Cristiano Ronaldo missed a second half penalty for Juventus, but it did not matter as the Serie A leader brushed aside Chievo 3-0 in a top-versus-bottom clash.
Cristiano Ronaldo
Milan:
The Turin side was already two goals ahead when Ronaldo, the joint top-scorer in Italy’s top flight with 14 goals, saw his spot-kick brilliantly saved by Stefano Sorrentino in the 52nd minute after Mattia Bani handled the ball. Douglas Costa, Emre Can and Daniele Rugani scored their first goals of the season as Juve restored a nine-point lead over Napoli, which cut the gap with Sunday’s 2-1 win over Lazio.
Juve has 56 points from a possible 60 as it chases an eighth straight title. Bottom side Chievo has eight points. Chievo held out for only 13 minutes until Costa burst through its midfield and slipped a shot between two defenders from the edge of the area.
Another moment of individual inspiration created the second goal just before the break as Paulo Dybala ran at the centre of the defence and passed the ball to Can, who fired a low shot past Sorrentino for his first goal since joining from Liverpool. After missing his penalty, Ronaldo was frustrated twice more, turning the ball wide from Dybala’s cross and then finding the side netting after the Argentine freed him on the left.
Juve added a third with a simple far post header from Rugani off a Federico Bernardeschi’s free-kick in the 84th minute.