Ronaldo Nets Hat-Trick as Juventus Extend Winning StreakRonaldo Nets Hat-Trick as Juventus Extend Winning Streak Turin, Italy – Juventus continued their relentless march towards another Serie A title on Sunday as Cristiano Ronaldo inspired them to a 3-2 victory over Cagliari with a stunning hat-trick. The Portuguese superstar opened the scoring from the penalty spot in the 10th minute before doubling the Bianconeri’s lead with a thunderous strike from outside the area in the 25th minute. Cagliari pulled one back through Giovanni Simeone in the 62nd minute, but Ronaldo restored Juventus’ two-goal advantage with a clinical finish just five minutes later. The hosts grabbed another consolation goal through Leonardo Pavoletti in the 82nd minute, but it was too little, too late as Juventus held on to claim their ninth consecutive league win. Ronaldo’s hat-trick was his seventh in a Juventus shirt and took his tally for the season to 18 goals in all competitions. He now has 23 goals in Serie A, which puts him just one behind Lazio’s Ciro Immobile in the race for the Capocannoniere. The victory extended Juventus’ lead at the top of the table to 10 points over Inter Milan, who drew 0-0 with Napoli earlier in the day. It also marked the Bianconeri’s 14th straight win in all competitions, a streak that dates back to the end of November. Juventus manager Maurizio Sarri praised Ronaldo’s performance, saying: “He’s a great player, he’s always decisive. Today he scored three goals, but he also worked hard for the team.” Ronaldo said he was happy to have scored a hat-trick but insisted that the team’s success was more important. “It’s always good to score goals, but the most important thing is the team,” he said. “We’re in a good moment, we’re playing well and we’re winning games.” Juventus will next face Parma in the Coppa Italia semi-finals on Wednesday before hosting Inter Milan in a crucial Serie A clash on Sunday.
