Despite resting Cristiano Ronaldo, Juventus recorded an important 3-1 victory against Lazio in Serie A. The Bianconeri are still in with a fighting chance of retaining their domestic crown and showed their character with a comeback victory after Lazio broke the deadlock.
Cristiano Ronaldo was left on the bench with one eye on the crucial UEFA Champions League fixture, as he came on in the second half with 20 minutes left on the clock.
Joaquin Correa struck first in the opening 45 minutes, as Lazio took an unlikely lead at the Allianz Stadium and threatened to record a shock victory. However, former Paris Saint-Germain midfielder Adrien Rabiot restored parity before the interval, much to the delight of Juventus manager Andrea Pirlo.
Juventus turned the game on its head in the second half, as Alvaro Morata's quick-fire double gave them a 3-1 advantage. The Spaniard was then withdrawn in favor of Cristiano Ronaldo, who had the best part of 20 minutes plus injury time to get his name on the scoresheet.
The Portuguese hitman, however, failed to put the ball into the back of the net, as Juventus saw off the game after their initial struggles. Speaking after the game, Pirlo confirmed that Juventus' decision to leave Cristiano Ronaldo on the bench was discussed in the lead-up to the game.
“Cristiano Ronaldo came from eight or nine consecutive games, we made an agreement during the week (for Ronaldo to be rested), it was already planned.”
“Cristiano is an added value, the boys have done what they had to do tonight without him. Cristiano has already scored 20 goals, it was normal that others also scored.”
Juventus take on Porto later this week and will look to overturn a 2-1 deficit to make it through to the quarterfinals of the UEFA Champions League.
On that note, here are the best tweets, as the Old Lady recorded a deserved victory at home in Serie A.