Cristiano Ronaldo was the star as the struck twice in Juventus’ comeback 2-1 win over Inter Milan in the first leg of Copa Italia semifinal match on Tuesday. The win extends the Italian champions winning streak to five straight matches since a 2-0 defeat at the hands of Inter at San Siro last month.
Lautaro Martinez gave the hosts lead as early as ninth minute before Ronaldo stepped up to convert a spot-kick in the 26th minute and added another nine minutes later to put his team in the lead. However, the Portuguese was denied at a chance at hat-trick when manager Andrea Prilo substituted him in the 76th minute with the 35-year-old looking visibly upset.
However, Pirlo defended his decision saying he wants to ensure Ronaldo is at the top of his game, he must rest too. “It’s normal that when you go out in a match like this you want to play to help the team,” Pirlo told Rai Sport. “There is no contract clause that says he can’t be subbed off. He knows he is a fundamental player for us but to get his breath back, he must always be at the top. He proved it with his performances after some criticism. He couldn’t have done better than that.”
“I said [to him] that he had to rest, we have an important match on Saturday. He has played many consecutive games, every now and then a little rest is good for him,” he added.
Pirlo admitted that Juventus were found wanting in the Serie A clash with Inter last month but Tuesday night’s performance was a reflection of the lessons they took from the defeat.
“We weren’t ourselves against Inter in the league, that was a slip-up, but it was also a valuable lesson and we worked on the mistakes that were made in that game,” Pirlo argued. “This is just the first round, we haven’t achieved anything yet. What this does prove is that if we are fully concentrated, it becomes difficult for anyone against us. We know our strength. It’s not easy to maintain this intensity when playing practically every day. I saw a great reaction after going behind.”