Cristiano Ronaldo writes his name in history books as Juventus keep control in Serie A
Cristiano Ronaldo wrote himself into the Serie A history books as Juventus beat SPAL 2-1 on Saturday evening.
Maurizio Sarri’s men have extended their lead at the top of the table to four points, setting a challenge for Lazio and Inter Milan to match them – with the pair playing tomorrow.
Ronaldo went into the game knowing he was on the verge of equaling history and it took him just 39 minutes and three shots to do so.
Ronaldo’s record-equaling goal: Five things to know…
- Cristiano Ronaldo opened the scoring in Juventus’ 2-1 win over SPAL.
- It was his 42nd goal in Serie A, equalling Rui Costa’s record for a Portuguese player.
- Ronaldo has also now scored in 11 consecutive Serie A games, the joint-best record for a single season.
- Gabriel Batistuta (1994/95) and Fabio Quagliarella (2018/19) are the only other players to achieve the feat.
- Ronaldo can break the record by scoring against rivals Inter Milan next week.
His strike, tapping in from close range after Juan Cuadrado’s cross into the box was his 42nd goal in Serie A since joining the league last season. The Portuguese forward has already matched his tally of 21 from last season, despite playing 10 fewer games, but there was something more significant.
Ronaldo has now equalled Rui Costa’s record for the most goals scored by a Portuguese player in Serie A. But, remarkably, the former Real Madrid and Manchester United man has done so in 52 games compared to Costa’s 339 – a difference of 287.
However, the records did not stop there. The game against SPAL was also the 11th consecutive Serie A match in which Ronaldo has scored, grabbing 16 goals in the process. Gabriel Batistuta in 1994/95 and Fabio Quagliarella in 2018/19 are the only other two players to have achieved that feat in a single, with Ronaldo just one game away from history.
And there may be no bigger game for him to break the record in, with Juventus hosting title rivals Inter Milan next Sunday evening.
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Should he wish to go further, Ronaldo would need to find the net in his next three games to break the Serie A record for most consecutive matches scored in outright – as Batistuta added two to at the end of the 1992/93 season – when Fiorentina were relegated – before returning with his 11-game run in 1994/95.
Ronaldo’s goals in 11 consecutive Serie A games is also the third time he has achieved that feat in a single competition, having also done so in La Liga and the Champions League. His best Premier League scoring streak is six consecutive games, between March and April 2008.
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🇮🇹 ✓✓✓✓✓✓✓✓✓✓✓Cristiano Ronaldo has now scored in 11 consecutive matches in three different competitions. 🤯 pic.twitter.com/XwJVDeTxvr
— Squawka Football (@Squawka) February 22, 2020
