Pages

Football: Ronaldo '1,000 per cent' committed as Juventus win eighth successive title

Football: Ronaldo '1,000 per cent' committed as Juventus win eighth successive title

MILAN (AFP) - Cristiano Ronaldo said he was "1,000 per cent committed to staying" with Juventus next season as he claimed his first Serie A title and Juventus their eighth in a row on Saturday (April 20).
Massimiliano Allegri's side had needed just one more point for a 35th Scudetto and their latest title triumph helped ease some of the pain of their shock Champions League exit at the Juventus Stadium to Ajax on Tuesday.
And a come-from-behind 2-1 win over Fiorentina was enough to give them a 20-point lead on nearest rivals Napoli with five games to play.
Serbian defender Nikola Milenkovic put Fiorentina ahead after less than six minutes.
But Alex Sandro's diving header on 37 minutes and an own goal from Fiorentina defender German Pezzella after a Ronaldo cross in the 53rd minute sealed another title to ease their European disappointment.
"It was a great season and I adapted well. We won the Scudetto and the Italian Super Cup, which is not easy to achieve," said Ronaldo.
"It didn't go well in the Champions League but next year is a new page, the fans all want it and so do we.
"I'm staying at Juve, 1,000 per cent."
It was the 34-year-old's sixth domestic league title, having won three with Manchester United and two with Real Madrid.
The Portuguese star now has 28 trophies in total, including the Euro 2016 title.
Juventus dominated the league, bolstered by the five-time Ballon d'Or winner they purchased for €100 million (S$150 million) last summer.
He has scored 19 goals and had six assists, and is in the running for the top-scorer award along with Sampdoria's Fabio Quagliarella, who has 22 goals, and AC Milan's Krzysztof Piatek on 21.
Juventus have lost only two matches, against Genoa and SPAL, with 28 wins and three draws.

HIGHS AND LOWS


Their eight straight title sees them overtake French club Lyon for the record of consecutive victories in the top five European leagues.
"I'm very happy because we've achieved an important goal," said Allegri, who becomes the first coach to win five consecutive Serie A titles. He has six in total, having also won with AC Milan, one behind Giovanni Trapattoni, who has seven.
"We had an amazing season and we won 50 percent of the competitions we participated in.
"Of course, we are disappointed by the elimination of Tuesday but a title is celebrated.
"We won it five days from the end and that's all about what the lads did on the pitch. Despite our points in advance, it was not easy."

 
Juventus also equalled the record for the earliest the Italian title has been won, with five games to spare, achieved by Torino in 1948, Fiorentina in 1956 and Inter Milan in 2007.
Juventus succeeded despite having been hit hard by injuries with defender Giorgio Chiellini out along with Sami Khedira, Mario Mandzukic, Paulo Dybala and Douglas Costa.
Ronaldo threatened early, but defender Milenkovic gave Fiorentina hope of a first win in eight trips to the Juventus Stadium.
Giovanni Simeone had the ball in the back of the net on 25 minutes but the goal was ruled offside, before Sandro got his head to Miralem Pjanic's corner to pull the teams level before the break.
Ronaldo pushed forward after the break, crossing for Federico Bernardeschi, but Pezzella clumsily turned into his own net.
Allegri brought on teenage star Moise Kean in place of Bernardeschi on 74 minutes, but the 19-year-old could not add to his six goals in his previous six appearances.
"We were greatly disappointed this week, but now it's time to party," said Chiellini, who has played a part in all eight league triumphs.
"We've beaten record after record, we had an extraordinary championship," said the 34-year-old.
"The Champions League is a competition which comes down to details. You can play well for nine months and then compete on a week where things are slightly off and it's over.
"We have to continue to progress and work, it's the only way we know at Juventus."
Meanwhile, Juventus remain on track to match the record 102 points achieved in 2014 under Antonio Conte, who won three titles before Allegri took over.



Jan Vertonghen will not play for Tottenham at Bournemouth on Saturday as the club continue to monitor him in the wake of the head injury he suffered in Tuesday night's Champions League defeat against Ajax.
Football: Tottenham's Vertonghen did not suffer concussion



Manchester City Pep Guardiola predicts roller-coaster title run-in after Liverpool blip Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola believes critics have been too quick to write off his side's chances
Guardiola predicts roller-coaster title run-in after



Europa League: Rangers crash out, Eintracht fans run riot at Lazio Steven Gerrard's Rangers, who had to win in Vienna in their final group game in order to qualify for the last 32, finish third
Rangers out of Europa League, Eintracht fans run riot at Lazio



Gareth Bale is still "100 per cent" committed to Real Madrid despite speculation over his future, the Wales star's agent insisted on Monday. Former Tottenham winger Bale has been linked with a
Gareth Bale is 100% committed to Real Madrid, insists agent



FOOTBALL NEWS. News home page Juve foiled by Gervinho brace after leading 3-1. Daniele Rugani put Juventus 2-0 ahead in the 62nd minute after a series of
Juventus foiled by Gervinho brace after leading 3-1, Sports



Football: Tottenham set for kick-off at new stadium to hopefully usher in a glorious new era A general view of the exterior of the new Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. PHOTO: AFP
Liverpool must keep spending big to usher in new era of glory



VALENCIA: Valencia eased into the Europa League semi-finals for the first time in five years with a comfortable 2-0 win at home to fellow Spaniards Villarreal in heavy rain on Thursday for a



Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp denied on Friday that his Premier League leaders will have the upper hand over Manchester City and Tottenham Hotspur in the title race despite a lighter schedule after crashing out of both domestic cup competitions.
Klopp denies Liverpool's lighter schedule is title advantage



Blues manager hails Higuain-Hazard partnership LONDON • Maurizio Sarri has tried everything this season in a bid to solve Chelsea's scoring woes from persisting with Olivier Giroud and Alvaro Morata despite their slump in form to playing Eden Hazard as a "false nine".
Latest MAURIZIO SARRI | The Straits Times



Al Ain: If Australia is going to retain the Asian Cup, the champions will have to do it the hard way. In the first big shock of the 2019 tournament, Jordan — the world's 109th-ranked team — pulled off one of the biggest wins in their history by beating Australia 1-0 on Sunday.
Asian Cup: Socceroos look to break down defences of underdogs



Claude Puel has spoken of his "honour" at being given the opportunity to manage Leicester following his sacking at the weekend. The 57-year-old Frenchman's 16-month reign came to an end after Saturday's 4-1 home defeat to Crystal Palace, Leicester's sixth defeat in seven matches.
Sacked Puel says an 'honour' to manage Leicester | The



AC Milan face long European ban after UEFA opens second financial fair play case or receive a one-year ban from European club football, lost almost €12.77m in broadcasting revenue and prize
AC Milan could miss Europa League over alleged Financial Fair



Roman Abramovich has today announced he is to separate from his third wife after 10 years of marriage - in a move which could potentially spark the world's most expensive divorce. The Russian
An author reported a black Metro worker for eating on a train



Australia's captain Tim Paine (right) shakes hand with Indian captain Virat Kohli after winning the second Test in Perth on Tuesday. (AFP) Nine months on from the biggest scandal to hit
Paine and Kohli clash as Australia takes a grip on the second



We lack rub of the green: Simeone, Football News & Top Stories April 7, 2019 John Football 0 BARCELONA • It was all going to plan for Atletico Madrid at the Nou Camp on Saturday.
Yahoo

0 comments:

Post a Comment