We have to let the referees work in peace. Certain situations are not simple, even for them."

Juve's win puts it 12 points ahead of Napoli, which faces Bologna later on Saturday, giving it a commanding position heading into the mid-season break.

"The team is doing well," Ronaldo said. "We've had a good first half of the season and we have to keep working so as to confirm our position in the second half."

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