TheNewsGuru

Tag: Ronaldo

  • Ronaldo Scores Brace To Rescue Juventus Against Udinese

    Ronaldo Scores Brace To Rescue Juventus Against Udinese

    Cristiano Ronaldo scored twice late to rescue a 2-1 win for Juventus at Udinese on Sunday hours after the Turin giants lost their Serie A crown to Inter Milan.

    Inter broke Juve’s nine-year streak of domestic dominance by clinching their 19th ‘Scudetto’ after nearest rivals Atalanta drew 1-1 at Sassuolo to leave the ‘Nerazzurri’ 13 points clear with four games remaining.

    Antonio Conte’s side had needed just one point to take the title regardless of how Atalanta fared after their 2-0 win at Crotone on Saturday, and have denied Juve a 10th consecutive league title.

    Juve’s win moves them up to third as they target a Champions League spot, but are equal on 69 points with second-placed Atalanta and AC Milan in fourth.

    Napoli are two points behind in fifth after a 1-1 draw against Cagliari while Lazio are still in the running, five points off a top-four finish with a game in hand after an exciting 4-3 win over Genoa.

    “The nine years are over, we will no longer have the Scudetto attached to the shirt, but we will start again with the same desire as before,” said Juve coach Andrea Pirlo.

    “We lost points against teams that we should have beaten, sometimes naively, we let Inter escape and now we are focused on reaching the Champions League.”

    Juventus had trailed for most of the game in Udine after Nahuel Molina put Udinese ahead in the 10th minutes, blasting in off a quickly taken Rodrigo De Paul free kick while Juventus players were still protesting.

    Weston McKennie missed a chance to level for the away side before the half hour mark when he sent a diving header wide.

    Matthijs de Ligt had a shot charged down with Ronaldo nodding the follow-up over.

    The equaliser came with seven minutes to go after De Paul conceded a penalty for handball from a Ronaldo free kick, with the Portuguese forward making no mistake from the penalty spot.

    Four minutes later he grabbed the winner when he headed home an Adrien Rabiot cross with relieved coach Andrea Pirlo racing to join the celebrations.

    Ronaldo brings his Serie A-leading tally to 27 goals, six more than Inter’s Romelu Lukaku.

  • Ex-president: Why I signed Ronaldo to Real Madrid

    Ex-president: Why I signed Ronaldo to Real Madrid

    Former Real Madrid president Ramon Calderon admits he’d loved to have signed Barcelona star Leo Messi.

    Speaking on Argentina’s Radio Villa Trinidad, Calderon admitted his admiration of Messi.

    He stated, “I would have done what they would have asked me to have Messi at Real Madrid. I would have walked to Rome and back to ask the Pope to help me. I would have even done that so that Messi would have been with us…”

    However, the former Merengue president knows that “it was something impossible, because he was already involved in Barcelona.

    “That’s why I signed Cristiano Ronaldo, it was my interest and obsession, because he was the other player of the moment. We were lucky enough to hire him and it went very well for us. We were lucky to have them both in our football. They have made each other better.”

  • Cristiano Ronaldo best of all time – Pepe

    Cristiano Ronaldo best of all time – Pepe

    Porto defender Pepe has heaped praise on Juventus striker and Portugal teammate Cristiano Ronaldo.

    The pair played together at Real Madrid.

    “I admire Cristiano a lot, for me he’s the best player of all time,” said Pepe in an interview with TNT Sports.

    “Ronaldo managed to do what no one else did. He won in England, Spain, Italy, and even in Portugal. He was our captain, many people criticise him without knowing who he really is.

    “Ronaldo was with me at Real Madrid when Casillas knocked me out twice. On one occasion Cristiano came to see me in the hospital, because he saw that my injury was a serious one.

    “During the Champions League match, I told him ‘You will play because I want to win with you on the field’. Cristiano replied ‘Okay, with me you will win on the field, but I will be the one to make it to the next round.”

  • Real Madrid weaker without Ronaldo – Salah

    Real Madrid weaker without Ronaldo – Salah

    Liverpool star Mohamed Salah says Real Madrid are weaker without Cristiano Ronaldo.

    The two giants are to meet in the Champions League quarterfinals and Salah says it’s noticeable that Real have struggled since Ronaldo’s departure for Juventus.

    He told Marca: “They have lost some great players, like Cristiano Ronaldo, the best in their history, someone who scored a lot of goals.

    “At the same time they have signed Hazard. Eden has not been lucky, he has been injured … But he is different.

    “The team is now in the quarterfinals, they have great players, although they have lost Ronaldo’s goals. I can’t say which one is better, I simply say that they are in the quarterfinals now, surely they are prepared and we need to be ready to face them.”

  • Serbia, Portugal could have avoided Ronaldo fury – UEFA

    Serbia, Portugal could have avoided Ronaldo fury – UEFA

    A Cristiano Ronaldo goal not given in a dramatic 2022 FIFA World Cup qualifier between Serbia and Portugal should have stood, UEFA said on Monday.

    Europe’s football governing body said the goal would have stood if the two football associations had agreed before the game to use goal-line technology.

    Portugal captain Ronaldo was left fuming and got booked for dissent after his stoppage-time effort in Saturday’s Group A 2-2 draw at Serbia was cleared by Stefan Mitrovic.

    Mitrovic’s clearance came after the ball had crossed the line, as shown by television replays.

    With no Video Assistant Referee (VAR) in place to review the incident, match officials waved play on.

    But a livid Ronaldo left the pitch seconds before the final whistle as he also threw away the captain’s armband while heading towards the tunnel.

    “The decision to use goal-line technology for the European Qualifiers lies with the host association for each match,” the European football governing body said.

    “If the host association plans to implement goal-line technology, they must also obtain written consent from the visiting association in order for it to be used,” UEFA added.

    Match referee Danny Makkelie said on Monday that he had apologised to Portugal coach Fernando Santos and the rest of the team for the mistake.

    “All I can say is that I said `sorry’ to the coach and the team about what happened.

    “As a refereeing team we always work hard to take the right decisions. When we are in the news for a reason like this, it doesn’t make us happy at all,” he said.

    Santos said after the game it was unacceptable not to have VAR at this level of competition.

    But UEFA on Sunday said the COVID-19 pandemic made it impossible to install the system in time for the qualifiers.

    “In 2019, UEFA had proposed to (world football governing body) FIFA the implementation of VAR in the current World Cup qualifiers,” it said.

    “The impact of the pandemic on operational and logistical capabilities led UEFA to delay the implementation of VAR in the Europa League group phase (to 2021/2022 instead of 2020/2021) as well as to withdraw the proposal to implement VAR in the 2022 European qualifiers.

    “VAR was also not in use in the UEFA Nations League group stage in the autumn of 2020 and has therefore to-date never been used in UEFA national team qualifying group stage matches.”

    FIFA, which organises the World Cup, said it was informed by UEFA in January that VAR could not be used in qualifiers.

    It had said this was due to the “issues and restrictions” caused by the novel coronavirus.

    The result left Serbia top of the group on four points from two games, ahead of Portugal on goal difference.

    The two teams meet again in the reverse fixture in Portugal on Nov. 14 in the final round of matches

  • Real Madrid rule out Cristiano Ronaldo return

    Real Madrid rule out Cristiano Ronaldo return

    La Liga giant Real Madrid have ruled out a return for Juventus star Cristiano Ronaldo.

    Marca says Ronaldo may want to return to Real Madrid, but the directors at the Estadio Santiago Bernabeu are not contemplating that scenario.

    Ever since returning to the Spanish capital for a visit in March of 2020, Ronaldo has conPlaylistsidered a comeback and, after three straight years of Champions League frustration with Juventus, he’d love to return to the club where he lifted the European Cup four times.

    Jorge Mendes formally offered Ronaldo to Real Madrid a few weeks ago, with Juventus considering moving on from the No.7 given the delicate financial situation in Turin, where they lost 113 million euros last term.

    However, an exit from Juventus won’t be easy and Real Madrid isn’t a landing spot at this time.

  • Zidane tells Madrid president: Bring back Cristiano Ronaldo

    Zidane tells Madrid president: Bring back Cristiano Ronaldo

    Zinedine Zidane has told Real Madrid president Florentino Perez he wants Cristiano Ronaldo re-signed.

    The future of Ronaldo at Juventus is clouded after a dismal season under rookie coach Andrea Pirlo.

    The Portuguese great has been linked with a return to Real Madrid, with talk of agent Jorge Mendes contacting Florentino over the prospect.

    Journalist Melchor Ruiz on Cadena Cope has reported Zidane is excited by the idea of Ronaldo returning and has told Florentino he’d welcome the striker back next season.

    However, the big stumbling block will be Ronaldo’s wage demands, particularly with Florentino informing Sergio Ramos and Luka Modric that they must accept pay-cuts if they want to stay next season.

  • Joshua Kimmich names ex-Barca captain as his idol

    Joshua Kimmich names ex-Barca captain as his idol

    Bayern Munich star Joshua Kimmich has admitted that Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo are the players he would most like to line up next to at club level, while adding that Barca legend Xavi was his biggest influence while growing up.

    As a Champions League and Club World Cup winner with Bayern, Kimmich has a wealth of experience and can boast playing alongside the current Best FIFA Men’s Player in Robert Lewandowski.

    At just 26 years old, the versatile midfielder still has plenty of years left in his career and admits that sharing a locker room with a multiple Ballon d’Or-winning duo would be a welcome addition to his footballing bucket list.

    Asked by Bild who he would most like to play with, Kimmich said: “Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi.

    “For me, it’s so impressive, almost unbelievable, how you can maintain this level for over 15 years. I’d like to see what they do every day.”

    “My role model was always Xavi Hernandez from Barcelona,” Kimmich said. “He was never the biggest, but he played with vision, technique and [superb] passing, always bringing others into the game.

    “He impressed me and that’s how I wanted to play. I got to know him during a training camp in Doha and it was a really cool moment!”

  • Portugal coach: I’m ready to give Ronaldo advice about Juve

    Portugal coach: I’m ready to give Ronaldo advice about Juve

    Portugal coach Fernando Santos says he’s available to Juventus striker Cristiano Ronaldo if he needs advice about his future.

    Ronaldo’s future at Juventus has become the subject of intense speculation in recent weeks.

    “If he were to ask me for advice on his future, I would always be available,” Santos said. “I could certainly give it to him.

    “I know him very well, I have trained him since he was 18, I have a great relationship with him. We talk a lot, but the things we tell each other stay between us.

    “Cristiano has won everything at club level, after the European Championship in 2016, he only has to win the World Cup.”

  • I still have much more to achieve – Ronaldo

    I still have much more to achieve – Ronaldo

    Juventus star Cristiano Ronaldo insists he’s as hungry as ever for records after breaking Pele’s goalscoring mark.

    Ronaldo scored a hat-trick in Juventus’ 3-1 win over Cagliari on Sunday and broke Pelé’s goal record.

    Ronaldo marked his achievement with a social media post on Sunday, followed by another one on Monday.

    “There is still much more to achieve and I believe we can do it together. Goals are an essential part of who I am. I can’t stop chasing for more, looking forward to achieving another record,” Ronaldo wrote.

    “I always want more and more and I think that’s why people often say that I have so much energy and that I never stop. Maybe it’s true, but this is essential to keep me alive.”