By Jerry Mancini.
Cristiano Ronaldo started the new year on the right note for Juventus, scoring three goals against Cagliari in a 4-0 win.
The victory means Juventus keep pace with Inter Milan for first place in the standings. The team rebounded well in their match against Cagliari after losing to Lazio in the Supercoppa Italiana before the Christmas break.
Although he scored three goals in the match, Ronaldo believed that the most important aspect of the game was the result for the team.
“The year started very well, the most important thing, despite the hat-trick, remains the team,” Ronaldo told Sky Sport Italia.
“We played very well until the end, we created a lot. The goals are always special, my first hat-trick in Serie A, but the most important thing is to put pressure on Inter.”
“Defend by attacking? We see that the team is better, we improve game after game, not only the defense but all areas, we must improve in all aspects, not only in one.”
Juventus started the first half in control of the game, but Cagliari’s defence made it difficult for the Bianconeri to score.
In the second half, Ronaldo was presented with a clear chance when Ragnar Klavan made an error at the back.
The striker made no mistake, showing good composure, staying calm to beat Robin Olsen and give Juventus a 1-0 lead. It was all that Juventus needed in this match.
The home side took advantage of their opportunities, as Ronaldo scored two more and Gonzalo Higuain added another. Going into this match, Cagliari had only lost once away from home this season.
Ronaldo has scored in his last five Serie A matches bringing his total to thirteen goals this season, second behind Ciro Immobile with nineteen goals. After a subpar start to the season, the forward has recently shown good form and looks poised to have a better second half to the season.
As for Cagliari, the loss was their third in a row after going unbeaten in thirteen straight matches. They will look to turn their season around next weekend against AC Milan, after losing their three recent matches against Lazio, Udinese and Juventus.
As for the Bianconeri, they will turn there focus over to AS Roma at the Stadio Olimpico.
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