Cristiano Ronaldo put Juventus on the scoreboard just a minute before the first half of the game with Neres came back from the break to net a perfectly curled shot from 15 yards out only a minute after as Juventus drew the first leg of their Champions League quarter-final against Ajax.
And after scoring his first Champions league when he scored for Manchester United in their win over Roma, Cristiano Ronaldo’s 125th Champions League goal has come 12 years to the very day he scored his first one.
As they meet in the second leg in Turin on Tuesday, 16th April, the future of any of the teams seem unpredictable as both sides show fine promise for stealing the win.
The winners of the tie would face either Manchester City or Tottenham in the semi-finals, with Mauricio Pochettino’s side (Tottenham) having a 1-0 advantage after Tuesday’s first leg in London.
Ronaldo played yesterday for Juventus for the first time since he scored three goals to give them a 3-2 aggregate win against Atletico Madrid in the last 16 of the Champions League.
Ronaldo suffered a thigh injury on international duty for his national side, Portugal, and there were doubts whether or not he’d be fit enough for the tie against Ajax.
Scoring his fifth Champions League goal of the season, Ronaldo’s side shows a good chance of reaching the semi-finals. And with just a goalless draw at Juventus Stadium next week, that will be enough for them to advance to the next round.
The Italian leaders, Juventus, who are only one point short of winning the Serie A title, didn’t have a shot on target before their 45th-minute goal.
Massimiliano Allegri, head coach for Juventus said that “Ronaldo showed he is on a different level.
“His timing and movement is different to everyone else’s, there’s nothing you can do about it. He’s a player who just has a different technique than the others.
“It’s a good result because we scored away from home, but the tie is still open. One each is better than 0-0, in Turin we will have to play to win.
“We were good defensively, the team was nice and compact, and there is a good reason to think we can get to the semi-finals. We’re not worried.”