Ronaldo hit bullseye, quips keeper

– Cristiano Ronaldo may not have scored in his Serie A debut for Juventus but he got a “bullseye” joked Chievo goalkeeper Stefano Sorrentino who suffered a broken nose and whiplash after being knocked out in a clash with the Portuguese superstar.

Sorrentino, 39, was hospitalised overnight after losing consciousness on the pitch after his clash with the five-time Ballon d’Or winner in the 87th minute of his team’s 3-2 defeat to champions Juventus.

The veteran lay motionless on the pitch of the Bentegodi Stadium in Verona where he received treatment before being transported to hospital where he spent the night under observation.

“THANK YOU for all your messages of affection and respect,” Sorrentino posted on Twitter on Sunday.

“We are a fantastic squad and yesterday we had a brush with greatness: meanwhile, CR7 didn’t so much brush me as get a bullseye!”

Chievo said in a statement that Sorrentino suffered a “nasal bone fracture, contusive trauma to the left shoulder and cervical whiplash.”

The former Torino and Palermo goalkeeper said he felt pride at having prevented the Portuguese star from scoring.

“He is a champion with a capital ‘C’ who can decide matches at any moment,” Sorrentino said.

“Before the game I told myself that I should try to stop him in any way I could.

“I only found out that the clash was with Cristiano Ronaldo, because I don’t remember anything of what happened after going to get the ball only that someone put his hands in my mouth to take out my tongue and then slowly I began to regain consciousness.

“Usually it is him to take a foul, I can say that I’m one of the few to have taken a foul from him!” Sorrentino joked. – AFP