In what was touted as a high-voltage fixture, Juventus earned a modest 1-0 win at home against a motivated Inter Milan. Mario Mandzukic headed home Joao Cancelo’s cross from close range to hand Juve a one goal advantage which was never threatened thereafter.  

Earlier in the game, Roberto Gagliardini had a good chance to break the deadlock after he was set up well by Mauro Icardi. The Italian’s shot grazed the post before being dealt with by Giorgio Chiellini.  

Rodrigo Bentancur, Paulo Dybala and Mario Mandzukic performed well for the hosts but Cristiano Ronaldo went missing. We analyse the performance of the Portuguese a little closer below. 

 

STATISTICS 

Minutes: 90 

Goals: 0 

Assists: 0 

Shots (on target): 4 (3) 

Passing accuracy: 82 %

Dribbles (successful): 0 (2) 

Crosses (successful): 1 (2) 

Dispossessed: 2 

Key passes: 1 

30-SECOND REPORT 

Ronaldo had a quiet game by his standards and was largely anonymous throughout the game. The five-time Ballon d’Or winner failed to cause any problems for the Nerazzurri backline.

Ronaldo’s highlight reel would start with a sumptuous nutmeg on Milan Skriniar which failed to generate anything positive. Sime Vrsaljko did well to keep the Portuguese in check but the right-back didn’t really have to do much.

The former Real Madrid star was losing possession often and will be hoping for better days with the Bianconeri. 

 

GOT RIGHT: MOVEMENT 

In Ronaldo’s defence, his performance was not all bad, it was just understated. Churning out the positives from a forgettable night, the Portuguese created space for the likes of Mandzukic and Dybala as he attracted defenders towards him.  

Out of possession, Ronaldo was straying in the centre with at least two defenders stuck to him. This created space on the wing which Mandzukic and later Douglas Costa did well to exploit. When in possession, the 33-year-old played on the left-wing and failed to produce much. 

 

GOT WRONG: TOOTHLESS 

It was an underwhelming performance from the hosts in the first half and singling out only a few players would be unjust. Ronaldo lacked lucidity in his decisions and failed to capitalise on some good passages of play. The Portuguese would pull-off something outrageous only to lose possession immediately. 

The former Madrid man looked lost in the second half and failed to make any impact in terms of both creating and finishing. The supply to Ronaldo was cut out well by the likes of Miranda, Marcelo Brozovic and Skriniar, thus disabling the key attribute of the Portuguese’s game – poaching. 

Involvement:

8 min: Sends in a good delivery into the box but Dybala fails to keep his header down. 

22 min: Pulls off a ridiculous nutmeg on Skriniar but Vrsaljko gets back to concede the corner.

36 min: Overhead attempt from just outside the box, no reason to panic for Samir Handanovic.

VERDICT 

Ronaldo is capable of doing much more and could have been more involved in the game, but to give Inter’s defence credit, they kept close tabs on him. The Portuguese will be hoping for better days as he looks to extend his tally of 10 goals in the Serie A this season. 

Rating: 6/10