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Juventus bounced back from their Champions League exit by recording a 3-1 win over Cagliari in the 2020-21 Serie A.
Cristiano Ronaldo scored a perfect hat-trick in the first half to set the visitors on the way, with Cagliari scoring a late consolation goal courtesy Giovanni Simeone.
Ronaldo provided Juventus the perfect start when he leapt highest to Juan Cuadrado's cross. But he was booked just four minutes later for a high-boot challenge on goalkeeper Alessio Cragno, who needed treatment.
Nevertheless, it was mostly one-way traffic in the first half. In the 24th minute, Cragno brought down Ronaldo in the box to give away a penalty. Ronaldo stepped up to promptly double The Old Lady's lead.
Seven minutes later, Ronaldo added a third, a left-footed strike to complete a 'perfect' hat-trick, to put the game beyond doubt.
While there were a lot of chances for Juventus in the second half, they could not score another. But they did concede one in the 61st minute after a swift move from Cagliari.
As Juventus close the gap at the top with Inter Milan to ten points, albeit with a game in hand, let's take a look at five talking points from the game.
#5 Cagliari's defence no match for Juventus and Cristiano Ronaldo
Juventus had fewer shots compared to Cagliari on the night. Of their ten shots, six were on target, with Ronaldo finding the back of the net with three of them.
The 36-year-old combined well with Federico Chiesa, Juan Cuadrado and Alvaro Morata in the final third as the Juventus trio easily found space between Cagliari defenders.
Most of Juventus' chances came in the first half as the visitors exploited their superiority on the flanks and created a lot of chances from Cuadrado's pin-point crosses.
Though the hosts had Diego Godin leading their defence, they weren't able to contain Juventus' on the night.
#4 Juventus starting to flex their muscles in the final third
Juventus are unbeaten in their last five Serie A games. Their impressive display in the final third is one of the main reasons for their impressive recent form.
The Cagliari game marked the fifth across all competitions in this period that Juventus scored three goals. Two of their last four Serie A games ended 3-0, while the other two ended 3-1.
Only Bayern Munich have scored more goals in the same period across Europe's top-five leagues.
Andrea Pirlo will be a happy man, as his team has hit a purple patch in recent fixtures. With only the domestic league to focus on from this point onwards, they can focus all their energy on catching up with runaway league leaders Inter Milan.
Also Read: Top 10 football players with the most fans in the world.
#3 Leonardo Semplici suffers first defeat as Cagliari coach
Cagliari's defeat against Juventus marked their first reverse in four league games. This loss leaves them just two points above the relegation zone, with 18th-placed Torino having two games in hand over Gli Isolani.
This was also the first defeat for Cagliari under newly appointed manager Leonardo Semplici, who replaced Eusebio Di Francesco last month. Semplici did not take up any coaching role for over a year after he was sacked by SPAL last February.
The Italian manager recorded two wins and a draw in his first three games in charge of Cagliari. But this defeat comes as a setback for the hosts, who face a tough battle to stay afloat this campaign.
#2 Cristiano Ronaldo has now scored at every venue in the Serie A
Cristiano Ronaldo has been one of the most consistent goal-scorers in recent times. He has scored a lot of goals in all competitions over the years.
His 10th-minute header marked the first goal he scored at the Sardegna Arena. That means the five-time Ballon d'Or winner has now scored in each of the 18 stadiums he has played Italian top-flight games.
This impressive achievement should not come as a surprise because the reigning champions have been heavily reliant on Ronaldo's goals this term; the Portuguese has contributed 26 of the club's 54 goals so far, scoring 23 and assisting three.
#1 Cristiano Ronaldo scores the second-fastest hat-trick of his career
Cristiano Ronaldo was the star of the show on the night, as he single-handedly put Juventus in the driving seat in the first half with three goals inside the opening 32 minutes.
It marked the second-fastest hat-trick for the Portuguese star, with his fastest one coming in Real Madrid colours in 2015.
The player oozed confidence on the night and looked like scoring whenever he got a touch of the ball.
Ronaldo had been the subject of criticism after Juventus' early exit from the Champions League. But he responded well with a memorable performance.
Cristiano Ronaldo (23) is now four goals clear of his nearest competitor, Inter Milan's Romelu Lukaku (19), in the season's goal-scoring charts as he eyes his first Capocannoniere award this campaign.
Also Read: 1he 10 highest-paid players in the Serie A this season (2020/21).
