Ronaldo goal in Italian league met by applause, boos

Cristiano Ronaldo asked his Juventus teammates to leave him alone.

For all that he’s embroiled in — accused of rape nine years ago — the soccer superstar wanted some space so he could celebrate his goal on Oct. 6 all by himself in front of a TV camera.

He leaped into the air with an emphatic double fist pump, as he’s often marked his goals, and then let his teammates congratulate him.

Ronaldo’s powerful, angled goal, the second of the match and his fourth of the season, was met by applause and boos in the Italian league game at the home of Udinese. Ronaldo and Juventus finished 2-0 winners.

“Ronaldo had a good game,” Juventus coach Massimiliano Allegri said. “He’s been training serenely and tonight he scored an extraordinary goal.”

Just over a week ago, Kathryn Mayorga filed a civil lawsuit in the U.S. saying she was raped by Ronaldo in Las Vegas in 2009. Police have reopened an investigation. Ronaldo has denied the accusation.

Ronaldo was not available for questions after the match, and Allegri wouldn’t speculate what has been going through Ronaldo’s mind away from the soccer field.

“Off the pitch, I don’t know, because I don’t live with him at home,” Allegri said. “I see him on the pitch and he’s serene. He trains, he plays and he scores goals — that’s the most important thing.”

Ronaldo played last for Juventus last weekend in Serie A, but midweek he missed a Champions League game because of an automatic suspension from a red card and was left out of Portugal’s squad for upcoming international matches.

Available again for Juventus on Saturday, Ronaldo’s mother, Maria Dolores Aveiro, sent her son a message on Instagram: “Good luck son and for your team because together we are stronger.”