Ronaldo also appeared to struggle with a positional switch from his usual spot on the left wing to centre forward, as evidenced by a grade of only five out of 10 in the Gazzetta dello Sport's report car
Cristiano Ronaldo
A missed penalty. A series of missed chances. A miserable performance grade. For Cristiano Ronaldo, nothing seemed to go right in the Italian Cup semi-final match against AC Milan. Fortunately for the five-time Ballon d'Or winner, a 0-0 draw earned Juventus a spot in tonight's final against Napoli and Ronaldo now has every reason to be motivated as he chases his 30th trophy for club and country.
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Like almost every other player featured in the semi-final return legs—the first two matches of Italian football's restart—Ronaldo showed signs of rust after being inactive for more than three months during the COVID-19 pandemic. His attempt off the post early on marked his first missed penalty since January 2019. "He doesn't miss many penalties. This one was quite unfortunate and he probably struggled because of that," Juventus coach Maurizio Sarri said.
Ronaldo also appeared to struggle with a positional switch from his usual spot on the left wing to centre forward, as evidenced by a grade of only five out of 10 in the Gazzetta dello Sport's report card. "We discussed it with him and he was completely open to the idea," Sarri said. "He's such an extraordinary player that I don't think it changes anything for him whether he plays five meters ahead or behind. He can play in any of the forward positions."
With Gonzalo Higuain likely still unavailable for the final in Rome, Ronaldo could again line up at centre forward as Juventus seek a record-extending 14th Italian Cup title. Juventus are hoping it's the first trophy of a triple. The Bianconeri hold a one-point lead over Lazio entering the Serie A restart this weekend and are also looking to overturn a 1-0 loss to Lyon in the second leg of the Round-of-16 in the Champions League.
Napoli, which is also still in the Champions League, is looking to win its sixth Italian Cup.
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