Daniella Matar, Milan
Wednesday, 3:00am
Man United v Juventus
H 3.4, D 3.3, A 2.5
Despite his off-the-field turmoil, Cristiano Ronaldo is still scoring goals. His teammates, however, let Juventus down.
Ronaldo has scored five goals in nine matches, and two in three matches since being accused of rape last month.
On Saturday, Ronaldo gave Juventus the lead in the 18th minute at Genoa. Then something odd happened.
Normally so calm and collected, the Juventus players were at times haphazard in their passing and Daniel Bessa equalized in the 67th minute as the defense was caught napping.
“They capitalized on our loss of concentration,” Juventus coach Massimiliano Allegri said. “After starting well, we were thinking too much about the game with Manchester United — sometimes frenzied and other times asleep.
“Genoa, to be fair to them, did well to stay in the contest and force us out of the game, something that has rarely happened for some time.”
The dropped points were the first for Juventus this season, and come ahead of the Champions League match Allegri mentioned in Manchester.
The team’s lead in the Serie A standings was cut to four points and, more importantly, proved the seven-time defending champions are not infallible.
“It’s a shame because this month is when the league gets into its stride and teams start racking up points, that’s why it would have been good to win the game,” Allegri said. “These are matches that can decide how seasons shape up.”
Ronaldo has been accused of rape in the United States. Kathryn Mayorga filed a civil lawsuit last month in Nevada claiming Ronaldo raped her in his Las Vegas hotel room in 2009. Police also reopened an investigation into the allegation at her request.
ICARDERBY
Mauro Icardi is hitting form at the right time for Inter Milan.
After failing to find the target in his first three matches for Inter this season, Icardi now has six goals in his past seven games.
Icardi scored in Inter’s 2-1 win over Tottenham in the Champions League — his first goal in the competition. He also scored the winner against PSV Eindhoven and will be hoping to make it three out of three when Inter visits Barcelona tomorrow.
In Serie A, the Inter captain scored a stoppage-time winner in the city derby against AC Milan on Sunday.
That goal saw the 25-year-old Icardi become only the second player in history to score five consecutive goals in the Derby Della Madonnina after Milan’s Amarildo in 1964-66.
FAMILY AFFAIR
Spal’s 2-0 win at Roma was only its second victory against the Giallorossi in the Italian capital.
Andrea Petagna converted a penalty before Kevin Bonifazi headed in a corner.
Spal’s only other victory in Rome had come in 1965, by the same scoreline, when Petagna’s grandfather Francesco was the team’s coach.
ASTORI REMEMBERED
A touching tribute to deceased Fiorentina captain Davide Astori was held ahead of the team’s match against Cagliari, which finished 1-1.
Astori, who died in March of a suspected cardiac arrest at the age of 31, spent most of his playing career with the two clubs — making 179 appearances for Cagliari and 109 for Fiorentina.
His brothers were presented with gifts by both sets of fans before kickoff, in front of a choreography dedicated to Astori.
In the 13th minute, both sets of fans applauded and chanted in Astori’s honor because the defender wore the No. 13 shirt. Daniella Matar, Milan, AP
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