Sports
Cristiano Ronaldo rescues draw for Juventus against Sassuolo
Cristiano Ronaldo scored from the spot to rescue a 2-2 draw for Juventus at home against Sassuolo to leave the way open for Inter Milan to claim top spot in Serie A later on Sunday.
Leonardo Bonucci had scored early for the eight-time reigning Serie A champions but Jeremie Boga and Francesco Caputo hit back for Sassuolo before Ronaldo’s point-saving intervention.
Juventus have a two-point lead on top of Serie A but now can be overtaken by Inter Milan, who host struggling SPAL.
Sassuolo claimed their first-ever point at Juventus and handed Maurizio Sarri’s unbeaten champions their third draw of the season.
The side from Emilia-Romagna, are 12th in the table.
Ronaldo started upfront for Juventus, having missed last weekend’s league game with a slight knee problem, with Champions League hero Paulo Dybala starting on the bench.
Eighteen-year-old Stefano Turati made an impressive debut in the Sassuolo goal, and pulled off a string of fine saves, denying Ronaldo, Higuain and Dybala late.
But Juventus counterpart Gianluigi Buffon had a difficult game in Turin as the 41-year-old, making just his fifth start this season, had a role in Caputo’s goal just after the break.
Bonucci had gotten Juventus off the mark with a long-range effort on 20 minutes.
But three minutes later Boga pounced on a Caputo cross sending in past an out-rushing Buffon from an angle.
Back after the break Caputo added a second for the visitors following a mix-up between Juan Cuadrado and Matthijs De Ligt in the Juventus defence, with Buffon then fumbling the effort as it slipped into the back of the net.
Turati got down low to deny Higuain after getting his hand to send a Ronaldo free-kick over the bar.
Ronaldo’s penalty pulled the hosts level on 68 minutes after Filippo Romagna fouled substitute, Dybala.
It was the Portuguese star’s fifth Serie A goal this season.
Later, Inter host SPAL with third-placed Lazio at home against Udinese and city rivals Roma at Verona.
-
News19 hours ago
JUST IN: Panic as Dana airplane skids off Lagos airport runway
-
News18 hours ago
Abuja school bullying victim not my daughter – Daniel Bwala
-
Metro21 hours ago
Junior Pope: Prophet Fufeyin gifts boat accident survivor N2m
-
News24 hours ago
Justin Bieber mourns close friend, rapper Chris King shot dead
-
News23 hours ago
Nigeria has history of decentralised policing, says Speaker Abbas
-
News20 hours ago
Lead British School condemns bullying incident, promises action
-
News19 hours ago
UNN lecturer allegedly caught pants down with student
-
News21 hours ago
10 killed as Malaysian helicopters collide mid-air