CRISTIANO RONALDO scored his 760th career goal to earn Andrea Pirlo his first silverware as Juventus boss.
The Portuguese superstar couldn’t miss as he rifled past Napoli’s David Ospina from inside the six-yard box after a cagey opening hour of the Supercoppa Italiana.
Cristiano Ronaldo fired past David Ospina to open the scoring in the Supercoppa ItalianaCredit: Reuters
The strike was the 760th of Cristiano Ronaldo’s careerCredit: Reuters
Confusion reigns as to just where this strike puts Ronaldo, 35, in the echelons of the game’s all-time goalscoring greats.
Some statisticians now have the five-time Ballon d’Or winner one goal ahead of Czech legend Josef Bican, as the top scorer ever.
However, official Fifa figures have 1940-50s goal-machine Bican on 805 strikes – still 45 ahead of Ronaldo.
Of course there is yet further debate on the issue, with Brazil legend Pele and his former club Santos claiming he scored over 1,000 goals.
There are questions on whether these are goals scored in ‘official’ games.
But on Wednesday night in Reggio Emilia, there was no doubt over Ronaldo’s personal haul.
The match, showcasing the Serie A and Italian Cup champions, is normally regarded as little more than a friendly.
But the 2021 version assumed greater importance for perennial winners Juventus, with boss Pirlo under increasing pressure, especially after a 2-0 loss to title rivals Inter Milan on Sunday.
And it came as no surprise who broke the deadlock in the 64th minute in a game of few chances.
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Juventus earned Andrea Pirlo his first trophy as bossCredit: Getty Images – Getty
Lorenzo Insigne couldn’t believe it when he fired his penalty wideCredit: AP:Associated Press
A Juventus corner took a couple of ricochets before landing in the path of Ronaldo, who didn’t miss from close range.
Napoli missed the chance to force extra time when captain Lorenzo Insigne fired a late penalty wide after Dries Mertens had been tripped by Weston McKennie.
And Alvaro Morata made them pay as he sealed the result with the last kick of the game on a swift counter-attack.
Josef Bican notched 805 career goals – according to Fifa figuresCredit: Getty Images – Getty
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
