Cristiano Ronaldo's 2 Penalties See Juventus Beat Fiorentina in Serie A

Juventus moved six points clear at the top of Serie A on Sunday, with Cristiano Ronaldo's two penalties helping them beat Fiorentina 3-0 at the Allianz Stadium. 

At the end of each half, Juventus were awarded penalties after VAR checks and both times Ronaldo was able to convert.

The first goal made it nine Serie A games in succession in which the Portuguese has netted:

Matthijs de Ligt got in on the act too, with his late strike adding some gloss to the scoreline of what was a tight game for long spells.

The result puts the pressure on Inter Milan to respond later in the day. Antonio Conte's side visit Udinese, seeking to chop the gap back down to three points. Meanwhile, La Viola remain down in 14th place, albeit comfortably clear of any relegation worries.

Per Italian football writer Adam Digby, Maurizio Sarri lined the team up in an attacking setup, with Douglas Costa preferred to Paulo Dybala in the forward line:

Despite the glut of talent on show in black and white, the Bianconeri weren't able to settle into an attacking gear immediately, with Fiorentina defending with determination for the majority of the first half.

Fiorentina were actually the first team to test either goalkeeper, with Wojciech Szczesny alert to prevent a fierce strike from Federico Chiesa finding the net.

Eventually Juventus got the breakthrough thanks to an intervention from the VAR assistant Fiorentina's German Pezzella was deemed to have handled the ball and Ronaldo stepped up to convert with aplomb.

Per OptaPaolo, Ronaldo's goal saw him equal a club record held by Bianconeri legend David Trezeguet:

Fiorentina would have been disappointed to have conceded so close to half time and at the interval, football writer Karl Matchett said there was still something in the game for La Viola: 

In the early stages of the second half, Juventus continued to control the tempo of the game, although chances were at a premium for both sides.

As a result, it was no surprise that Juventus needed another penalty to extend their advantage. This time Federico Ceccherini was deemed to have committed a foul and after an assessment by VAR, another penalty was awarded.

Just like he did in the first period, Ronaldo made no mistake from 12 yards. Per Squawka Football, since arriving in Italian football, the forward has been the most prolific player in the league:

Juventus also noted that Ronaldo had reached a landmark number of goals in the black and white:

After defending well for long spells, Fiorentina would have been disappointed to have fallen behind to two penalties. 

When De Ligt was able to net in stoppage time, the scoreline was undoubtedly a flattering one for Juventus, who had carved out little from open play in the match. However, the strike was a deserved one for the Dutchman, who excelled at the base of the team alongside Leonardo Bonucci.

What's Next?

Juventus' next outing is against Verona on Saturday, while Fiorentina will host free-scoring Atalanta on the same day.