Ronaldo marks 1,000th game
Scores record-equalling goal as Juventus beat SPAL
Rome, Feb. 23: Cristiano Ronaldo scored for a record-equalling 11th consecutive Serie A game in his 1,000th professional match as Juventus extended their league lead on Saturday with a 2-1 win over basement club SPAL.
The 35-year-old tapped in six minutes before the break to equal the mark held by Gabriel Batistuta and Fabio Quagliarella.
The five-time Ballon d’Or winner has scored 25 goals in all competitions this season for Juventus, including 16 in his current run of 11 matches.
Aaron Ramsey added a second after an hour, before Andrea Petagna pulled one back from the spot for SPAL, amid controversy as the penalty was awarded following a VAR review despite the pitchside monitor not working.
It got Juventus back to winning ways away from home after consecutive defeats against Napoli and Hellas Verona, and ahead of next week’s trip to French club Lyon in the Champions League last 16, first leg.
Maurizio Sarri’s side opened up a four-point lead on second-placed Lazio who travel to Genoa on Sunday. Inter Milan are six points behind the champions before their game at home against Sampdoria.
“These were very difficult matches and in the last few years we had never won here,” said Sarri.
“The test was to collect the three points, then from tomorrow morning we will study Lyon thoroughly.
“The goal is the championship. The Champions League is a dream, even if in life it is always nice to achieve dreams.”
Ronaldo had an early goal ruled offside but made no mistake when running onto Juan Cuadrado’s low cross after Ramsey’s ball forward.
The Portuguese forward drew level with Sampdoria forward Quagliarella, who in January 2019 equalled the mark previously achieved by Batistuta in 1994-1995 for Fiorentina.
AC Milan missed the chance to move ahead of sixth-placed Napoli into the Europa League places with a 1-1 draw at 10-man Fiorentina, to stay behind the southerners on goal difference.