'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
Cristiano Ronaldo marked his return to action with a brace as Juventus eased past newly-promoted Spezia at the Stadio Dino Manuzzi with a resounding 4-1 win in the 2020-21 Serie A.
The Portuguese ace, who was out for three weeks after testing positive for COVID-19 last month, came off the bench to net twice, one of them was a wonderful panenka kick from the spot, to add gloss to the scoreline.
Alvaro Morata and Adrian Rabiot were on target too for Juventus as Tommaso Pobega's equalising goal for the Aquile eventually proved to be a false dawn.
The victory brought the Bianconeri back to winning ways. Juventus will now be pumped up for Wednesday's Champions League clash with Ferencvaros. On that note, let's have a look at how Juventus players fared in the game:
Juventus Player Ratings
Gianluigi Buffon - 7/10
The veteran keeper Gianluigi Buffon got a rare start between the post, making his 651st appearance in the Italian top flight with a comfortable outing. He was caught off guard for Spezia's goal and couldn't help but concede, though he made a wonderful point-blank save to deny Chabot during a corner kick.
Juan Cuadrado - 7/10
Juan Cuadrado brought width and pace to the Juventus flanks in the first half, bursting forward at will and laying some nice crosses, though he left plenty of gaps at the back. That was something the Colombian got right in the second half by tracking back, although it came at the cost of his attacking output.
Merih Demiral - 7.5/10
Merih Demiral put in a superb performance against Spezia and did not fold under pressure from both M'Bala Nzola and Diego Farias. The young Turk accurately finished his passes too. He was solid defensively, making two clearances and three interceptions.
Leonardo Bonucci - 7/10
Leonardo Bonucci laid the most accurate passes in the match after only Arthur, despite misplacing a handful of the.! Yet, the Italian stalwart was sound in defence and never put a wrong foot forward.
Danilo - 7/10
The marauding Brazilian Danilo laid a wonderful through-ball for McKennie to create the opening goal but his influence in the gamegradually declined. Defensively though, Danilo did make a couple of good blocks to impede Spezia's movements.
Weston McKennie - 7.5/10
In only his second start for Juventus, Weston McKennie played like he's been around for a long time. His first touch was great, and he also assisted Morata by brilliantly squaring the ball to him after a defence-splitting run. Overall, McKennie produced a decent performance.
Arthur - 7/10
Back in the Juventus lineup, Arthur didn't stand out in the match but wasn't too shabby either. His ball-distribution skills were amazing while he also stepped up when his counterpart Bentancur switched off. Moreover, the Brazilian made the most passes in the match, with 97.
Rodrigo Bentancur - 6.5/10
The hard-working Uruguayan did plenty of running, but it mostly came to nothing. Rodrigo Bentancur released Morata and Cuadrado from the flanks with some good crosses, but that was pretty much it.
Federico Chiesa - 7.5/10
Federico Chiesa was menacing down the left flank, driving forward at every opportunity and creating an outlet for Juventus. He assisted Rabiot by brilliantly picking him out with a chipped pass over the Spazia defence before winning the penalty for Ronaldo.
Paulo Dybala - 6/10
Is there any point in starting him anymore? Paolo Dybala connected well with Morata initially, threading a few good passes through the Spezia defence, but they were nothing spectacular or game-changing. No wonder then, the Argentine was the first to be substituted in the match, going off in the 56th minute for Ronaldo.
Alvaro Morata - 7/10
Alvaro Morata's complicated relationship with the VAR continued against Spezia. His first goal was initially chalked off before it was deemed legitimate after a review, but there was no such luck with his second strike, though.
Ratings of Juventus substitutes
Cristiano Ronaldo - 8/10
He was back with a bang. Cristiano Ronaldo came off the bench in the 56th minute and the most inevitable thing happened - he scored. And not once, but twice, including a cheeky Panenka-style penalty to bring up his brace.
Adrian Rabiot - 7.5/10
The French midfielder came just minutes after Ronaldodid, and he too got on the scoresheet following a brilliant individual goal. Adrian Rabiot tracked back during the dying moments of the match to ensure that there weren't any late glitches for Juventus.
Aaron Ramsey - 6.5/10
There were fitness concerns about Aaron Ramsey before the match, but the Welshman came off the bench just after the hour mark to show that he's alright.
Dejan Kulusevski - N/A
The Sweden international, Dejan Kulusevski, barely got a whiff of the ball despite coming on in the 79th minute. He made just three passes.
Gianluca Frabotta - N/A
Gianluca Frabotta alsocame on at the same time as Kulusevski but was barely seen in the dying moments of the game.
