Cristiano Ronaldo springs from bench to rescue 10-man Juventus at Atalanta

Cristiano Ronaldo saved Juventus’s unbeaten Serie A record this season when he came off the bench to score the equaliser in a dramatic 2-2 draw at Atalanta.

Juve, who dropped their first away points of the season, were down to 10 men at one of Serie A’s toughest venues when Ronaldo nodded home from close range in the 78th minute.

The Turin side thought they had snatched a win when Leonardo Bonucci volleyed home from a free-kick in stoppage time but the effort was ruled out for offside.

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Juventus, with 16 wins and two draws from 18 games, have 50 points, nine ahead of Napoli who lost 1-0 to Inter later on Wednesday. Atalanta are eighth with 25 points.

Atalanta defender Berat Djimsiti miscued and sent an innocuous Alex Sandro cross into his own net to put Juventus ahead in the second minute before two goals from Duvan Zapata turned the game around.

The Colombian, scorer of Atalanta’s last eight goals, collected Alejandro Gómez’s pass with his back to goal and turned easily past Bonucci before firing a low shot past Wojciech Szczesny in the 24th minute.

Juventus midfielder Rodrigo Bentancur was sent off for a second bookable offence in the 53rd minute and Zapata headed Atalanta in front from a corner three minutes later.

Ronaldo, left out of the starting lineup for a Serie A game for the first time since his move from Real Madrid, came to the rescue with his 12th league goal of the season.

A corner was floated to the far post, Mario Mandzukic headed it back into the middle and Ronaldo nodded home.
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Cristiano Ronaldo: Juventus comments anger Real Madrid as Florentino Perez hits back

CRISTIANO RONALDO’s claim that Juventus is more of a family to him than Real Madrid has not down well with Los Blancos president Florentino Perez.

Cristiano Ronaldo has taken a series of pops at Real Madrid, and Perez in particular, ever since joining Juventus back in the summer.

The Portugal international recently claimed that the Serie A giants were a closer-knit unit than his former club.

Ronaldo angered Real Madrid fans by saying: "It isn't right to name someone specific but I can say that this is the best group in which I've played.

"Here, we are a squad, elsewhere, some players feel bigger than the others. Instead, here, everyone is on the same level, they are humble and want to win.

"If [Paulo] Dybala or [Mario] Mandzukic don't score, they are still happy and you see them smile.

"For me, it is beautiful, to feel that difference. Also at Madrid they are humble, but here I feel that sense more.

"It's very different to Madrid, here it is more of a family."

And Perez has now responded, insisting Real ARE a family club.

The Real Madrid chief also believes their success, in both football and basketball, backs that up.

He said: "We are proud of these players.

"We are champions at the same time in football and basketball, showing that nothing is impossible.

“This stage of existence is thanks to the unity of Real Madrid, but you also know that there is no comfort here and we are already thinking about winning the Club World Cup.

“This team will give everything again.”

Ronaldo previously hit out at Perez in October, blaming him for his Real Madrid exit.

“I felt it inside the club, especially from the president, that they no longer considered me the same way that they did in the start,” he said.

“In the first four or five years there I had the feeling of being ‘Cristiano Ronaldo’. Less afterwards.

“The president looked at me through eyes that didn’t want to say the same thing, as if I was no longer indispensable to them, if you know what I mean.

“That’s what made me think about leaving.

“Sometimes I’d look at the news, where they were saying I was asking to leave. There was a bit of that but the truth is I always had the impression the president would not hold me back.

“If it had all been about money, I’d have moved to China, where I would have earned five times as much than here [at Juventus] or at Real.

“I did not come to Juve for the money. I earned the same in Madrid, if not more. The difference is that, at Juve, they really wanted me. They told me that and made it clear.

“The truth is that the president wanted me but, at the same time, he made it known to me that my departure would not constitute a problem.”

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