Ronaldo scripts history after brace against Lazio

Turin: Juventus forward Cristiano Ronaldo has added a fresh feather to his illustrious cap after scoring a brace against Lazio in their latest Serie A encounter.

Ronaldo, on Monday night, scored two goals in a space of three minutes to put Juventus on the cusp of winning their ninth successive Serie A title. This latest 2-1 win means Juventus are eight points clear at the top over second placed Inter Milan with just four matches left to be played in the season.

Courtesy of his brace, Ronaldo went past the 50-goal tally for the 'Old Lady' since joining the club prior to 2018/19 season. The Portuguese became the first footballer in the history of the sport to score 50+ goals in Premier League, LaLiga and Serie A.

"Records are always important, but the important thing is that the team wins," Ronaldo told Sky Sport Italia after the game as per goal.com

"We are a phenomenal team and we showed that again today, although we always want to improve and raise the bar.

"These things are nice, but the Capocannoniere title (given to Serie A top-scorer every season) is a natural process that comes as a consequence of scoring to win games for the team."

Also, among the players who have made their debut since 1994/95 season, Ronaldo (61 appearances) is the fastest to score 50 Serie A goals. The 35-year-old broke the record of former Milan striker Andriy Shevchenko, who went past the mark in 68 games. Even the great Brazilian Ronaldo took 70 matches to achieve the feat.

The competition for the top-scorer became intense as Cristiano Ronaldo on Monday bagged a brace and Ciro Immobile also managed to get on the scoresheet. The two strikers are the league's joint top-scorers with 30 goals each, reports Xinhua news agency.

Lazio challenged Juventus for a long time this season, and were only point behind the Bianconeri before the suspension of Serie A. However, with a poor run after the restart, the Biancocelesti slipped to fourth place.

Both sides had an opportunity to score in the first half as Alex Sandro's header smacked the upright while Immobile's screamer also rattled the woodwork.

Juventus almost found the net straight after the break when Paulo Dybala's attempt was blocked, and Ronaldo's follow-up was cleared off the line.

The Old Lady broke the deadlock in the 51st minute when Ronaldo's strike hit Bastos' arm, the referee awarded Juventus a penalty after viewing the VAR, and Ronaldo converted it, becoming the first player to score at least 50 goals in the Premier League, LaLiga and Serie A respectively.

The home side quickly rode the momentum three minutes later when Luiz Felipe's error sparked a counter-attack, Dybala surged forward, flicking the ball to a totally unmarked Ronaldo to tap in from a close range. The Aquile pulled one goal back through a penalty after Leonardo Bonucci brought down Immobile, and the Italian international kept his cool to convert it.