Verona spoil Ron’s party
CR7 sets scoring record but Juventus fall to Hellas in shock defeat
CRISTIANO RONALDO yesterday 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 last 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.
The defeat was the third this season for Maurizio Sarri’s side but second in three games
Movistar. 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.”
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.
points ahead of
Atletico and
Sevilla.
Up next for Jose
Bordalas’ side is a trip to Barcelona this weekend but on this evidence, it will be the stumbling
Catalans feeling nervous ahead of that game.
Getafe face La Liga’s defending champions on the back of four consecutive victories, in which they have scored nine goals and conceded none.
They bullied Valencia from start to finish, faster to the ball and hungrier in the tackles with all three goals coming from Getafe’s players reacting quicker than their opponents.
“It was all sh*t, in defence and in attack,” said Valencia’s Gabriel Paulista. “We have to change today’s attitude. They have been more like men.”
After Barca, they will play Ajax in the Europa League. – AFP/Agencies
Federico Chiesa’s scorcher just after half an hour gave mid-table Fiorentina hope 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.
“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 Atalanta boss Gian Piero Gasperini
Atalanta host Roma this 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.” – AFP
MONACO snatched a 2-1 victory at Amiens yesterday after Wissam Ben Yedder and Islam Slimani struck in a frantic finish to push the Principality team up to fifth in Ligue 1.
Monaco trailed to Serhou Guirassy’s first half goal created by a howler by Monaco goalkeeper Benjamin Lecomte until Ben Yedder equalised with a superb volley in the 85th minute.
Three minutes into injury time, Cesc Fabregas supplied the corner for substitute Slimani to head in a dramatic winner that shot his side to within six points of the Champions League places.
“I’m happy. It was a very tricky match against a team that played well and made it difficult for us,” said Ben Yedder.
Monaco’s Spanish coach Robert Moreno will hope the goal helps the Algerian Slimani turn the page on a turbulent January when he expressed his desire to leave the club.
“He’s a great player, I said as much when I arrived at Monaco,” said 42-year-old Moreno.
“We have an incredible attack with some top-draw players. I’m very happy that he scored.”
RANGERS manager Steven Gerrard said he had to “rattle a few cages” at halftime as his side scored three times in the final 22 minutes to beat Hamilton 4-1 and book their place in the Scottish Cup quarterfinals.
Gerrard’s men have struggled to hit top form since returning from the winter break and made life difficult for themselves again in Lanarkshire.
Scott Arfield gave the visitors the lead on the rebound after his penalty was saved by Luke Southwood.
However, Hamilton levelled before the break through Lewis Smith and had huge appeals for a penalty turned down when Connor Goldson handled inside his own area.
Rangers clicked into gear in the final quarter, though, as Joe Aribo’s strike restored the lead before Alfredo Morelos’s first goal of 2020 and a late Arfield strike secured victory.
“I was very disappointed in us defensively in the first half,” Gerrard told Rangers TV.
“I had to address that at half-time and rattle a few cages and get them switched on and focused and in the right place defensively.
“Once we did that, we played some nice stuff, created a lot of chances and scored some really impressive goals.”