Ronaldo And Costa Steal Limelight As Dimarco Downs Parent Club Inter theguardian.com

Cristiano Ronaldo’s first Serie A goal arrived right on schedule. Granted, it might not have felt that way to the Juventus supporters who had been waiting impatiently for this moment since July. But by opening his account in their fourth league game, with his 28th shot of the season, he was emulating precisely the start he made with Real Madrid in 2017-18.

Nobody can truly have believed his ‘drought’ would go on forever, yet the relief at its ending was evident even in Ronaldo’s performance. His first goal was a tap-in: described by Tuttosport as “pushed into an empty net from 30cm out”. Yet it felt like no accident that the Portuguese’s second should arrive 15 minutes later, drilled into the bottom corner with a confidence that had hitherto been lacking.