Genoa 1-3 Juventus: Ronaldo stunner helps restore Bianconeri’s advantage in Serie A title race

Genoa 1-3 Juventus: Ronaldo stunner helps restore Bianconeri’s advantage in Serie A title race

Cristiano Ronaldo scored a stunning goal as Juventus restored their four-point lead at the top of Serie A with a 3-1 victory over struggling Genoa.

Lazio‘s win over Torino had seen the gap at the top of Serie A closed to one point prior to kick-off at Stade Luigi Ferraris, but Maurizio Sarri’s side ultimately made light work of their hosts.

After a dominant first-half display failed to produce the goods, Juve made the pressure count early in the second period – Paulo Dybala opening the scoring before Ronaldo picked out the top right-hand corner of the net in sensational fashion.

Substitute Douglas Costa then put the visitors out of sight with an equally impressive strike before Andrea Pinamonti drilled in a 76th-minute consolation for Genoa.

7 – Seven of Paulo Dybala’s 10 goals in this Serie A season have been the first of the game. Pull. #GenoaJuve

— OptaPaolo (@OptaPaolo) June 30, 2020

Juve wasted little time in getting on the front foot, with Mattia Perin, on loan from the Bianconeri, pulling off two smart stops in quick succession to deny Ronaldo.

Perin’s strong display against his parent club continued before the break, Adrien Rabiot heading straight at him from close range before the goalkeeper made an outstanding stop from a Ronaldo strike.

Juve’s breakthrough finally came five minutes after the break, though, Dybala twisting his way clear of several defenders before lashing in a shot which Perin could only help into the net.

With Genoa’s resolve broken, Juve had their second six minutes later, Ronaldo hammering home his 24th Serie A goal of the season from 25 yards out.

Costa curled in an exquisite third shortly after coming on as a substitute to wrap up Juve’s third successive league win since the restart, though Genoa had the final say when Pinamonti finished from a tight angle.

What does it mean? No slip-ups in the Scudetto race

The pressure is on Juve, with Lazio bouncing back from their 3-2 defeat to Atalanta by beating Torino. The Bianconeri seem to be going from strength to strength, however, with Ronaldo and Dybala in scintillating form.

Ronaldo and Dybala do the damage

Sarri has not always been able to accommodate his star strikers to get the best out of both of them, yet that certainly was not the case on Tuesday – Ronaldo looked sharp from the off, while Dybala displayed exceptional individual skill to craft the space for his opener.

Perin gives his parent club a helping hand

Having made nine league appearances for Juve last term, Perin was superb in the first half. Yet the 27-year-old will have been disappointed by his efforts for Dybala’s opener as he got down to the strike only to fail to parry it wide.

Key Opta Facts

– Juventus have scored at least two goals in all their last six league games, their best run since February 2019.
– In 2020, Ronaldo has scored 14 goals, more than any other Serie A player.
– Dybala has scored in his last four Serie A games, his longest streak since September 2017.
– Ronaldo has equalled his number of goals of last season – 28 in all competitions.
– Pinamonti has scored in two games in a row for Genoa for the first time in Serie A.

What’s next?

It is the Turin derby up next for Juve, who host Torino on Saturday, while 17th-place Genoa face Udinese a day later.