Ronaldo marks 1,000th game with record-equalling goal
Cristiano Ronaldo scored for a record-equalling 11th consecutive Serie A casino game in his 1,000th professional match as Juventus extended their league lead on Saturday with a 2-1 win over basement club SPAL.
The 35-year-old tapped in six minutes prior to the break to equal the mark held by Gabriel Batistuta and Fabio Quagliarella.
The five-time Ballon d'Or winner has scored 25 goals in every competitions this season for Juventus, including 16 in his current run of 11 matches.
Aaron Ramsey added a second after an hour, before Andrea Petagna pulled one back from the location for SPAL, amid controversy as the penalty was awarded following a VAR review regardless of the pitchside monitor no longer working.
It got Juventus back again to winning ways abroad after consecutive defeats against Napoli and Hellas Verona, and before next week's visit to French club Lyon in the Champions League last 16, first leg.
Maurizio Sarri's side opened up a four-point lead on second-placed Lazio who happen to be Genoa on Sunday.
Inter Milan are six points behind the champions before their game in the home against Sampdoria.
"These were very hard matches and within the last few years we'd never won here," said Sarri.
"The test was to gather the three points, then from tomorrow morning we will study Lyon thoroughly.
"The goal may be the championship. The Champions League is a dream, whether or not in life it is usually nice to accomplish dreams."
Ronaldo had an early goal ruled offside but made no mistake when running onto Juan Cuadrado's low cross after Ramsey's ball forward.
The Portuguese forward drew level with Sampdoria forward Quagliarella, who in January 2019 equalled the mark previously achieved by Batistuta in 1994-1995 for Fiorentina.
Both Italian Quagliarella and Argentine Batistuta continued to finish the times of year as the Serie A top scorer after their feat, with both scoring 26 goals altogether.
Ronaldo has 21 goals in Serie A this year, five behind leading scorer Ciro Immobile.
- Milan held in Tuscany -
Ramsey doubled Juve's lead on the hour mark, latching onto Paulo Dybala's pass to make a scooped lob over SPAL goalkeeper Etrit Berisha for his second league goal of the growing season.
Petagna pulled one back with a penalty awarded for a Daniele Rugani foul on Simone Missiroli after 68 minutes, a decision created by VAR officials with referee unable to check the faulty monitor.
"Today we'd goals scored using VAR when VAR wasn't working," said Sarri.
"It seems if you ask me an excellent injustice -- if the monitor can not work, the referee must decide.
"I understand that the regulation allows this and (referee Federico) La Penna explained it if you ask me, but I don't trust it."
Ronaldo missed a chace for another when his free-kick hit the crossbar, but Sarri's side earned a valuable three points against an outfit that they had failed to beat abroad in the last two seasons.
Juventus captain Giorgio Chiellini made his begin since being sidelined with a cruciate ligament knee injury last August, playing for 55 minutes in Ferrara.
"We're taking it slowly, seeing how he reacts," added Sarri.
"He can't play three games in six days that's for certain."
AC Milan missed the opportunity to proceed of sixth-placed Napoli in to the Europa League places with a 1-1 draw at 10-man Fiorentina, to stay behind the southerners on goal difference.
Zlatan Ibrahimovic had an objective ruled out in the first half for a handball with Milan also losing goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma to a foot injury seven minutes following the break with Asmir Begovic making his debut.
Ante Rebic scored his sixth goal in as much league games in the 56th minute to provide Milan the lead.
Fiorentina's Dalbert was sent off for a foul on Ibrahimovic, leaving the hosts a guy down for the final half an hour.
But Erick Pulgar grabbed a spot for 13th-placed Fiorentina from the location with 5 minutes to go for an Alessio Romagnoli foul on Patrick Cutrone.
