Ronaldo stars alongside Dybala and Higuain in easy Juventus win
After picking up just a point from its previous two league outings, Juventus produced a first-half flurry to down Udinese at home.
Published : Dec 15, 2019 22:15 IST
Cristiano Ronaldo scored twice as Juventus returned to winning ways in Serie A, easing to a 3-1 triumph over struggling Udinese on Sunday.
Maurizio Sarri finally fielded Ronaldo, Paulo Dybala and Gonzalo Higuain together from the start – and the trio were influential in helping the reigning champions record a first victory in three league outings.
The points were secured by half-time at Allianz Stadium, Ronaldo getting a brace as Udinese struggled to cope with a pumped-up home team eager to bounce back from a 3-1 loss away to Lazio the previous weekend.
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The Portugal international opened the scoring in the ninth minute, firing home a loose ball with an instinctive first-time effort, while it was Higuain's well-weighted throughball that set up the second, finished with his left foot.
Leonardo Bonucci added a third before the interval, flicking in a header at a corner from centre-back partner Merih Demiral via a deflection off the underside of the crossbar, allowing Juve to ease up in the second half.
As the tempo dropped, the host relied on Gianluigi Buffon - making his 478th Serie A appearance in place of the injured Wojciech Szczesny, drawing him level with Alessandro Del Piero's club record in the competition – to keep Udinese at bay.
The veteran goalkeeper - guilty of a costly error in the 2-2 draw against Sassuolo earlier in December - twice made saves from the lively Kevin Lasagna, while he also turned away Seko Fofana's fierce drive.
However, there was little Buffon could do to stop Ignacio Pussetto getting a consolation goal in stoppage time, the substitute's reactionary volley preventing the former Italy international from recording a clean sheet.
Ronaldo had been denied a hat-trick by the post prior to that, but Juve coasted to a result that sends it above Inter, which can quickly reclaim top spot when it travels to Fiorentina in Sunday's late kick-off.
What does it mean? Sarri sees forwards combine
Having worked so well in the second half of the 2-0 Champions League victory over Bayer Leverkusen in midweek, Dybala, Higuain and Ronaldo had the chance to show they can function from the outset. They did just that, combining impressively during their time together on the pitch.
So, was Sarri's starting XI a one-off, or a sign of things to come? This was, admittedly, the ideal game to experiment in; Juventus has won more matches against Udinese than any other Serie A opponent. It will be fascinating to see if they are all selected again for trickier tests in the future.
Ronaldo still going strong
The forward - who turns 35 in February - may not quite have the blistering pace that was once such a trademark, yet he remains a ruthless finisher. His goals demonstrated just how dangerous he is when presented with a sight of the target.
Lasagna goes cold on big stage
The Italy international was starved of service in an opening half that was one-way traffic towards the Udinese goal. In the second, however, he failed to capitalise on the opportunities that came his way, including twice allowing recovering defenders to make crucial blocks when seemingly in the clear.
What's next?
Juventus goes up against Claudio Ranieri's Sampdoria on Wednesday in its final league outing before the mid-season break in Italy. Udinese, meanwhile, round out 2019 with a home game against Cagliari next Saturday.