Cristiano Ronaldo sustains ankle injury during Lazio clash, confirms Juventus boss Pirlo

Juventus ace Cristiano Ronaldo arrived in fine form against Lazio as he bagged the opener for the defending Serie A champions on Sunday. But the five-time Ballon d'Or winner was forced off the game later in the second half with the player seen in pain, following which the Turin-based outfit conceded the equaliser. Manager Andrea Pirlo has now confirmed that the club icon has sustained an ankle injury. 

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Cristiano Ronaldo bags opener for Juventus vs Lazio 

Ronaldo opened the scoring for the defending Italian champions in the 15th minute after a brilliant effort from Juan Cuadrado. The Colombia international bust down the right flank to deliver a splendid cross to the Portuguese forward, who made no mistake and tapped in the ball calmly to bag the lead. 

Lazio were again caught off-guard on the counter with Ronaldo leading the charge in the 37th minute. But the 35-year-old went on to strike the shot from afar, much to the goalkeeper's prediction. But the ball headed just wide upright, much to his dismay. The Portuguese attempted another curling shot just before the end of the first half, only for the ball to hit the crossbar. 

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Pirlo confirms Cristiano Ronaldo injury 

In the 76th minute, Ronaldo was substituted by Pirlo with Paulo Dybala replacing the Portuguese after picking a knock following a clash with Lazio midfielder Luis Alberto. And the superstar's absence from the field had a detrimental impact for Juventus, who went on to concede an injury-time equaliser with a scintillating strike from Felipe Caicedo. 

Following the Lazio vs Juventus clash, Pirlo spoke on the Cristiano Ronaldo injury concerns to DAZN. The Italian legend described Ronaldo as a key player, not only for Juventus but for every team that he has played in his career. "Unfortunately, he had an ankle problem and was forced to leave the field."

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No time period set for Cristiano Ronaldo return 

Despite Pirlo confirming the Cristiano Ronaldo ankle injury concerns, he has not provided any update on his return. Interestingly, this was the last match before the international break and the superstar has a decent time to recover before Juventus return to action against Cagliari on November 21. Meanwhile, the Turin-based outfit sit fifth on the Serie A table with 13 points in seven games. 

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Image courtesy: AP