Cristiano Ronaldo Leads Juventus Past Sampdoria After VAR Overturns Late Goal

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Cristiano Ronaldo‘s brace saw Juventus to a 2-1 win over Sampdoria on Saturday in Serie A, moving the Italian champions to a record points haul at the halfway stage of the season.

Ronaldo got Juventus off to a brilliant start, as he fired home from the edge of the area after two minutes following a fine pass from Paulo Dybala. However, Juve conceded a penalty after a handball by Emre Can, which was duly converted by Fabio Quagliarella.

After being frustrated for long spells, Juve got back in front from the spot themselves, with Ronaldo slotting home on 65 minutes after a handball by Alex Ferrari.

The visitors thought they had done enough to earn a point late on when Riccardo Saponara fired home a wonderful strike in stoppage time. However, after a VAR review, it was ruled out for offside.

The victory saw Juventus pull 12 points clear of Napoli at the top of the table and onto 53 points from 19 games. A win for the Partenopei versus Bologna later in the day would cut the gap back down to eight.

Allegri Must Put Pressure on Dybala to Improve

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A brilliant piece of play by Dybala set up Ronaldo for Juventus’ opening goal, as he played a raking long pass out to his team-mate. It was the kind of ingenuity the Argentina forward possesses but hasn’t been seen anywhere near enough this season.

As Juve look ahead to what is going to be an exciting 2019, solving the conundrum of how to get the best from Dybala will be a big challenge for manager Massimiliano Allegri.

Dybala and Ronaldo did link up well in the early stages of this match, but throughout the campaign, that’s been rare. Mario Mandzukic has appeared a more natural foil for the Portuguese, meaning Dybala has often been shunted into a wide position, where he’s not been as effective.

Despite a record-breaking start to the campaign and progression in the UEFA Champions League for Juventus, Dybala’s form is a becoming an increasingly significant blemish. Two goals in 17 Serie A appearances is a meagre return for a player of his ability, and Allegri must find a way to improve his productivity.

Sampdoria a Dark Horse for Top-4 Finish

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The visitors were always going to pose a threat to Juventus, as they arrived in Turin without losing in their last six Serie A games and with wins in their last three.

Marco Giampaolo’s side showed why they’re ahead of both AC Milan and Roma and being talked about as possible contenders for a top-four spot. They defended well for long spells against Juve’s attacking talent and preserved a threat on the break.

In Quagliarella, they also boast a forward who is enjoying an Indian summer in his distinguished career; he’s lethal in front of goal at the moment:

The fight for the last Champions League berth looks set to be between Lazio, Sampdoria, Milan and Roma; this result left Sampdoria preliminarily in fifth, two points behind Lazio in fourth, ahead of the rest of the Serie A fixtures on Saturday.

If Sampdoria muscled their way into the top four, it would be a brilliant achievement. On recent evidence, you would not put it past them, despite their deficit.

What’s Next?

This was the final match for both teams before the Serie A winter break. They will be back in action in the Coppa Italia on Jan. 12, with Juventus visiting Bologna and Sampdoria hosting Milan.