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Juventus scored their first away win in seven Serie A games with a 4-1 win over Spezia on Sunday, but required the introduction of Cristiano Ronaldo to turn the game around.
The Bianconeri were working towards a draw after Tommaso Pobega called off Álvaro Morata’s early attack, but Ronaldo’s shock from the bench after a three-week absence due to coronavirus was instantaneous.
Ronaldo scored within minutes of entering the field in the second half and after Adrien Rabiot added sparkle to the scoreboard, the Portuguese star completed his double with a late penalty.
Ronaldo’s return papers over the cracks
With nine consecutive Scudetti under their belt, Juventus entered the new campaign as favorites once again, but it is fair to say that the season did not go as planned. The Bianconeri had only won two games on the pitch and without Ronaldo they had only achieved a single victory, against Dynamo Kiev in the Champions League.
Despite a Morata goal being disallowed and Spezia’s Julian Chalot clearing the line, Andrea Pirlo’s side looked disjointed and on the defensive in the second half.
Ronaldo stepped in to turn the tide and seal a first away win since early July, but Juventus must find a way to win without the former Real Madrid player. Overconfidence in the 35-year-old is not sustainable and Pirlo will have been disappointed that Paulo Dybala was unable to improve his game on Sunday.
The growing influence of Morata
Leading the line when Ronaldo started on the bench, Morata was Juventus’ brightest spark and was unlucky enough to finish with just one goal.
The Spanish international received the easiest of finals in the first quarter of an hour courtesy of Winston McKennie’s disinterested play, but sought to return the favor by laying down a good cut for the midfielder, only for the ball to be hooked to the line.
Similarly, Morata put Federico Chiesa and Dybala ahead with wonderfully weighted passes, as he saw a magnificent break from the midline and a clinical shot ruled out by a marginal offside.
It was the latest in a string of positive performances since the arrival of summer and has been involved in six of the Bianconeri’s 10 goals this season. As the perfect complement to Pirlo’s system, Juventus would do well to focus on involving the former Atlético de Madrid striker as much as possible.
The post Juventus showed dangerous dependence on Ronaldo first appeared on Forza Italian Football.
Source: forzaitalianfootball.com
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