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Ronaldo double pulls Juventus clear as Inter stalled in Lecce
MILAN, Jan 20, 2020 (AFP) – Cristiano Ronaldo struck twice as Juventus
beat Parma 2-1 to pull four points clear of Inter Milan at the top of the
Serie A table on Sunday.
Inter’s title push hit another stumbling block after a 1-1 draw at lowly
Lecce while Ante Rebic fired city rivals AC Milan to a last gasp 3-2 win over
Udinese.
Ronaldo broke through just before the break, to score in a seventh
consecutive league game, and almost set up a second just after for Aaron
Ramsey, but the Welsh international rattled the post.
Andreas Cornelius scored with a towering header to get seventh-placed
Parma back level ten minutes after the break.
But the visitors hardly had time to celebrate when Ronaldo broke through
again after latching onto a Paulo Dybala cross for his 11th goal in seven
games to bring his league tally this season to 16.
The eight-time reigning champions have a four-point cushion on Inter, who
have won only two of their last six league games, and are now also under
threat from Lazio, who are just two points behind with a game in hand after
hammering Sampdoria 5-1 on Saturday.
Antonio Conte’s side had looked set to take maximum points from his
hometown team, where he started his footballing career in the 1980s, when
Alessandro Bastoni headed the away side in front with 18 minutes remaining.
But Marco Mancosu grabbed a precious point for the southerners five
minutes after going behind.
“For me there’s always great emotion,” said Conte of his return to Lecce.
“Coming back to the Stadio Via del Mare means going back 30-35 years.
“I spent my childhood as a ball boy here. There will always be this
attachment, but I am a professional and I try to do this job better.”
Lecce — just one point above the relegation zone — were coming off a
four-match losing streak, but had held Juventus by the same scoreline back in
October.
“Congratulations to them, even if conceding this goal leaves a bitter
taste in the mouth,” added Conte.
– Ibrahimovic boost –
Croatian forward Rebic hit a brace, including the stoppage time winner,
against Udinese that snatched a dramatic win that gave troubled AC Milan
back-to-back league victories and moved them up to eighth, two points from
the Europa League spots.
Star striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic got his first start at the San Siro after
scoring last weekend at Cagliari.
The 38-year-old Swede did not get to celebrate in front of the home crowd
but he has provided a confidence-boost for the seven-time European champions,
who have taken seven points in three matches since his return.
“The arrival of Ibrahimovic has given us even more depth and conviction,
which has helped us,” said coach Stefano Pioli.
Former Liverpool and Chelsea attacker Fabio Borini, who left Milan on
Tuesday, scored his first goal on his debut for new club Hellas Verona in a
1-1 draw at Bologna that leaves them a further two points.
In the race for the Champions League, Roma bounced back from back-to-back
league defeats with a 3-1 win over struggling Genoa that put them back in the
top four, three points in front of fifth-placed Atalanta ahead of their match
with SPAL on Monday.
Cengiz Under opened the scoring after just five minutes and the match
looked as good as won a minute before the break when a cross from Leonardo
Spinazzola — whose move to Inter broke down midweek — bounced in off
Genoa’s David Biraschi.
Former Lazio striker Goran Pandev quickly pulled a goal back but Edin Dzeko
had the last word with 16 minutes to go, pouncing on a error from goalkeeper
Mattia Perin to send Genoa below Brescia into penultimate position.
Mario Balotelli came on late for lowly Brescia and was sent off just seven
minutes later in a 2-2 draw against sixth-placed Cagliari.
The Italy forward entered the field in the 74th minute, but received a
yellow card for a foul on Fabio Pisacane before picking up a second when he
turned to argue with the referee.
BSS/AFP/BZC/1127HRS