Cristiano Ronaldo, Juventus Hold Off Roma for 2-1 Win in Serie A

Juventus and Cristiano Ronaldo climbed to the summit of Serie A on Sunday after defeating Roma 2-1 at the Stadio Olimpico.

Merih Demiral's opener broke the deadlock for the champions after just three minutes, and Cristiano Ronaldo doubled the scoreline with a penalty when Paulo Dybala was fouled by Jordan Veretout.

Roma grabbed themselves a lifeline with Diego Perotti's 68th-minute penalty as VAR judged handball against Alex Sandro.

Despite sustained pressure for the hosts, it wasn't enough for the Giallorossi, who fell to defeat against the Old Lady.

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Juve took full advantage and capitalised on Inter Milan's 1-1 draw against Atalanta on Saturday at the San Siro, but Roma were unlucky not to claim a point.

A poor opening was Roma's undoing, and two goals in the opening 10 minutes gave Juve a dream start.

The home team failed to deal with Miralem Pjanic's set piece, and the resulting free-kick was turned in at the back post by Demiral.

The Turkey international volleyed home with precision past Roma goalkeeper Pau Lopez.

Juve were motivated by their quick opener, and it was soon 2-0 after a defensive error saw Dybala brought down in the box by Veretout.

The loanee from Fiorentina was booked for the foul box, and Ronaldo made sure he punished Roma from the penalty spot, continuing his good start to 2020.

Roma held plenty of the ball for the first half without causing concern, but they came back into the contest after half-time.

Gianluca Mancini went close but failed to hit the target as the hosts hunted a way back into the encounter, and Edin Dzeko hit the post shortly before Roma struck.

Their goal came after the referee overturned a penalty decision via VAR, deciding Sandro had handled the ball in the box, allowing Perotti to score from the resulting spot-kick.

VAR confirmed Juve's Gonzalo Higuain was offside as he found the back of the net with 11 minutes remaining, and Lorenzo Pellegrini missed a late chance to give Roma a draw as his effort went over the bar.

What's Next

Both teams are set to feature in the Coppa Italia round of 16 during midweek. Juve host Udinese on Wednesday, and Roma travel to face Parma on Thursday.