Cristiano Ronaldo Remains Goalless as Juventus Beat Parma in Serie A

Juventus continued their perfect start to the 2018-19 Serie A campaign on Saturday, beating Parma for their third win in a row. Cristiano Ronaldo couldn't get his first goal of the Serie A campaign, but Mario Mandzukic and Blaise Matuidi did score in the 2-1 win.

The Croat opened the scoring early, and Matuidi restored the lead after Gervinho had tied things up.

With the win, the Bianconeri continue to top the standings. Napoli and SPAL, the other remaining teams with perfect records, will feature on Sunday.

Here are the key takeaways from Saturday's match:

International Break Comes at the Right Time for Ronaldo, Allegri

Ronaldo had another solid outing for Juventus on Saturday, even if the headlines will likely focus on his lack of goals.

The Portugal international started in the centre, with Mandzukic on the left wing, and had several good chances to get on the board. The best opportunities came through an athletic header that went inches wide and a scuffed effort after the break.

As noted by football writer Andrew Orsatti, Juventus once again appeared intent on doing everything possible to get him his goal, to no avail:

The issue isn't that Ronaldo didn't score―with a little more luck, he could easily have bagged three or four already in Serie A. Instead, Juventus' biggest problem is they're still trying to find the best way to use their new superstar, and their play has suffered because of it.

Too often on Saturday, Ronaldo was isolated away from the ball, with Miralem Pjanic unable to pick him out and Juan Cuadrado firing in mindless crosses in his general direction. The only starter who really seemed to have a connection with the former Real Madrid man was Mandzukic, and at this point, he seems a lock to stay in the side.

Fortunately for both Ronaldo and manager Massimiliano Allegri, the international break is upon us. The tactician has two weeks to tweak his formation and find the best way to use Ronaldo, while the player himself will have the opportunity to rediscover his scoring touch.

Bernardeschi, Costa Could Keep Dybala on the Bench

Allegri made the surprise decision to drop Paulo Dybala to the bench in Juventus' last outing against Lazio, and Federico Bernardeschi once again got the nod on Saturday, with the Argentinian and Douglas Costa both relegated to a back-up role.

Bernardeschi wasn't perfect, but he was the team's most dynamic player in the first half and came agonisingly close to scoring following a fantastic solo run. He was also booked for simulation and regressed after the break, but all in all, it was another good outing for the former Fiorentina man.

Het Nieuwsblad's Vince Van Genechten loved what he saw:

Allegri opted to bring on Costa ahead of Dybala, and the Brazilian was his usual, dominant self, making a positive impact with his pace and trickery. Dybala made a late cameo, but he didn't do much.

Both Bernardeschi and Costa are better fits for the 4-3-3 formation Allegri seems to prefer with Ronaldo, and both have arguably shown better form so far this season, as well. Don't be surprised if La Joya has to spend more time on the bench after the international break, with one of those two starting instead.

What's Next?

Juventus and Parma will head into the international break. When play resumes, the defending champions host Sassuolo, and Parma visit Inter.