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Ronaldo sets scoring record but Juventus fall in Verona
MILAN, Feb 9, 2020 (BSS/AFP) – Cristiano Ronaldo on Saturday became the
first Juventus player to score in 10 successive Serie A games but the
champions fell 2-1 at Hellas Verona to leave an opening to their title
rivals.
Ronaldo — who turned 35 this week — broke through after 65 minutes, to
hit his 15th goal in 10 games and take his league tally to 20.
The five-time Ballon d’Or winner is closing in on the all-time Serie A
record of scoring in 11 consecutive games held by Gabriel Batistuta and Fabio
Quagliarella.
But Juventus paid for defensive errors with Fabio Borini pulling Verona
level with quarter of an hour to go, before veteran striker Giampaolo Pazzini
won the match for the promoted side from the penalty spot four minutes from
time following a Leonardo Bonucci handball.
Juventus are three points ahead of Inter Milan, who have a chance to pull
level when they take on Zlatan Ibrahimovic’s AC Milan in Sunday’s derby clash
at the San Siro.
Lazio are four points behind the leaders in third before they travel to
Parma.
The defeat was the third this season for Maurizio Sarri’s side but second
in three games after losing 2-1 at Napoli just two weeks ago.
“We have to understand that winning is not a foregone conclusion,” blasted
Sarri.
“We need to get it into our heads that we can’t have lapses in
concentration as happened this evening.
“We dropped points through carelessness.”
Verona meanwhile are up to sixth after extending their unbeaten run to
eight games days after earning a creditable goalless draw at Lazio, who can
pull to within a point of Juve with a win at Parma on Sunday.
“We’ve created a group of hungry kids,” said Verona coach Ivan Juric.
“Heart played a big role, the lads were tired but they gave it
everything.”
– Atalanta consolidate fourth place –
Earlier Atalanta consolidated fourth place with a 2-1 win at Fiorentina
that ended the Bergamo side’s 27-year away winless run against the Tuscan
club. Federico Chiesa’s scorcher just after half an hour gave mid-table
Fiorentina hope of another win over Atalanta, whom they eliminated from the
Italian Cup at their Stadio Artemio Franchi last month.
But Duvan Zapata tapped in four minutes after the break to level the
scores before Ruslan Malinovsky came off the bench to seal victory with 18
minutes left, giving Atalanta their first win away at the ‘Viola’ since 1993.
Gian Piero Gasperini’s side pull three points clear of fifth-placed Roma
in the race for the Champions League following the capital club’s 3-2 home
defeat to Bologna on Friday, but are still eight points behind Lazio.
“These are three very important, key points. We haven’t won here for 27
years, and we were up a against an in-form team,” said Gasperini.
Atalanta host Roma next weekend before they play at home against Valencia
in the Champions League last-16, having qualified for the competition for the
first time this season.
“We have to exploit Roma’s difficulties and our home advantage in the next
match,” added Zapata.
“If we do well against the ‘Giallorossi’ it will set us up for the
Champions League match against Valencia.”
Moreno Longo started his reign as Torino coach with a 3-1 home defeat to
Sampdoria, with the struggling Genoa club’s goals coming in a nine-minute
second-half spell.
Torino, in 12th, have now lost four games in a row, conceding 16 goals,
and could fall further off the Europa League pace by the end of the weekend.
Claudio Ranieri’s Sampdoria are now 16th, seven points clear of the
relegation zone.
BSS/AFP/MSY/0859 hrs