Ronaldo’s double headers keep Juve in title hunt
ITALIAN LEAGUE
Turin, Italy - Cristiano Ronaldo kept Juventus within sight of the Serie A summit on Monday with a headed brace which helped the champions to a 3-0 win over bottom club Crotone.
Portugal forward Ronaldo struck twice late in the first half to break the resistance of lowly Crotone and keep Juve eight points behind league leaders Inter Milan.
Weston McKennie made sure of the points midway through the second half, lashing home when the ball broke to him after a corner.
Only Robert Lewandowski and Lionel Messi have scored more goals in Europe's top five leagues than Cristiano Ronaldo's 70 since his move to Juventus.
Ronaldo is now Serie A's top scorer this season, with 18 - overtaking Inter Milan's Romelu Lukaku.Andear Pirlo's side climb to third with the win thanks also to Roma, who are a point back in fourth, only managing a goalless draw at Benevento on Sunday night.
They are also four points behind second-placed AC Milan who have lost three of their last five league matches, including Sunday's 3-0 derby thumping at the hands of Inter.
Juve, chasing their tenth straight league title, have a game in hand on both Milan clubs and play Inter in the penultimate round of league games in Turin.
Crotone meanwhile remain rooted to the bottom of the division thanks to their fifth defeat on the bounce.
ENGLISH PREMIER LEAGUE
Palace stun Brighton
Brighton, UK - Crystal Palace manager Roy Hodgson defended his side's style after snatching a 2-1 derby win at Brighton on Monday thanks to Christian Benteke's stunning 95th-minute volley.
The Eagles had just two touches in the Brighton box, but scored with both whereas the Seagulls saw 25 shots and nearly 75 per cent possession count for little.
"We get so hung up on statistics these days. The game is decided by goals. Goals are a question of how well you take your chances and defend theirs," said Hodgson.
"Until there are prizes for corners and touches in the box, it's very important we keep in mind that results are borne out by goals you score and goals you don't concede. I get no satisfaction when we lose and we have more corners or touches in their box."
Brighton are still looking over their shoulders at the bottom three after a night that summed up so much of the season for Graham Potter's men.
"That's the nature of the league, how punishing it is, we have done a lot but clearly not enough," said Potter.
Palace were without the talismanic presence of Wilfried Zaha due to injury, but Jean-Philippe Mateta made an impact on just his second start since joining on loan from Mainz.
Jordan Ayew's cross from the right allowed the Frenchman to back-heel home on the turn and claim his first Palace goal on 28 minutes.
When the hosts did equalise ten minutes into the second period it was thanks to right wing-back Joel Veltman's first goal for the club.
Pascal Gross' low shot was blocked by Palace defender Tyrick Mitchell as he battled inside the box with substitute Danny Welbeck and fell kindly for the Dutch defender to sweep home left-footed.
Palace then clung on for a point until completely against the run of play they snatched all three deep into stoppage time.
Andros Townsend's cross beyond the far post did not seem to pose any danger until Benteke connected flush on the volley to send the ball into the far corner.
Victory takes Palace ten points clear of the relegation zone, while Brighton remain just four clear of in-form Fulham.
OTHER RESULTS
SPANISH LEAGUE:
Monday: Osasuna 0 Sevilla 2.