Football: Ronaldo unaffected by Juventus setbacks, says Portugal coach

Criticism of Cristiano Ronaldo's performances for Juventus has had no impact on the forward's morale and he is ready to give 100% for Portugal in their World Cup qualifier against Azerbaijan later on Wednesday, head coach Fernando Santos said.

Ronaldo came under fire after Juventus were knocked out in the Champions League last 16 earlier this month by 10-man Porto, who progressed on away goals.

Porto's decisive goal came from a free kick that went through the Portugal striker's legs as he turned in the defensive wall, with the front page of the Corriere dello Sport saying: "Betrayed by Ronaldo".

"When Cristiano is with the national team, he always comes with the same vision, the same passion, the same will, the same joy," Santos said.

"He always gives 100% when he comes to the national team.

"I don't think he has any problem in terms of mentality at the moment."

Ronaldo has been linked with a return to Real Madrid, who he left to join Juve in 2018, by some Spanish media outlets and Santos said he would be happy to talk to him about his future.

"I give advice to Cristiano personally. I was his head coach when he was 18, and we have a close relationship," Santos said.

"We talk a lot, but these are private conversations between friends. We don't really have a coach-player relationship, but it is different when he is in the national team. If he asks me for any advice, I will let him know what I think." (Reporting by Arvind Sriram in Bengaluru; Editing by Peter Rutherford )

-reuters-

Football: Ronaldo scores twice as Juve crush Messi's troubled Barcelona

BARCELONA, Spain -- Cristiano Ronaldo struck twice from the penalty spot to win his battle with rival Lionel Messi and guide Juventus to a 3-0 win over Barcelona on Tuesday, earning the Italians top spot in Champions League Group G.

The former Real Madrid striker and his Argentina counterpart traded Ballon d'Or wins for a decade between 2008-2017 and were figureheads for the duelling Spanish giants, but there was only one winner at the Camp Nou as they met for the first time since Ronaldo's departure for Juve in 2018.

Andrea Pirlo's Juventus lost 2-0 at home against Barcelona in October without Ronaldo, sidelined with Covid-19, but were greatly improved and earned the first Champions League away win against Barcelona since Bayern Munich triumphed in 2013.

Both sides, tied on 15 points, were assured of qualification before kick-off, but Juve's three-goal victory handed them a superior head-to-head record.

"When you have this desire to sacrifice yourself and an infallible sniper, like Ronaldo, you are sure you can win these matches," Bonucci told Sky Sport Italia.

"As we showed in the derby (win over Torino), if we play with this desire, we bring home the results we want. The next step is to do this in all our games."

Ronald Koeman, reeling from Barcelona's 2-1 defeat by promoted minnows Cadiz on Saturday in La Liga, reacted by making four changes but the hosts started badly.

It only took 13 minutes for Ronaldo to break the deadlock, slotting home from the penalty spot after the referee deemed Ronald Araujo's challenge on him a foul.

Juventus did not relent and their pressure led to a second goal, US midfielder Weston McKennie volleying home Juan Cuadrado's sweetly clipped cross in the 20th minute.

The Catalans and their captain Messi finally woke from their slumber, as the attacker had one effort blocked by Matthijs de Ligt and another saved by veteran goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon, while Pjanic lashed over the bar.

Ronaldo notched his second from the penalty spot in the 52nd minute after Clement Lenglet handled clumsily in the area, as the hosts imploded.

Antoine Griezmann, who was invisible in the first half, grazed the crossbar with a looping header from a Messi free kick, and Buffon beat out another effort, with De Ligt's pressure enough to stop Martin Braithwaite converting the rebound.

Leonardo Bonucci had a fourth goal ruled out for offside after he tapped in Ronaldo's effort from close range, with Messi trying in vain at the other end to answer Ronaldo, but he found the 42-year-old Buffon in his way time and time again.

Griezmann was critical of his own side after they fell to their first home Champions League group stage defeat since 2009.

"We were not good enough, they over-ran us in the first half, we lacked everything," he told Movistar. 

"A lack of attitude, desire, wanting to run, defending, attacking, everything was bad."

Barcelona goalkeeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen was also unhappy.

"There are two things, one thing is individual mistakes, and the other is how the team defends, these are different things," he said.

"Right now teams can score against us in any given moment. This is very tough, we need to come out of this, and work very hard."

Agence France-Presse

Football: Lukaku double pulls Inter second behind Juventus in Serie A

MILAN, Italy -- Romelu Lukaku scored in either half as Inter Milan claimed a 3-0 win against struggling Genoa to move second in Serie A behind Juventus who can win a a ninth title in a row on Sunday.

Antonio Conte's title ambitions took a knock with back-to-back stalemates against Roma and Fiorentina.

But Inter pulled back ahead of Atalanta, and within four points of leaders Juventus, who are poised to claim a 36th 'Scudetto' when they play Sampdoria in Turin.

"The problem is how you see the glass, whether half full or half empty," said Conte of second position. 

"There are vintages where you sow little and you reap a lot and others in which you sow a lot and reap little, like this one.

"But there are numbers that speak clearly, that comfort. I think these lads are doing very good things. Of course, we can and must improve.

"We won't win the league but we have to be hungry to finish as high as possible." 

Lukaku nodded in Cristiano Biraghi's cross after 34 minutes in the northwestern port city, with the former Manchester United forward accelerating to finish off an individual effort three minutes into injury time.

The 27-year-old Belgian brought his tally to 23 league goals this season, and 29 in all competitions.

Alexis Sanchez, on-loan from United, was also on target with eight minutes to go, picking up a Victor Moses cross to volley in for his fourth league goal this season.

Atalanta were held 1-1 at AC Milan on Friday, with the Bergamo side due to meet Inter Milan in the final game of the season next week.

"On a personal level, I'm happy, but as a team we can do so much more," said Lukaku, who moved third behind Hungarian Istvan Nyers (26) and Brazilian Ronaldo (25) for the mosts league goals scored by an Inter player in their debut season.

"It's not easy for us to be in second place, because we want to win and go as high as possible.

"Now we want to do well in these final rounds and then the Europa League."

- Four Sassuolo goals offside -

Genoa are four points above the relegation zone with two games left this season.

In Naples, Napoli beat Sassuolo 2-0 with the visitors having four goals ruled offside -- two in either half.

Three were chalked off by VAR.

Albanian defender Elseid Hysaj opened the scoring for Napoli after eight minutes in the San Paolo Stadium.

Filip Djuricic then had two goals ruled out as did Francesco Caputo and Domenico Berardi following VAR viewings before Brazilian Allan sealed the points for the hosts three minutes into injury time.

Seventh-placed Napoli -- already through to the Europa League as a result of their Italian Cup victory -- extend their lead on pursuing Sassuolo, in eighth, to 11 points.

Mid-table Parma saw off relegated Brescia 2-1 in a win inspired by on-loan Juventus midfielder Dejan Kulusevski.

The 20-year-old Swede set up Matteo Darmian for the opener just before the hour mark before Daniele Dessena pulled the hosts level three minutes later.

A spectacular solo effort from Kulusevski sealed back-to-back wins for Parma who had struggled after the lockdown.

Agence France-Presse

Football: Napoli upset Juve to give Gattuso first trophy as coach

ROME - Napoli stunned Juventus 4-2 on penalties after a 0-0 draw to claim the Coppa Italia on Wednesday and bring their fiery coach Gennaro Gattuso the first major trophy of his managerial career.

Paulo Dybala and Danilo missed Juve's first two efforts in the shootout while Napoli converted all their attempts to win the trophy for the sixth time and end Juve's hopes of securing the treble this season.

It was the first title to be settled in the Italian season which has just restarted after a three-month hiatus because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Although it had been planned for the players to collect their own medals in a "self-service" ceremony, the Napoli players received theirs from the respective club presidents Aurelio De Laurentiis and Andrea Agnelli.

It was a remarkable achievement for 42-year-old Gattuso, who took over Napoli in December with the team in disarray after the players had rebelled against a week-long training camp imposed on them by De Laurentiis.

"Football has given me so much and that is why I have so much passion for it," Gattuso said. "It's something I can't let go of, not even for a second."

"Those who have this job must have respect for it because we're lucky. I want to see people who put passion into it, I want a sense of belonging and respect."

Napoli could have won without penalties but were defied by an outstanding double save from Gianluigi Buffon in stoppage time.

The 42-year-old Juventus goalkeeper blocked Nikola Maksimovic's powerful header and turned Eljif Elmas' effort from the rebound onto the post from point-blank range.

Napoli had the best chances throughout the game while Juventus forward Cristiano Ronaldo saw little of the ball and had a frustrating evening.

Lorenzo Insigne hit the post with a 30-metre free kick in the first half and saw another effort stopped by Buffon, while Arkadiusz Milik could also have won it for Napoli but sent a shot over the bar.

Juventus, who have drawn both their games 0-0 since the restart, lead Serie A, in which they are chasing a ninth successive title. Both teams are still in the Champions League.

(Reporting by Brian Homewood, Editing by Toby Davis and Ed Osmond)

-reuters-

Football: Ronaldo back training at Juventus after two months

Cristiano Ronaldo returned to training with Juventus in Turin on Tuesday after an absence of over two months because of the coronavirus pandemic.

The 35-year-old drove himself into the Juventus Training Centre in a Jeep with tinted windows.

The five-time Ballon d'Or winner will undergo medical and physical tests before joining up with his teammates in training, according to media reports.

Juventus players returned to individual training on May 4, the day Ronaldo returned to Italy after spending lockdown in his native Portugal. 

For the past two weeks, he has been in quarantine in his villa in Turin.

Ronaldo played in Juventus's last Serie A game before the season was suspended, a 2-0 win over Inter Milan behind closed doors at the Allianz Stadium on March 8.

Italy has been one of the countries hardest hit by the COVID-19 pandemic with more than 32,000 deaths.

Juventus are leading Lazio by one point as they target a ninth consecutive Scudetto.

Ronaldo is the first Juventus foreign player, among those who left Italy during the lockdown, to return to the team's Continassa training centre.

The Italian Football Federation (FIGC) announced on Monday that all its competitions, including Serie A, will remain suspended until June 14.

Serie A had hoped to return on June 13 but the FIGC has pushed back the date in line with a government decree that all sports competitions be suspended until next month.

The FIGC said the choice was made "pending any further... decision by the authorities", suggesting the possibility of a restart on June 13 might still exist.

But Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte said on Saturday he needed "more guarantees" before the green light could finally be given for football to resume.

A meeting is planned in the near future between Conte and Italian football bosses.

The government's technical and scientific committee will decide in the coming days if it accepts the new health protocols proposed for a return to group training and competition.

ea/gj

Agence France-Presse

Football: Juventus players back training awaiting quarantined Ronaldo

MILAN, Italy -- Giorgio Chiellini led the way as Juventus players returned to individual training at the team's sports centre on Tuesday, while Cristiano Ronaldo began two weeks' coronavirus quarantine after returning to Italy.

Captain Chiellini, 35, arrived early with Italy defender Leonardo Bonucci, wearing a black face mask, just after midfielder Aaron Ramsey. Playmaker Miralem Pjanic showed up in the afternoon, along with Juan Cuadrado, Mattia De Sciglio, Federico Bernardeschi and Daniele Rugani.

Serie A champions Juve said the training sessions, which are allowed thanks to Sunday's green light from the Italian interior ministry, "will take place on an individual basis and with staggered arrivals to allow full compliance with the regulations in force".

"After a day of tests and exams carried out yesterday at J Medical, some of the Juventus players started training at the Continassa Training Centre, where they officially began their recovery to regain competitive form," Juve added.

Ronaldo's return is more uncertain after two months of confinement on his native island of Madeira, having played in Juventus' last match against Inter Milan on March 8 behind closed doors.

The five-time Ballon d'Or winner returned with his family to Turin by private jet late on Monday, and is in quarantine awaiting tests.

The interior ministry's go-ahead has allowed players to return to club training facilities two weeks ahead of schedule, offering a glimmer of hope that the 2019-20 season might yet be saved.

As well as Juventus, top-flight clubs Atalanta, Bologna and Udinese also got back to training on Tuesday, with Sassuolo and Lecce leading the way on Monday.

But sports minister Vincenzo Spadafora warned training in groups must wait until May 18, and it remains uncertain whether matches can restart as the country battles the COVID-19 pandemic which has killed more than 29,000 in Italy.

- 'Surreal' -

"A realistic prediction can be made in mid-May," Spadafora said in an interview with newspaper Corriere della Sera on Tuesday, denying he wanted to call a halt to the season.

"It would be surreal for a sports minister to demonise football," he said after a newspaper created a front-page photo of him with a dagger about to burst a ball, with the headline "Attack on Football".

"I hope to start again, but the government will decide ... There is no opposition from me, just the desire to evaluate a restart only if the health of the people within the team group will be safeguarded.

"If the government is forced, and I hope not, to admit that the conditions (needed to resume) are not there, my commitment will be twofold -- limit the financial damage to clubs and support the whole world of sport.

"Between ordinary and extraordinary resources, we will invest about one billion euros ($1.08 billion) for the sector as a whole."

A meeting has been scheduled for Thursday between the Italian Football Federation (FIGC) and members of the government's Technical Scientific Committee to discuss the medical protocol for the resumption of group training.

European federations have a deadline of May 25 to inform UEFA if their league will resume, and if so on what date and with what format.

Agence France-Presse

Football: Juventus' Rugani, Matuidi recover from COVID-19

Juventus players Daniele Rugani and Blaise Matuidi have fully recovered from COVID-19, the respiratory disease caused by the new coronavirus, and will no longer need to self-isolate, the Italian side have said.

Rugani and Matuidi are two of three Juventus players who last month tested positive for the virus. The duo were asymptomatic, but the third player, forward Paulo Dybala, showed strong symptoms.

"Daniele Rugani and Blaise Matuidi underwent, as per protocol, a double check with diagnostic tests (swabs) for the Coronavirus-COVID-19," Juventus said on their website .

"The tests came back with negative results. The players have, therefore, recovered and are no longer subjected to the home isolation regime."

The Serie A has been suspended since March 9 but the Italian football federation is hoping clubs can resume training with precautionary measures in place after the current lockdown in Italy ends on May 3.

In Italy, one of the countries hardest-hit by the outbreak, the coronavirus has infected more than 165,000 people and killed over 21,000, a Reuters tally shows. Globally, the number of infections has crossed 2 million. (Reporting by Arvind Sriram in Bengaluru; Editing by Himani Sarkar)

-reuters-

Football: Juventus players, coach agree pay cut due to coronavirus

Juventus players and coach Maurizio Sarri have reached an agreement over a wage reduction that will save the Italian champions 90 million euros ($100.26 million), the Serie A club announced on Saturday.

Sarri and the first-team players have agreed what amounts to a four-month pay reduction to help Italy's most successful club during the coronavirus crisis.

The effective one-third cut to the players' annual salaries will mean a huge drop in wages for a squad headed by marquee Portuguese player Cristiano Ronaldo, the best-paid footballer in Italy who is reported to earn 31 million euros a year.

The agreement comes at a time when many clubs around Europe have had to cut wage bills because of the dramatic impact of matches having had to be postponed or played behind closed doors due to the spread of the virus.

"The economic and financial effects of the understanding reached are positive for about 90 million euros for the 2019/2020 financial year", Juventus said in a statement.

"The understanding provides for the reduction of the compensation for an amount equal to the monthly payments of March, April, May and June 2020", it added, saying personal agreements with Sarri and the players will be finalised in the coming weeks.

The Turin-based club, in one of the regions hit hardest by the crisis, have suffered in recent weeks with three of their players having tested positive for the virus -- forward Paulo Dybala, defender Daniele Rugani and midfielder Blaise Matuidi.

Soccer around the world has been brought to a standstill by the pandemic with Italy having suffered more than 10,000 deaths from the virus, the highest number in any country.

Italy's top-fight Serie A league has been suspended since March 9 with Juventus, seeking a ninth successive title, leading the league by one point from Lazio with 12 games each remaining.


HEALTH EMERGENCY

"Juventus Football Club S.p.A. announces that, due to the current global health emergency (which) is preventing the performance of the sporting activity, it has reached an understanding with the players and the coach of the First Team regarding their compensation for the residual portion of the current sport season," the club statement said.

"The understanding provides for the reduction of the compensation for an amount equal to the monthly wages of March, April, May and June 2020.

"In the coming weeks, personal agreements with the players and the coach will be finalised, as required by the current regulations.

"Should the current season's matches be rescheduled, the Club will negotiate in good faith with the players and the coach conditional increases of compensation according to the actual resumption and finalisation of official competitions.

"Juventus would like to thank the players and the coach for their commitment at a difficult time for everyone."

Long-standing defender Giorgio Chiellini led the players' negotiations amid reports in the Italian media that Ronaldo had agreed to sacrifice 3.8 million euros of his yearly wage to ease the financial burden on the club while Italy is in lockdown.

The agreement comes the day after leading Spanish club Atletico Madrid took the decision to cut the wages of their staff, including the players, to ease the financial burden on the club.

Atletico joined La Liga rivals Barcelona, who imposed a compulsory wage reduction on their players during the period of lockdown after Spain became the second-most affected country by the coronavirus in Europe behind Italy.

German Bundesliga clubs Borussia Moenchengladbach and Borussia Dortmund have also said their players would forego some of their salary.

($1 = 0.8977 euros) (Reporting by Ian Chadband in London and Kanishka Singh in Bengaluru; Editing by Ken Ferris)

source: news.abs-cbn.com

Football: Dybala, Maldini test positive for coronavirus

ROME, Italy -- Argentina striker Paulo Dybala said Saturday that he has become the third Juventus player to test positive for coronavirus while former AC Milan defender Paolo Maldini revealed that he and his son have also been infected.

"Hi everyone. I just wanted to let you know that we have received the Covid-19 test results and that Oriana (Sabatini, his girlfriend) and I are positive," the 26-year-old Dybala tweeted.

"Fortunately, we are perfectly fine. Thank you for your messages."

Italian champions Juventus said that Dybala had been self-isolating since Wednesday.

"He will continue to be monitored. He is well and is asymptomatic," said the club in a statement.

Later Saturday, the club said Maldini, now the technical director at Milan, and his 18-year-old son Daniel, a youth team player, were also battling the disease.

"Paolo and Daniel are both well and have already completed two weeks at home without contact with others," said a statement from AC Milan.

"They will now remain in quarantine until clinically recovered, as per the medical protocols outlined by the health authorities."

Maldini, 51, is considered one of the greatest defenders of all time.

He won five Champions Leagues with Milan and appeared in 647 matches.

Juventus teammates Daniele Rugani and Blaise Matuidi have also tested positive for the disease which claimed almost 800 more lives on Saturday, bringing the total in Italy to 4,825.

Agence France-Presse

Football: Ronaldo sets scoring record but Juventus fall in Verona

MILAN, Italy -- Cristiano Ronaldo on Saturday became the first Juventus player to score in 10 successive Serie A games but the champions fell 2-1 at Hellas Verona to leave an opening to their title rivals.

Ronaldo -- who turned 35 this week -- broke through after 65 minutes, to hit his 15th goal in 10 games and take his league tally to 20.

The five-time Ballon d'Or winner is closing in on the all-time Serie A record of scoring in 11 consecutive games held by Gabriel Batistuta and Fabio Quagliarella.

But Juventus paid for defensive errors with Fabio Borini pulling Verona level with quarter of an hour to go, before veteran striker Giampaolo Pazzini won the match for the promoted side from the penalty spot four minutes from time following a Leonardo Bonucci handball.

Juventus are three points ahead of Inter Milan, who have a chance to pull level when they take on Zlatan Ibrahimovic's AC Milan in Sunday's derby clash at the San Siro.

Lazio are four points behind the leaders in third before they travel to Parma.

The defeat was the third this season for Maurizio Sarri's side but second in three games after losing 2-1 at Napoli just two weeks ago.

"We have to understand that winning is not a foregone conclusion," blasted Sarri. 

"We need to get it into our heads that we can't have lapses in concentration as happened this evening.

"We dropped points through carelessness."

Verona meanwhile are up to sixth after extending their unbeaten run to eight games days after earning a creditable goalless draw at Lazio, who can pull to within a point of Juve with a win at Parma on Sunday.

"We've created a group of hungry kids," said Verona coach Ivan Juric. 

"Heart played a big role, the lads were tired but they gave it everything."

- Atalanta consolidate fourth place -

Earlier Atalanta consolidated fourth place with a 2-1 win at Fiorentina that ended the Bergamo side's 27-year away winless run against the Tuscan club.

Federico Chiesa's scorcher just after half an hour gave mid-table Fiorentina hope of another win over Atalanta, whom they eliminated from the Italian Cup at their Stadio Artemio Franchi last month.

But Duvan Zapata tapped in four minutes after the break to level the scores before Ruslan Malinovsky came off the bench to seal victory with 18 minutes left, giving Atalanta their first win away at the 'Viola' since 1993.

Gian Piero Gasperini's side pull three points clear of fifth-placed Roma in the race for the Champions League following the capital club's 3-2 home defeat to Bologna on Friday, but are still eight points behind Lazio.

"These are three very important, key points. We haven't won here for 27 years, and we were up a against an in-form team," said Gasperini.

Atalanta host Roma next weekend before they play at home against Valencia in the Champions League last-16, having qualified for the competition for the first time this season.

"We have to exploit Roma's difficulties and our home advantage in the next match," added Zapata. 

"If we do well against the 'Giallorossi' it will set us up for the Champions League match against Valencia."

Moreno Longo started his reign as Torino coach with a 3-1 home defeat to Sampdoria, with the struggling Genoa club's goals coming in a nine-minute second-half spell.

Torino, in 12th, have now lost four games in a row, conceding 16 goals, and could fall further off the Europa League pace by the end of the weekend.

Claudio Ranieri's Sampdoria are now 16th, seven points clear of the relegation zone.

Agence France-Presse

Lazio return to heroes welcome as Ronaldo loses first final in over five years

Lazio returned to a heroes welcome in Rome on Monday after their thrilling 3-1 Italian Super Cup victory over Juventus in Riyadh which ended Portuguese star Cristiano Ronaldo's five-year victorious run in finals.

Ronaldo had been on a run of 12 consecutive wins with Portugal, Juventus and Real Madrid going back to the Spanish Super Cup in August 2014.


And the 34-year-old five-time Ballon d'Or winner's frustration was obvious as he quickly took the silver medal off his neck and did not wait to see Lazio lift the trophy for a fifth time.

Simone Inzaghi's side have won the Cup twice in the past three years, having also beaten Juventus 3-2 in 2017.

The Roman-based team landed in the early hours at the city's Fiumicino airport where they were greeted by 1,000 fans, waving the club's white and blue flags, scarves and banners.

"We're doing something incredible, between the eight wins in a row (in the league) and this victory in the Cup," said Luis Alberto, who scored the opening goal.

"Lazio have confirmed that they are a great team, with a winning mentality and great players."

Ronaldo has played two finals since joining Juventus from Real Madrid in 2018, scoring the winner to beat AC Milan 1-0 in the Italian Super Cup in January 2019.

"There is anger but crying over it does not solve the problems," said Juventus coach Maurizio Sarri.

Paulo Dybala had equalised for Sarri's side just before half-time, but the Romans hit back in the second half.

"My feeling is that we didn't lose from fatigue, but from a lack of brilliance," continued Sarri.

"We are sorry we lost a trophy, but we still have many competitions at stake in the next five months."

Eight-time reigning league champions Juventus -- joint top of Serie A with Inter Milan -- return to action on January 6 against Cagliari, while third-placed Lazio travel to Brescia on January 5.

The Roman club have won two Serie A titles in 1974 and 2000.

ea/pb

Agence France-Presse

‘Why didn’t you play?’ South Korean fan flies to Sweden to harangue Ronaldo

An angry South Korean fan flew to Sweden to confront Juventus superstar Cristiano Ronaldo for sitting out a friendly in Seoul, the latest in a bizarre row that has prompted a police investigation.

In an 11-minute clip posted on his Youtube channel, which has racked up nearly 3,000,000 views, Kwak Ji-hyuk approaches the Portuguese striker at a hotel in Stockholm.

As Ronaldo appears in the lobby of the hotel, where Juventus were staying for last week's International Champions Cup final, Kwak shouts in English, "Why didn't you play in Korea?" only to be ignored.

Ronaldo remained on the bench throughout last month's exhibition game in the Korean capital, enraging fans who threatened a class action lawsuit and prompting a police probe into alleged fraud.

Kwak, who describes himself as a former die-hard fan of Ronaldo, films himself making several more attempts to grab the star's attention, including waving a sign written in Portuguese.

"Even when I put the sign right in front of his eyes, I was utterly ignored," Kwak says in the video.

"You are so nice to your fans here but why did you do that to us?" he adds bitterly.

The row over Ronaldo's no-show has spiralled into a blame game, with the K-League accusing Juventus of "deception," a claim that was quickly rejected by the Italian club.

A police investigation is under way into alleged fraud after a criminal complaint was filed against Ronaldo, Juventus and the South Korean agency that organised the match.

According to South Korean reports, Kwak plans to fly to Italy next month to confront Ronaldo again.

source: news.abs-cbn.com

Football: Ronaldo hits 600th club goal as Juventus hold Inter Milan

ROME - Cristiano Ronaldo scored the 600th goal of his club career to earn Italian champions Juventus a 1-1 draw away to Inter Milan in Serie A on Saturday.

The Turin club wrapped up an eighth successive league title last weekend but found themselves behind early on to a wonder-strike from Inter midfielder Radja Nainggolan.

However, the Portuguese responded with a powerful finish in the second half to hit 20 league goals for the season, moving within two strikes of Serie A's leading scorer, Fabio Quagliarella of Sampdoria, in the process.

"I have Cristiano Ronaldo and I'm happy," Juventus coach Massimiliano Allegri told DAZN.

"Having a player like him is important, as after making a mistake he was very angry and went on to play a different match."

Inter remain in third place on 62 points, four ahead of AS Roma below them, while Juventus, who dropped points for just the sixth time in 34 games this season, move up to 88.

"In the first half we suffered on dead ball situations, we could've gone 2-0 behind, but then we had a great second half," Allegri said.

"Inter is a strong team, fighting for the Champions League. It wasn't easy, we were down to the bare bones. We've got to compliment the lads, as we ended on a high."

This fixture, known as the 'Derby d'Italia', is one of the country's fiercest rivalries. The home fans taunted the visitors with a pre-match mosaic of placards featuring the Champions League trophy alongside the words 'Game Over', referencing Juve's quarter-final exit to Ajax Amsterdam in April.

The home support were left delighted just seven minutes in when Nainggolan latched onto Matteo Politano's dipping pass and unleashed a swerving volley from 25 yards out that flew past Juve goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny into the corner.

Ronaldo drew Juventus level after 62 minutes, exchanging passes with Miralem Pjanic before drilling a left-footed finish into the bottom corner.

It was the 600th goal of the 34-year-old's club career, with 450 having come at Real Madrid, 118 at Manchester United, 27 at Juventus and five at Sporting Lisbon.

The Portugal international is narrowly ahead of Lionel Messi, who scored his 598th goal for Barcelona to help them win the Spanish La Liga title with a 1-0 win over Levante on Saturday. 

(Reporting by Alasdair Mackenzie Editing by Christian Radnedge)

source: news.abs-cbn.com

Football: Juventus claim eighth successive title

MILAN, Italy -- Cristiano Ronaldo said he was "1,000 percent committed to staying" with Juventus next season as he claimed his first Serie A title and Juventus their eighth in a row on Saturday.

Massimiliano Allegri's side had needed just one more point for a 35th Scudetto and their latest title triumph helped ease some of the pain of their shock Champions League exit at the Juventus Stadium to Ajax on Tuesday.

A come-from-behind 2-1 win over Fiorentina was enough to give them a 20-point lead on nearest rivals Napoli with five games to play.

Serbian defender Nikola Milenkovic put Fiorentina ahead after less than six minutes.

But Alex Sandro's diving header on 37 minutes and an own goal from Fiorentina defender German Pezzella after a Ronaldo cross in the 53rd minute sealed another title to ease their European disappointment.

"It was a great season and I adapted well. We won the Scudetto and the Italian Super Cup, which is not easy to achieve," said Ronaldo.

"It didn't go well in the Champions League but next year is a new page, the fans all want it and so do we.

"I'm staying at Juve, 1,000 percent."

- Ronaldo makes history -

It was the 34-year-old's sixth domestic league title, having won three with Manchester United and two with Real Madrid, as he becomes the first player to win the Premier League, La Liga and Serie A.

Juventus purchased the five-time Ballon d'Or winner for 100 million euros ($112 million) last summer.

He has scored 19 goals and had six assists, and is in the running for the top-scorer award along with Sampdoria's Fabio Quagliarella, who has 22 goals, and AC Milan's Krzysztof Piatek on 21.

Juventus have lost only two matches, against Genoa and SPAL, with 28 wins and three draws.

Their eight straight title sees them overtake French club Lyon for the record of consecutive victories in the top five European leagues.

The day was a double celebration as Juventus' women's team won their second straight league title since being founded in 2017.

"I'm very happy because we've achieved an important goal," said Allegri, who becomes the first coach to win five consecutive Serie A titles. 

He has six in total, having also won with AC Milan, one behind Giovanni Trapattoni, who has seven.

"We had an amazing season and we won 50 percent of the competitions we participated in.

"Of course, we are disappointed by the elimination of Tuesday but a title is celebrated.

"We won it five games from the end and that's all about what the lads did on the pitch."

Juventus also equalled the record for the earliest the Italian title has been won, with five games to spare, achieved by Torino in 1948, Fiorentina in 1956 and Inter Milan in 2007.

"We were greatly disappointed this week, but now it's time to party," said defender Giorgio Chiellini.

"The Champions League is a competition which comes down to details. You can play well for nine months and then compete in a week where things are slightly off and it's over.

"We have to continue to progress and work, it's the only way we know at Juventus."

- Tight battle for Europe -

The battle for European football next season remains tight with just four points separating AC Milan in fourth and Lazio in eighth.

AC Milan were held 1-1 at Parma, with Roma, in fifth, missing a chance to move up after a 1-1 draw at Inter Milan.

Substitute Samu Castillejo had put Milan ahead after 69 minutes in Emilia-Romagna but Bruno Alves grabbed a point three minutes from time.

A Stephan El Shaarawy stunner put Roma ahead after 14 minutes at the San Siro only for Ivan Perisic to level for Inter after 61 minutes.

Inter are third six points behind Napoli who host Atalanta, in sixth, on Monday.

Lazio's European hopes took a knock with a 2-1 defeat to relegated Chievo.

A win would have put the Romans within a point of AC Milan, but they struggled when Sergej Milinkovic-Savic was sent off after half an hour.

Emanuel Vignato, 18, scored his first goal for Chievo after 49 minutes with Perparim Hetemaj heading in a second two minutes later to seal a first away win.

Felipe Caicedo pulled a goal back for Lazio after 67 minutes but Simone Inzaghi's side slipped to eighth behind Torino who won at Genoa with Cristian Anzaldi scoring the only goal.

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Juve opt for Asia pre-season amid Ronaldo rape claims: report

Cristiano Ronaldo's Juventus will play the pre-season International Champions Cup in Asia and not in the United States amid the Portugal star's rape investigation there, the New York Times has reported.

Most of the matches take place in the United States but organisers are planning to play Juventus' elsewhere amid Ronaldo's legal case, eliminating the risk of the Portuguese star being detained by authorities in the US as part of their investigations, the newspaper reported.

Juventus have confirmed their participation in the event with the official programme to be unveiled on March 27.

Juventus' games will "mostly likely be in China and Singapore", where they will be joined by Premier League teams Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur, the New York Times said.

Ronaldo, 34, has denied allegations made by former model Kathryn Mayorga that he sexually assaulted her in Las Vegas in 2009.

Las Vegas police asked Ronaldo to submit a DNA sample in January as part of their investigation into rape allegations made against him.

Contacted by AFP, a spokeswoman for Juventus said that "going east to Asia was normal after spending recent preseasons in the United States".

Juventus signed the five-time Ballon d'Or winner for 100 million euros ($117 million) last summer from Real Madrid and pay him a 31-million-euro annual salary.

The team are on track for an eighth consecutive Italian league title, while his hat-trick against Atletico Madrid sent them through to the Champions League quarter-finals.

Ronaldo, meanwhile, rejoined his Portugal team-mates this week ahead of Euro 2020 qualifying, as they begin their title defense, following a nine-month absence from the national team.

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Football: Superb Ronaldo hat-trick leads Juve into quarter-finals

TURIN, Italy - Juventus forward Cristiano Ronaldo grabbed a hat-trick against his favorite opponents Atletico Madrid as the Italians overturned a two-goal first-leg deficit to win 3-0 and reach the Champions League quarter-finals on Tuesday.

Ronaldo blasted home the decisive goal from a penalty with four minutes left to seal a 3-2 overall triumph having made the breakthrough in the 27th minute and levelled the aggregate score three minutes after halftime with another towering header.

It was his eighth hat-trick in the Champions League, pulling him level with Barcelona's Lionel Messi, and took the Portugal international's tally in his favourite club competition, where he is the all-time leading scorer, to 124.

The former Real Madrid player, aiming to win the Champions League for the sixth time with his third different club, having also lifted the trophy with Manchester United, took his tally against Atletico to 25 goals in 33 matches in all competitions.

"This was why Juventus brought me here, to help do things that they have never done before," said Ronaldo, now 34. "This is the mentality you need to win in the Champions League."

Shell-shocked Atletico failed to muster a shot on target as they paid the price for an ultra-cautious approach by defensive-minded coach Diego Simeone in the last-16 second leg tie.

"Simply an epic match," said Juve's Giorgio Chiellini. "The best way to celebrate my 500th appearance for the club."

RONALDO HEADER

Defender Chiellini had the ball in the visitors' net after just four minutes following a goalmouth scramble but it was disallowed for foul by Ronaldo on goalkeeper Jan Oblak.

The Serie A side bombarded the Atletico area with crosses but made little headway against a packed defence until Federico Bernardeschi switched to the left and floated a cross to the far post where Ronaldo outjumped Juanfran to head in.

With Atletico making little effort to look for the away goal that could have changed the complexion of the tie, Juventus continued to press forward.

Bernardeschi curled a free kick over the crossbar and also produced an ambitious bicycle kick which flew wide before Chiellini had a header tipped over by Oblak.

Atletico's first real chance fell to on-loan striker Alvaro Morata who got between two defenders to meet Koke's cross from the right only to head over.

Juve went straight back on the attack after the break and quickly levelled the aggregate score at 2-2.

Ronaldo met Joao Cancelo's cross with another powerful header and although Oblak clawed the ball away, goal line technology showed that it had crossed the line by centimetres and the referee signalled a goal.

Atletico brought on Vitolo and Angel Correa in an attempt to add more bite to their attack but to no avail.

With extra-time looming, Bernardeschi powered into the area and was pushed in the back by Correa, leaving Ronaldo to blast home the penalty to the delight of the Juve supporters.

(Reporting by Brian Homewood; editing by Ken Ferris)

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Ronaldo late winner pulls Juventus 11 points clear in Serie A

MILAN, Italy -- Cristiano Ronaldo converted a penalty to seal a hard-fought 2-1 win for Juventus against Lazio in Rome on Sunday to pull 11 points clear in Serie A.

Juventus had trailed after an Emre Can own-goal after an hour before substitute Joao Cancelo pulled the champions level and then earned the penalty which Ronaldo slotted in with two minutes to go.

An eighth straight Serie A title beckons for Massimiliano Allegri's side who soar clear of second-placed Napoli who were held to a goalless draw at AC Milan on Saturday.

Inter Milan are 19 points behind the leaders after losing 1-0 at Torino earlier on Sunday. 

Lazio drop to eighth place -- three points off the Champions League spots -- after their second defeat in a row after losing to Napoli by the same score last weekend.

"For sixty minutes it was the worst Juventus of the year," said captain Giorgio Chiellini. 

"Paradoxically after the goal disadvantage we found the motivation to win it.

"We've got players who make the difference. (Goalkeeper Wojciech) Szczesny kept us on our feet, we were lethal in the end."

The champions had struggled for the first hour in the Stadio Olimpico as Lazio piled on the pressure.

Daniele Rugani pulled off a goal-line clearance, after Joaquin Correa dribbled past Can and Leonardo Bonucci, with Szczesny denying Luis Alberto and Marco Parolo.

German midfielder Can's woes were compounded just before the hour mark when he ducked down and instead deflected the ball into his own net off a corner.

But Allegri's side could count on the depth of their bench with second half substitutes Cancelo and Federico Bernardeschi proving pivotal.

A solo run by Bernardeschi down the left set up the equaliser which Cancelo fired in off a rebound after Lazio goalkeeper Thomas Strakosha had initially cleared a Paulo Dybala shot.

Ronaldo -- whose penalty was saved last week against Chievo -- finished off to score in his eighth consecutive away match to bring his league tally to 15 goals.

- Roma wasteful -
Inter Milan fell at Torino with defender Armando Izzo scoring the only goal after 35 minutes, as Roma threw away a three-goal lead to draw 3-3 against Atalanta.

Roma could have overtaken AC Milan in fourth but Colombian forward Duvan Zapata continued his goal-scoring streak to snatch a point.

Roma had been three goals up following an Edin Dzeko brace, with Stephan El Shaarawy adding a third five minutes prior to the break, before the Romans faded under the driving rain in northern Italy.

Roma coach Eusebio Di Francesco lamented: "What drives me crazy is the lack of consistency from this team, even during the same match.

"It's absurd to see a team with the same players put in such a different performance from one half to the next.

"We were fortunate to get a draw."

Dzeko broke through after just three minutes for his first goal in Serie A since October, adding a second half an hour later, with teenage compatriot Nicolo Zaniolo providing two assists.

Atalanta fought back with Zapata heading just wide before Roma doubled their lead against the run of play with Steven Nzonzi finding a way through for Dzeko to finish off.

Zaniolo set up El Shaarawy to make it 3-0 five minutes before the break but Timothy Castagne headed Atalanta back into the game before the interval.

Di Francesco's men struggled after the break with former Roma defender Rafael Toloi nodding in Atalanta's second just before the hour off a Papu Gomez cross.

Zapata missed a chance for a third ten minutes later sending a penalty kick over the bar.

But a minute later he fired in his 14th goal in the last eight league games, for a total of 15 this season.

Both sides also drew 3-3 when they met in Rome last August, a game in which the Romans had come from 3-1 down.

Atalanta are now seventh, three points off the elite European places.

source: news.abs-cbn.com

Ronaldo faces multi-million tax fraud fine in Madrid court

Cristiano Ronaldo is returning to Madrid for a court date on Tuesday in which he could be fined 18.8 million euros ($21.4 million) for tax fraud as part of a deal reached with the Spanish taxman.

As part of an agreement arranged in June with the former Real Madrid hero's lawyers, prosecutors are also asking that the Portuguese attacker, who last summer left the Spanish capital for Italian champions Juventus, be handed a 23-month jail sentence.

However, Ronaldo would not spend a day in prison as sentences of up to 2 years are generally not enforced in Spain for first-time offenders in non-violent crimes.

The hearing, due to start at 9:50 a.m. (0850 GMT), is expected to last just a few minutes as the deal is officially presented to the judge.

He in turn will give the final sentence on Tuesday or the coming days, according to a spokesman for the court in northern Madrid.

Ronaldo will not be given special treatment when he arrives and will have to climb up the courthouse steps amid a likely media scrum despite the 5-time Ballon d'Or winner's lawyers asking he be allowed to enter the building by car to avoid the spotlight.

The court president refused the request, saying that despite his "great fame," he wouldn't "compromise security" at the building, according to a court document.

His request to appear via videoconference was also denied.

Offshore companies

Madrid prosecutors opened a probe into Ronaldo in June 2017 and he was questioned in July that same year.

"I have never hidden anything, nor have I had the intention of evading taxes," he told the court then, according to a statement from the sports agency which represents him, Gestifute.

Prosecutors accuse him of having used companies in low-tax foreign jurisdictions -- notably the British Virgin Islands and Ireland -- to avoid having to pay the tax due in Spain on his image rights between 2011 and 2014.

His lawyers said there had been a difference in interpretation of what was and was not taxable in Spain.

The deal between Spain's taxman and his lawyers has allowed Ronaldo to avoid having to sit through a long trial that could have damaged his image and seen him handed a heftier sentence.

Ronaldo is not the only footballer to have fallen foul of Spain's tax authorities. 

Barcelona's Lionel Messi, once Ronaldo's big La Liga rival, paid a 2-million-euro fine in 2016 in his own tax wrangle and received a 21-month jail term.

The prison sentence was later reduced to a further fine of 252,000 euros, equivalent to 400 euros per day of the original term.

Accused of rape in US

But Ronaldo's legal wrangles won't be over after a probe was opened in the United States in October after a former American model accused him of raping her in Las Vegas in 2009.

Police in the western US city recently asked Italian authorities for a DNA sample from the footballer.

Ronaldo has always strenuously denied the accusations.

In a New Year's Eve interview with Portuguese sports daily Record, he said he had a "calm conscience" and was "confident that everything will very soon be clarified."

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Football: Ronaldo gets back to business for Juventus

Cristiano Ronaldo gets back to business for Italian champions Juventus against SPAL on Saturday after missing Portugal's qualification for the Nations League semi-finals amid reports he has been snubbed for the final three in the Ballon d'Or award.

The 33-year-old Ronaldo has won the prestigious Ballon d'Or five times but could be excluded from the top three, with the winner to be revealed in Paris on December 3.

Ronaldo was rested from Portugal's last four internationals as they became the first team to qualify for the Nations League finals.

During the international break Ronaldo took a short break in London, amid reports he had got engaged to his Spanish girlfriend Georgina Rodriguez, before returning to train in Turin.

"All I can tell you is that when I got back I saw Cristiano training the way he does every day, as a professional and giving hs all," Juventus teammate Mattia De Sciglio told Sky Sports Italia. 

"I can't tell you because I don't know anything about this," the Italian defender added of the Ballon d'Or.

"That's all I can say, and what will be, will be."

Juventus host SPAL -- four points above the drop zone -- looking to maintain their six-point lead over Napoli, who host bottom club Chievo.

The Turin giants then host Valencia in a crucial Champions League match on Tuesday after a dramatic loss to Manchester United.

Massimiliano Allegri can count on Paulo Dybala, back after scoring his first goal for Argentina, Portuguese defender Joao Cancelo and Polish goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny.

But German midfielder Emre Can is still on the mend after returning to Turin following thyroid surgery.

"Matches straight after the international break are always trickier," said defender De Sciglio.

"SPAL play good football and have caused problems for the big teams they've faced so far."

SPAL were riding high after three wins in their first four games this season, but have won just one game since, shocking Roma 2-0 at the Stadio Olimpico.

- 'Decisive moment' -

Napoli host Chievo, as injury-hit Inter Milan, a further three points back in third, host second-from-bottom Frosinone looking to keep pace with the top two.

"It's a decisive moment for the season," said Napoli coach Carlo Ancelotti, whose side host Red Star Belgrade on Wednesday.

"So far, things have gone well, but we need a further effort, we must be ready.

"It's going to be a fundamental run of games coming up, as we must be ready in Serie A and the Champions League. Getting through that group would be really satisfying.

"The Scudetto is a dream for us and it is not a utopia. Utopias are impossible, dreams can be realised."

Napoli last won the Italian league title in 1990.

Inter's seven-match winning run ended with a heavy 4-1 defeat at Atalanta last time out.

And Luciano Spalletti's side need to secure maximum points with upcoming matches against Roma and Juventus.

But they have injury problems in defence with Brazilian Dalbert and Croatian Sime Vrsaljko sidelined.

"The loss again Atalanta was a heavy slap for us," said Ghanaian defender Kwadwo Asamoah. 

"We have to learn from it and give an important signal before the (Champions League) match against Tottenham."

Lazio, in fourth, host AC Milan, just one point behind and playing without suspended Argentine forward Gonzalo Higuain, with sixth-placed Roma travelling to Udinese before their Champions League game against holders Real Madrid.

Genoa and Sampdoria go head to head on Sunday night in the city's first derby since the bridge disaster last August that killed 43 people.

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Nevada woman sues Cristiano Ronaldo for alleged sexual assault

A Nevada woman has sued Cristiano Ronaldo and is participating in a police investigation of the global soccer star for an alleged rape at a Las Vegas hotel in 2009, according to a complaint filed by her lawyer.

Lawyers for Ronaldo, one of the world's best-known athletes, on Friday threatened to sue a German magazine that published the accusation.

Kathryn Mayorga sued Ronaldo in a district court in Clark County, Nevada on Thursday, and is also seeking to void a $375,000 settlement she alleges she was coerced into signing to keep quiet, according to the complaint seen by Reuters and according to Mayorga's lawyer.

On Monday, Ronaldo's agent, Gestifute, said they had no comment beyond a Friday statement by Ronaldo's lawyer Christian Schertz, who called the German magazine report "an inadmissible reporting of suspicions in the area of privacy."

The lawsuit contends that Ronaldo met Mayorga at a Las Vegas nightclub in June 2009 and the next night invited a group of people, including Mayorga, back to the penthouse suite where he was staying.

That night, the lawsuit alleges, Ronaldo asked the woman to perform a sexual act on him in a bathroom as she was changing into attire to wear in a hot tub. He then pulled her into a bedroom and raped her as she screamed "no, no, no," the lawsuit said.

"When Cristiano Ronaldo completed the sexual assault of the plaintiff, he allowed her to leave the bedroom stating he was sorry, he was usually a gentleman," the lawsuit said.

The Las Vegas Metropolitan Police on Monday said an incident report with the number listed in Mayorga's lawsuit was filed on the night of the alleged attack, and said the case was reopened last month after the unidentified victim came forward with new information. They declined to say whether the athlete was the subject of an investigation.

Contacted late on Monday, Ronaldo's representatives did not immediately return a request for comment about the reopening of the case by Las Vegas police.

Lawyers for the Portuguese athlete said in a statement on Friday they would sue German magazine Der Spiegel after it published "blatantly illegal" accusations by Mayorga. They did not respond to specific questions about the content of the Der Spiegel report.

Der Spiegel's deputy editor-in-chief, Alfred Weinzierl, on Sunday said the magazine stood fully by its story.

"We have worked professionally as journalists, confronted, and laid out the evidence. Schertz claims that this is illegal. We say: It is allowed under Germany's press law," Weinzierl said in a statement to Reuters.

Leslie Stovall, Mayorga's lawyer, said in a statement on Monday that his client wanted to "obtain justice by holding Cristiano Ronaldo accountable for his conduct."

The lawsuit, which seeks more than $200,000 in damages, names as defendants Ronaldo and an unnamed team of fixers described as "personal reputation protection specialists" hired to make the situation go away.

Mayorga told Der Spiegel she no longer felt bound by the non-disclosure agreement as she suffers from the consequences of the night nine years ago.

Ronaldo has been named player of the year five times and transferred to Juventus from Real Madrid this summer for 100 million euros ($116 million). The Italian club declined to comment on the Der Spiegel report on Friday.

($1 = 0.8615 euros) (Reporting by Jon Herskovitz in Austin, Texas, Tom Hals in Wilmington, Delaware, Axel Bugge in Lisbon and Douglas Busvine in Frankfurt; editing by Bill Berkrot)

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