Ronaldo scored a crucial penalty kick as Juventus defeated Torino in the Derby della Mole to relieve pressure off Massimiliano Allegri. Juventus put up an abysmal performance for a long period of time in the encounter but were handed a chance to claim all three points after Torino goalkeeper Salvador Ichazo hacked down Mario Mandzukic, after a dreadful back pass from Simone Zaza.
Ichazo almost denied Cristiano Ronaldo from the spot but the Portuguese effort somehow made it into the back of the net. Allegri who was aware of below par performance of his team turned his back when Cristiano Ronaldo took the ball from the spot.
“I didn’t see the penalty, as I turned my back to it. I very rarely watch the penalties, to be honest,” he told DAZN after an eighth consecutive league win away from home saw his team go 11 points clear of Napoli at the top of the table.
“I had asked the team to make a sacrifice. It was not likely to be a game with lots of goals.
“When Torino’s tempo fell, we took control of the game.
“The fact that in the second half we were growing means that we are physically well.”
Reflecting on his winning goal, Ronaldo stated a choice of power over precision paid dividends.
“It wasn’t easy but we did well and we deserved to win.”
Although Juventus used the chance to win the game, Torino felt officiating decision was against them with manager Walter Mazzarri who expressed his shock that the VAR was not introduced when Alex Sandro pulled Zaza to the ground inside the box.
“Congratulations to my boys, they are giving me great satisfaction,” Mazzarri told DAZN, before assessing the Alex Sandro incident, which occurred when the game was still goalless.
“I do not know, tell me if it is a penalty or not,” he added. “Maybe the referee could go [to the monitor] and see it with his own eyes.”