Juventus Opens Up Serie A Lead; Ronaldo, Immobile Both Hit 30 Goals

The two veteran stars are tied for Serie A's scoring lead, but Juventus is running away with the Scudetto again.

TURIN, Italy (AP) — Over a three-minute span of the second half, Cristiano Ronaldo ensured Juventus would not lose to Lazio for a third time this season.

Ronaldo’s double strike in a 2-1 win on Monday meant Juventus could clinch a ninth straight Serie A title this week.

With four rounds remaining, Juventus moved eight points clear of Inter Milan, nine ahead of Atalanta, and 11 in front of Lazio, which trailed the Bianconeri by just one point before the break for the coronavirus pandemic.

Juventus earned a measure of revenge after losing twice to Lazio in December–in Serie A and the Italian Super Cup.

Ronaldo converted a penalty after the VAR determined a handball, then finished off a counterattack following a generous pass from Paulo Dybala.

A tap-in gives Cristiano Ronaldo a double on the day and a Serie A-leading 30 goals on the season

(via @ESPNFC) pic.twitter.com/DotE0vCFqJ

— SI Soccer (@si_soccer) July 20, 2020

Ciro Immobile pulled one back for Lazio with a penalty in the 83rd.

Ronaldo and Immobile are level atop the Italian league scoring chart with 30 each.

Also, Ronaldo became the first player to score at least 50 goals in the Premier League, the Spanish Liga and Serie A. His 51 in Italy go with his 84 in the Premier League, and 311 in La Liga.

⚪️⚫️ 1st @juventusfcen player since 1952 to score 30 goals in a @SerieA_EN season

⚡️ Fastest player to reach 50 Serie A goals since his 1985 birth (61 games)

🌍 1st man ever to net 50 goals in the English, Italian & Spanish top flights

🌧️ Records keep falling for @Cristiano pic.twitter.com/0YVNj82zOp

— FIFA (@FIFAcom) July 20, 2020

Both sides hit the post in the first half; a headed volley from Juve’s Alex Sandro, and a long-range effort from Immobile.

Ronaldo also headed off the crossbar after being set up again by Dybala.