Cagliari 1-3 Juventus: 5 Talking points as Cristiano Ronaldo hat-trick seals the deal | Serie A 2020-21
Juventus bounced back from their Champions League exit by recording a 3-1 win over Cagliari in the 2020-21 Serie A.
Cristiano Ronaldo scored a perfect hat-trick in the first half to set the visitors on the way, with Cagliari scoring a late consolation goal courtesy Giovanni Simeone.
Ronaldo provided Juventus the perfect start when he leapt highest to Juan Cuadrado's cross. But he was booked just four minutes later for a high-boot challenge on goalkeeper Alessio Cragno, who needed treatment.
Nevertheless, it was mostly one-way traffic in the first half. In the 24th minute, Cragno brought down Ronaldo in the box to give away a penalty. Ronaldo stepped up to promptly double The Old Lady's lead.
Seven minutes later, Ronaldo added a third, a left-footed strike to complete a 'perfect' hat-trick, to put the game beyond doubt.
While there were a lot of chances for Juventus in the second half, they could not score another. But they did concede one in the 61st minute after a swift move from Cagliari.
As Juventus close the gap at the top with Inter Milan to ten points, albeit with a game in hand, let's take a look at five talking points from the game.
#5 Cagliari's defence no match for Juventus and Cristiano Ronaldo
Juventus had fewer shots compared to Cagliari on the night. Of their ten shots, six were on target, with Ronaldo finding the back of the net with three of them.
The 36-year-old combined well with Federico Chiesa, Juan Cuadrado and Alvaro Morata in the final third as the Juventus trio easily found space between Cagliari defenders.
Most of Juventus' chances came in the first half as the visitors exploited their superiority on the flanks and created a lot of chances from Cuadrado's pin-point crosses.
Though the hosts had Diego Godin leading their defence, they weren't able to contain Juventus' on the night.
#4 Juventus starting to flex their muscles in the final third
Juventus are unbeaten in their last five Serie A games. Their impressive display in the final third is one of the main reasons for their impressive recent form.
The Cagliari game marked the fifth across all competitions in this period that Juventus scored three goals. Two of their last four Serie A games ended 3-0, while the other two ended 3-1.
Only Bayern Munich have scored more goals in the same period across Europe's top-five leagues.
Andrea Pirlo will be a happy man, as his team has hit a purple patch in recent fixtures. With only the domestic league to focus on from this point onwards, they can focus all their energy on catching up with runaway league leaders Inter Milan.
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