CRISTIANO RONALDO was denied a last-gasp winner to save Juventus after they had thrown away a two-goal lead at Udinese, his stoppage time header ruled out for offside in a dramatic 2-2 draw in his team’s opening Serie A match of the season.
Ronaldo started on the bench at the Dacia Arena in Udine amid rumours he is looking for a way out of the Italian giants, but he almost snatched the three points after Juve insisted he was going nowhere this term.
Massimiliano Allegri’s Juve looked to be cruising to victory when Paulo Dybala and Juan Cuadrado put them two ahead midway through the first half.
Two second-half blunders from Juve ‘keeper Wojciech Szczesny allowed Udinese to take a point through Roberto Peryra’s penalty and a Gerard Deulofeu strike.
If Juve had any nerves following the pre-match controversy surrounding Ronaldo they didn’t show it, as Paulo Dybala prodded the away side into the lead with just two minutes on the clock.
Wearing the captain’s armband Argentine Dybala, long a favourite of Allegri’s, was then crucial to Juve doubling their lead with his raking cross-field pass finding Cuadrado in space down the right flank.
The Colombian easily beat the isolated Bram Nuytinck before drilling home an angled finish that left Udinese with if not a mountain then a steep hill to climb.
However, the hosts were back in the game five minutes after the break when Szczesny brought down Tolgay Arslan after spilling the German’s shot and Roberto Pereyra comfortably slotted home the subsequent penalty.
Juve almost responded immediately through Alvaro Morata, who was picked to lead the line and whacked a header off the post seconds after Udinese had closed the gap.
Ronaldo entered the field on the hour mark to loud applause from the Juve fans at the Dacia Arena and was unlucky to not restore Juve’s two-goal lead when his header from a Dybala cross flashed wide.
Bentancur then crashed a shot off the post but with seven minutes left Udinese were level in comical fashion as Szczesny produced another blunder.
The Pole dawdled on a Leonardo Bonucci backpass and after flapping under pressure from Stefano Okaka the ball fell to Deulofeu, whose rebounded finish was eventually allowed after a VAR check.
And it was another VAR check which saved the point for Udinese, with Ronaldo wheeling away after meeting Federico Chiesa’s pinpoint cross with a trademark header only two watch on in desperation as his winner was chalked off.
Juve legend Nedved said that the decision to not start the five-time Ballon d’Or winner, who has been subject to intense speculation about his future this summer, was a “shared decision” between Ronaldo and returning coach Massimiliano Allegri.
“You shouldn’t try to create sensationalised stories where there aren’t any,” Nedved told broadcaster DAZN.
“He isn’t at peak fitness, and the coach tried to pick the best possible line-up for now… The decisions were made in order to be as competitive as possible today.
“He is absolutely staying at Juventus.”
Sky Sport Italia claimed that Ronaldo asked not to be picked in the starting line-up as he still hopes to leave the 36-time Italian champions before the end of the month, when the transfer window closes.
Allegri chose Alvaro Morata to lead the line in a front three which also included Paulo Dybala and Juan Cuadrado.
Italy forward Federico Chiesa was named as a substitute while midfielder Manuel Locatelli, also one of the Azzurri’s Euro 2020 heroes, began his Juve career on the bench after moving from Sassuolo on Wednesday.
Top scorer in Serie A last season with 29 goals, Ronaldo was absent for Juve’s final warm-up against the club’s youngsters on Thursday.
However, on Friday Allegri said the 36-year-old wanted to stay despite talk he was trying to leave Juve, adding that the Portuguese attacker was ready to play in what will be his fourth and final season of his contract.
Allegri’s decision comes after a close season in which media around Europe have speculated that Ronaldo was looking for a way out of Juve, a club he joined in 2018 to huge fanfare.
On Tuesday, Ronaldo denied reports of a move to former club Real Madrid, calling them “disrespectful” and saying that stories of his departure were written with “nobody ever being concerned about trying to find out the actual truth”.
Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti had confirmed earlier the same day that the Spanish giants were not interested in the return of the man who fired the club to four Champions League triumphs.
Also on Tuesday Italian daily Corriere dello Sport said that agent Jorge Mendes had offered the Portugal captain to Manchester City.
Other outlets said that Paris Saint-Germain were interested in Ronaldo but stepped back once they pulled off the signing of the close season, bringing free agent Lionel Messi to the French capital.
Originally published at 19.12; Updated at 20.40
