Ronaldo on song, Juventus maintain Serie A top spot
MILAN: Cristiano Ronaldo headed in his 18th league goal this season as Juventus bounced back from last week’s stalemate to soar to an 11-point lead in Serie A on Sunday with a 3-0 win at Sassuolo.
Ronaldo proved decisive, scoring after 70 minutes as Sami Khedira found the net first in Modena with fellow German Emre Can slotting in the third four minutes from time.
The Serie A champions had been held by Parma last week despite the Portugese forward’s double. Now they have left second-placed Napoli trailing after Carlo Ancelotti’s side were held to a goalless draw at Fiorentina on Saturday.
BARCELONA DRAW
BILBAO: Lionel Messi was short of fitness and Barcelona lacked spark as a goalless draw away to Athletic Bilbao on Sunday offered fresh hope to their rivals in the title race.
A thigh injury had limited Messi to 27 minutes against Real Madrid on Wednesday and while he played the full match at San Mames, Barca’s assistant coach Jon Aspiazu had admitted before kick-off he was not yet 100 per cent.
The draw makes it three games without a win for La Liga’s leaders, whose advantage is still six points but now with Real Madrid their closest challengers, after they beat Atletico on Saturday.
BRAZIL NOT IN U-20 WC
SAOPAULO: Brazil beat Argentina 1-0 on the final day of the South American under-20 championship on Sunday but the result was no good for either side as Ecuador pipped Argentina to the title with Brazil ending outside the qualifying spots for this year’s World Cup.
Uruguay and Colombia will join Ecuador, who won their maiden title, and Argentina in the finals of the biennial event that kicks off in Poland in May.
FLAMENGO TRAGEDY RIODEJANEIRO: The funerals of the teenagers who died in the fire that swept through Flamengo’s training ground in Rio have started to take place on Sunday, while the club defended itself over the cause of the blaze in the unauthorised lodgings. PAQUETA’S GESTURE MILAN: Brazilian international footballer Lucas Paqueta scored his first Serie A goal for new club AC Milan on Sunday and dedicated it to the victims of the fire at his former club Flamengo.
“It was a very difficult time for me,” Paqueta told Sky Sports Italia.
“I am living a dream playing for Milan and scoring my first Serie A goal, but it was also a dream for me to be in the Flamengo youth academy and I can’t forget those who were experiencing the same thing.”
DELHI WIN
NEWDELHI: Delhi defeated Chandigarh 1-0 in a Group B preliminary qualifying match of the Santosh Trophy in Katra, Jammu on Monday. Jammu and Kashmir beat Uttarakhand 3-1.