Cristiano Ronaldo Scores Twice, Juventus Beat Udinese 3-1 in Serie A

Juventus returned to winning ways in Serie A on Sunday, beating Udinese 3-1. Cristiano Ronaldo bagged a brace in the easy win. 

The forward opened the scoring after nine minutes and doubled his tally later in the first half. Leonardo Bonucci added a third goal before the break, and Udinese got a consolation goal in injury time.

The Italian champions had dropped points in their last two Serie A outings, including their first loss of the season against Lazio on the previous matchday.

Merih Demiral got another start for the Bianconeri after his excellent midweek showing against Bayer Leverkusen in the UEFA Champions League, keeping Matthijs de Ligt on the bench:

Juventus came out firing, putting tremendous pressure on Udinese early. The visitors barely got out of their own half, and after good looks for Blaise Matuidi and Paulo Dybala, the Bianconeri efforts were rewarded after nine minutes.

Dybala took a long ball from Bonucci and chested it into the path of Ronaldo, who struck a well-placed finish.

Italian football expert David Amoyal thought the Portugal international is finding his groove after a difficult period:

The Juventus onslaught continued, with Dybala producing a fine finish to seemingly double the lead, only for the goal to be taken away for hand-ball. Gonzalo Higuain also had a good shooting chance after a great pass from Ronaldo, but goalkeeper Juan Musso made a strong save.

Musso made another good stop on "Pipita" after 36 minutes, but momentum was building and Juventus got their second shortly after. Higuain turned provider, picking the right time to send a pass into Ronaldo's feet. The former Real Madrid man was remarkably effective in front of goal during the first half:

And Juventus weren't finished. Right on the edge of half-time, Demiral nodded a corner back across the box, and Bonucci was there to head the ball home via the cross bar.

At half-time, sports writer Carlo Garganese was in awe of what the hosts brought:

Udinese found more success after the break, with Rolando Mandragora going close, but most of the chances still fell to Juventus. Dybala clipped the cross bar six minutes into the half, putting a little too much air under his lob.

Gianluigi Buffon showed he still has plenty left in the tank at the age of 41, making a fantastic save to deny Kevin Lasagna after the Demiral-Bonucci pairing was finally beaten. Musso also showed his talent, stopping Dybala after some clever passing with Ronaldo.

Buffon continued his heroics in the 73th minute, again denying Lasagna. It was a historic afternoon for the veteran:

Little went wrong for Juventus on Sunday, but there were some concerns after Bonucci went down with an apparent head injury. The defender played on for a bit, before being replaced by De Ligt. 

The Bianconeri easily played out the second half, but Ronaldo still managed to stand out, going close to a hat-trick with a strong shot and showing he's a good team-mate:

The Portuguese star also hit the post in the final minutes, and Ignacio Pussetto got a consolation goal for the visitors in injury time, with a deflection giving him the space he needed in the box.

What's Next?

Juventus visit Sampdoria on Wednesday, while Udinese host Cagliari on Saturday.