RONALDO’S SERIE A DEBUT WINS PRAISE FROM COACH ALLEGRI

MILAN: Juventus coach Massimiliano Allegri said he was impressed with Cristiano Ronaldo’s debut for the Serie A champions against Chievo on Saturday and that the only thing missing was a goal in a game the Turin giants won 3-2 thanks to a late fightback.

“Physically, Ronaldo held out well on his debut considering he has only been training with us for seven days and he did really well,” Allegri said.

“He pulled their defence around, moved between the lines and, on several occasions, he wasn’t served with the ball. You can already see that he is a different player. I was struck by how easily he has blended into the team and he was very happy with the win at the end,” he added.

OZIL NEEDED MORE SUPPORT: GRINDEL

BERLIN :The under-fire president of the German Football Association (DFB), admitted on Sunday that he should have given Mesut Ozil more support when the midfielder was the target of “racist attacks”.

“I should have positioned myself more clearly given the racist attacks from some corners and should have put myself in front of Mesut Ozil,” Reinhard Grindel told German daily Bild on Sunday.

“Such attacks are unacceptable. I should have found clear words.”

Arsenal midfielder Ozil, 29, announced his shock retirement from international duty last month in the wake of Germany’s World Cup debacle.