Cristiano Ronaldo endured a frustrating home debut for Juventus on Saturday, as he could not find the back of the net in a 2-0 win over Lazio.
Miralem Pjanic opened the scoring for the hosts on the half-hour mark. The midfielder struck a low shot from range past goalkeeper Thomas Strakosha.
Ronaldo did play a part in the second goal, as Mario Mandzukic made the game safe at the 75-minute mark.
Strakosha managed to get a touch on Joao Cancelo’s cross from the right, but the ball took a deflection off Ronaldo and fell to Mandzukic, who fired into an empty net.
Ronaldo drew a blank on his Serie A debut last time out, and there was more frustration for the summer signing at the Allianz Stadium in Turin.
Massimiliano Allegri made changes to his side for this one. Mandzukic and Federico Bernardeschi were brought into the attack, and Paulo Dybala and Douglas Costa were demoted to the bench.
Yet it was a frustrating game for Ronaldo. He suffered from a lack of service and had few sights of goal, particularly in the first half.
There were flickers from the Portuguese after the break. A typical run toward goal saw him bring out the stepovers and cross for Mandzukic, who made a mess of the chance.
A free-kick just outside the box offered another sight of goal for Ronaldo, but he could only blast his effort straight into the wall. Minutes later he headed a cross from Pjanic just over the bar.
His best chance of the game came on 70 minutes when he hit a great strike from the edge of the box. It looked destined for the back of the net until Strakosha tipped it over the crossbar.
Ronaldo did play a part in the goal but will feel he could have scored. He looked set to tap home Cancelo’s cross, but the goalkeeper managed to just get a touch. It proved a vital intervention, as the ball then hit Ronaldo and sat up perfectly for Mandzukic to convert.
