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#3 Cristiano Ronaldo has an off-day in front of goal
The 2017 Ballon d'Or winner moved to the Old Lady in the summer, shocking the world in the process.
After a slow start to his career in Italy, the Portuguese has quickly dovetailed with his teammates and has looked near his best recently. However, on Saturday evening, Ronaldo’s normally reliable finishing was just a little wayward.
In the first half, he failed to connect properly at a couple of crosses from the left flank whereas he couldn’t apply the finishing touch to a superb solo run as well.
However, after the break, Ronaldo had at least a couple of chances to make the net ripple. Yet, the Portuguese gave Olsen a chance to rescue the situation. A Cristiano Ronaldo in prime form would’ve buried the opportunity with the goalkeeper not even a part of the equation.
Though his finishing left a bit to be desired on the night, the same could hardly be said about his all-round play. The Portuguese was willing to run in behind on occasions and brought his team-mates into play expertly.
The shift in footballing philosophies from the Bernabeu to Turin has been enormous. While the former always preached offensive football, the latter is more prone to prioritise calculation over creativity.
Yet, Ronaldo being the champion he is, has taken to the Serie A like a duck to water.
The blemish against Roma may stand out due to his relatively spotless time with Juventus but one must not delve upon it too much. For all you know, the mercurial Portuguese might just conjure a hat-trick against Atalanta on Boxing Day.
