Cristiano Ronaldo made his Juventus debut in a stunning 2-3 victory against Chievo that was simultaneously disappointing and so perfectly him.
Two clubs, both alike in dignity; In fair Verona, where we lay our scene. This was Cristiano Ronaldo’s debut for Juventus, the first time since Zinedine Zidane debuted for Real Madrid back in 2001 that a player of such colossal achievement has transferred clubs (Neymar may contest this, and good luck to him) and thus been subject to a debut and all the scrutiny that goes with it.
Unsurprisingly, Cristiano shrugged off the pressure and played his usual game – which these days means disappearing from the match for large swathes of it, spending a short five minute spell on the wing sending in crosses, and only really appearing to bend the narrative of the contest with shots and goals in the final third.
Cristiano is one of sport’s great difference-makers. He owns just about every goalscoring record going in the Champions League, and has won an incredible five European Cups across his long career. Many expected him to make mincemeat of Serie A, a league of great tactical intelligence but short on genuine top-class skill, but his debut was actually quite typical for a pre-Christmas Cristiano display.
His first-touch came a few minutes into the game, and he had to drop deep to get it. Juve already had the lead at this point, doing so with a finish that was so Cristiano-esque that if you had squinted to watch it you’d have sworn it was him doing the business. Instead it was another ex-Real Madrid player in Sami Khedira who lashed Juve into the lead.
Cristiano’s first shot came after just six minutes, and it was perhaps a sign of things to come. Firstly he was stood two yards offside, and secondly he somehow ended up clearing the ball rather than poking it in. The referee called the offside, but the fact he didn’t bury it and then gesticulate wildly afterwards was a big surprise.
The first classic Cristiano moment that actually fell to Cristiano came after 18 minutes; a Cuadrado cutback fell to the Portuguese on the edge of the box. The big man stepped up and whacked it first-time with that power placement he loved to do and the ball flew at the Chievo goal but dragged just wide. He looked perplexed, as did everyone else.
The game then carried on mostly without Cristiano’s involvement. Chievo equalised with a stunning header, a giant leap from Mariusz Stepinski was matched with a gorgeous header, the kind that really shows the power of your neck muscles. Then they took the lead with a stunning penalty after a stupid foul from Joao Cancelo.
Mario Mandzukic came on after the hour and Juve suddenly had more focus and direction. Cristiano had his spell on the left, from where he came narrow, spinning away from Chievo defenders and launching a rasping shot at goal only to be denied by a flying save from Sorrentino. With Mandzukic as the reference Cristiano was more able to run into space and found himself clean through on goal, only for his shot to be blocked by Fabrizio Cacciatore (who celebrated like he’d just scored an overhead kick).
Juventus equalised with an own goal from a corner, and a minute later Cristiano pulled yet another great save out of Sorrentino from the kind of wide free-kick that saw him score his first Manchester United goal. The pressure was mounting now with three big targets in the box and with five minutes to go, Cristiano raced to meet Alex Sandro’s cross but he overran it and the drama came thick and fast.
First, the ball hit Cristiano’s arm, but he was off-balance and tumbled forward, kneeing Sorrentino in the head (entirely by accident); with the goalie out of the picture and the ball flying in the air after hitting Cristiano’s arm, Mandzukic rose highest and thumped a header over the line… or did he? Cacciatore made a massive clearance, and suddenly the linesman was talking to the referee.
Did the ball cross the line? Yes, it did. Goal allowed. Except no, because now VAR was looking at the handball in the build-up. Time ticked away, and the referee came back signally no goal to the delight of the crowd. Chievo were alive! but Andrea Seculin had to replace the brilliant Sorrentino in goal, so Chievo knew they weren’t out of the woods.
Juve kept on pressing and pushing for a goal. They wanted so badly to get a win on opening day, and in the end they did so in the last minute. Alex Sandro’s great run and cross was turned in with a delightful angled finish from Federico Bernadeschi, a dramatic winner and probably a deserved one too for The Old Lady.
In the end, Cristiano’s debut saw him bring his brilliance to Serie A but in a roundabout way. Sure, he didn’t score or assist a goal and his only notable achievement was handling the ball and knocking the opposition goalkeeper out of the game. But the game has his DNA all over it; every goal scored was exactly the kind of goal he would score; two lethal close-range finishes, a ripping penalty and a storming header.
It’s almost like Cristiano’s skill dissipated when he stepped onto the field, and was absorbed by team-mates and opponents to give us the glory that was the opening game of this Serie A season. Calcio fans will be hoping for more entertainment like this and Juve fans will want the big man to start delivering his trademark skills himself.
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