Cristiano Ronaldo scored twice on Saturday as runaway leaders Juventus escaped with a 2-1 win over UC Sampdoria in Serie A with help from the video assistant referee (VAR).
Ronaldo’s second goal, a penalty, was awarded by the VAR for a questionable handball. Then Sampdoria had a stoppage-time goal chalked off by the VAR.
Sampdoria thought they had become the first visiting Serie A club to score more than one goal at the Allianz Stadium in more than a year when Riccardo Saponara’s shot went in off the underside of the crossbar, but replays showed the play was offside.
Photo: AFP
“I like [the VAR] a lot because it reduces the number of mistakes,” Ronaldo said. “It’s not easy for the match officials to analyze everything that goes on.”
Ronaldo had put Juventus ahead two minutes in with a bouncing shot and Fabio Quagliarella equalized with a penalty before the break, becoming the first player to score in nine consecutive Serie A matches since David Trezeguet accomplished the feat with Juventus in 2005.
Ronaldo’s decisive penalty came in the 65th after the VAR decided that Alex Ferrari had used his arm, even though it appeared as if the defender kept his arm next to his body and did not move it toward the ball.
Photo: AFP
The double gave Ronaldo 14 goals in 19 matches this season to move one ahead of Genoa’s Krzysztof Piatek atop the league scoring chart.
Aiming for a record-extending eighth straight league title, Juventus set a record of 53 points at the season’s halfway mark with 17 wins, two draws and no defeats. The Bianconeri remained nine points ahead of second-placed SSC Napoli, who beat Bologna 3-2, and 14 points ahead of third-placed Inter, who won 1-0 at Empoli.
Napoli fans showed their support for defender Kalidou Koulibaly during the win over Bologna after the Senegal international was subjected to racist chants this week.
Fans held up anti-racism banners with Koulibaly’s photograph that read: “#SiamotuttiKalidou” (“We’re all Kalidou”).
Koulibaly had monkey noises directed at him throughout a match against Inter on Wednesday at the San Siro Stadium.
Against Bologna, Dries Mertens scored the winner two minutes from time with a shot from beyond the area after the hosts had twice given up the lead.
Arkadiusz Milik scored twice for Napoli, but Federico Santander replied to his first and Danilo equalized after his second.
In other Serie A matches, it was:
‧ Inter 1, Empoli 0
‧ SS Lazio 1, Torino 1
‧ AC Milan 2, SPAL 1
‧ AS Roma 2, Parma 0
‧ Atalanta BC 6, US Sassuolo 2
‧ Udinese 2, Cagliari 0
‧ AC Chievo Verona 1, Frosinone 0
‧ Genoa 0, ACF Fiorentina 0
ENGLISH PREMIER LEAGUE
AP, LIVERPOOL, England
There were jubilant cries of “Ole!” as Liverpool played possession soccer near the end, and the final whistle was met with a chant of “We shall not be moved” from the Kop.
Juergen Klopp’s players look unstoppable as they march toward a first English top-flight title since 1990 — and they are having fun at the same time.
In their latest victory along their unbeaten start to the Premier League season, Liverpool overwhelmed Arsenal’s meek challenge on Saturday in a 5-1 win at Anfield, with Firmino scoring a hat-trick and Mohamed Salah invariably among the goals.
A ninth straight league victory opened a nine-point lead over second-placed Tottenham, who unexpectedly lost 3-1 at home to Wolverhampton Wanderers in their first match since seriously entering the title-race conversation.
There is an ominous feel about Liverpool’s ruthless performances, as Klopp’s men have chalked up 20 undefeated league games.
“I’m not the smartest person in the world, but I’m really not an idiot,” Klopp said. “If we drop three points, the next headline is: ‘Are they nervous now?’”
Liverpool received considerable help on Saturday from their rivals.
Tottenham started the match by appearing to have run out of energy in the loss to Wolverhampton Wanderers at Wembley Stadium, with all of the visitors’ goals coming in the final 18 minutes.
Then Arsenal, arriving as England’s fifth-best team, produced a shambolic defensive display that Liverpool’s devastating front three happily capitalized on. Sadio Mane was the other scorer.
Arsenal mistakes preceded at least four of Liverpool’s goals, two of them being penalties after clumsy challenges by Sokratis and Sead Kolasinac. Salah converted the first to make it 4-1 in first-half stoppage time and gave up spot-kick duties to allow Firmino to complete his hat-trick in the 65th minute.
“So, 2018 ends with a Christmas present from Mo Salah,” Klopp said. “It was one of the nicest things I have seen in my life.”
In other Premier League matches, it was:
‧ Wolves 3, Tottenham 1
‧ Fulham 1, Huddersfield 0
‧ Cardiff 1, Leicester 0
‧ Brighton 1, Everton 0
‧ Watford 1, Newcastle 1
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