StoryMax Allegri speaks positively about Cristiano Ronaldo’s performance despite Atletico defeat

Juventus head coach Max Allegri has spoken positively regarding the performance of Cristiano Ronaldo despite the attacker struggling to make an impression on his return to the Spanish capital. The Bianconeri recently suffered a 2-0 defeat to Atletico Madrid in the first leg of the Champions League round of 16 and the match witnessed Ronaldo have the single shot on target while contributing towards the deflected goal by Diego Godin.

Despite this, Allegri was impressed with the performance of the Portugal international on the night and he suggested that the entire team were responsible for the mediocre showing during the second period, he said: "Ronaldo played a good game. He is confident with these kinds of matches. He was not bad at all. We missed all the second half as a team. And this match will be useful looking forward to the second leg."

Atletico managed to get a handy advantage for the return leg after goals from Jose Gimenez and Diego Godin during the final 15 minutes but they could have quite easily increased the advantage, had Diego Costa scored from the clear-cut chance while Alvaro Morata was unlucky after getting a goal chalked off for offside for the second home game running through VAR.

“Juventus will now shift their attention to the Serie A where they are scheduled to face Bologna “on the road and the game offers them the chance to extend their dominance at the top of the standings. The Bianconeri are already 13 points ahead of Napoli on the table and they appear on course for an eighth successive title, barring a sudden and “unexpected dip in form“.

Meanwhile, Ronaldo will be eager to make amends for the recent Champions League defeat and a goal against Bologna could see him score for the fifth league game on the bounce. The Portuguese footballer is currently leading the Serie A scoring charts with 19 goals.