Cristiano Ronaldo on Sunday scored his first competitive goals for Juventus with a second-half brace that ensured a 2-1 win over US Sassuolo to make it four victories from as many Serie A games, but there was controversy in Turin as Juventus winger Douglas Costa was sent off late on after being caught on camera spitting at Sassuolo’s Federico di Francesco.
Five-time Ballon d’Or winner Ronaldo, who arrived amid great pomp and ceremony following a 100 million euros (US$117 million) deal from Real Madrid, tapped in from close range after a goalmouth scramble on 50 minutes.
The 33-year-old added a second 15 minutes later following a counterattack orchestrated by Emre Can as the defending seven-time Italian champions moved three points clear of SSC Napoli.
Photo: EPA
“I’m happy. I worked hard and I knew that the goals would come,” Ronaldo said. “I thank my teammates who really helped me and allowed me to adapt to Italian football.”
However, Ronaldo — Real Madrid’s record all-time goalscorer — showed his frustration by kicking the post as he missed two more chances.
“This is football. The important thing is that the team wins. I was a little tense with all the talk after my move from Real Madrid and not scoring, so there were a lot of expectations, but I thank my teammates for supporting me throughout,” he said.
Senegalese striker Khouma Babacar headed in a consolation goal for Sassuolo in stoppage-time as the side from Modena fell to their first defeat of the season.
Costa later apologized for his late red card for elbowing and spitting at Di Francesco — the 24-year-old son of Roma coach Eusebio di Francesco.
“I would like to apologize to all the Juventus fans for my wrong reaction during today’s game,” Costa wrote on Instagram.
“I also apologize to my teammates, who are always by my side, in good and bad times. It was ugly, I am aware of that and I apologize to everyone for that. I want to make clear that this isolated conduct has nothing to do with what I’ve shown throughout my career,” he wrote
Juventus are the only unbeaten side in Serie A after Napoli inflicted a first loss on ACF Fiorentina on Saturday with a 1-0 win ahead of today’s UEFA Champions League trip to Red Star Belgrade.
Sassuolo are in third place with seven points.
Bolstered by five-time winner Ronaldo, Juventus begin their quest for a first Champions League title since 1995-1996 in Valencia, Spain, tomorrow.
“The Champions League is my favorite tournament,” said Ronaldo, who scored 15 goals in the tournament last season.
“It’s a very difficult group, we know that we can do well and Juve must focus on being the best,” he added.
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