Juventus beats Lazio 2-1 with the help of a brace from Cristiano Ronaldo. The first goal was a penalty given on 51st minute when VAR turned a free-kick into a penalty for handball by Bastos. After 3 minutes, Paulo Dybala won possession and broke with Ronaldo in a two-on-one situation with the goalkeeper. Dybala drew the keeper and teed up Cristiano for a tap-in. Here are 5 things about the match –
1. CRISTIANO RONALDO
Tonight was a record-breaking night for the Portuguese Footballer. Firstly he became the fastest player to reach 50 goals in Serie A history. Secondly, he became the first player to score 50+ goals in English Premier League, La Liga and Serie A. Finally Cristiano became one of the only 3 players to score 30 goals in one Serie A season since 1958. Despite being 35 years old, there is no stopping Ronaldo in scoring goals and breaking records.
2. Another SCUDETTO for Juventus
Thanks to Cristiano Ronaldo‘s brace, Juventus is on the brink of adding another SCUDETTO in their trophy cabinet. After the win, Juventus now sits on top of the table with their nearest rival Inter Milan eight points away. With only 4 matches to go, Juventus are now within the striking distance of Ninth straight title win. They have the chance to seal the trophy on their next visit to Udinese on Thursday.
3. Paulo Dybala On Form
Cristiano Ronaldo may have bagged the goals but it was Paulo Dybala who caught the eyes with his silky dribbling skills. He dropped deep and drifted across the pitch to try and create something. In the second half, he linked brilliantly with Ronaldo and unselfishly teed up the ball to let him score a tap-in. After languishing under Antonio Conte, Dybala has successfully turned the pages under Sarri.
4. Sarri Is Here to Stay
Though the former Chelsea boss has yet to secure any silverware with Juventus, the club fully expects him to remain at the helm for the second season. There were times during the season where Juventus faltered in their chase for the title and were neck to neck with Atlanta, Lazio, and Inter. There was speculation that Sarri may get sacked and replaced by Mauricio Pochettino. However, the speculation was squashed by the Club’s chief football officer Fabio Paratici who confirmed before the match that both Sarri and Cristiano Ronaldo will remain in the club next season.
If Sarri is able to win the Champions League with this team, he can cement his name as one of the best managerial talent out there.
5. Can Juventus win the UEFA Champions League this year?
It has been more than 15 years of Juventus winning the Champions League. They came excruciatingly close two times in the last decade. But they lost both the finals to Spanish powerhouse Barcelona (2015) and Real Madrid (2017). They missed a world-class winner in those finals. That void is more than filled by Cristiano Ronaldo who has five Champions League titles under his belt. Can he etch his name in history by helping Juve win the title this time? If he does so, he will be the only second player in history to have won the champions league six-time. Currently, iconic Real Madrid left-winger, Paco Gento holds the record of the player in possession of the most UCL titles.
Considering the weakened Barcelona, an unstable Real Madrid, a demoralized Manchester City, Juventus comes second only to Bayern Munich as the favorites to lift the trophy. With Dybala hitting form at the right time and Ronaldo firing all the cylinders, Juventus will be hopeful about bagging the trophy this year.