Five goals crashed into the back of the net as Cristiano Ronaldo made his Serie A bow in Verona, though none of them belonged to the Portuguese superstar as Juventus scrambled to a late victory on opening day..
The Old Lady took the lead within three minutes after Sami Khedira leaped onto a loose ball in the area to lash home, though complacency would creep in.
Second half goals from Mariusz Stepinski and former Juve man Emanuele Giaccherini gave Chievo a shock comeback lead, though the homecoming hero Leonardo Bonucci was on hand to head home late on and grab a share of the spoils.
Fede Bernardeschi was the hero of the day, scoring deep in added time to seal all three points.
Report to follow
After Juve new boy Joao Cancelo fouled him, Emanuele Giaccherini stepped up to lash home a penalty and put Chievo ahead
Ronaldo could not hide his frustration after Giaccherini’s pen hit the back of the net, putting Juventus behind in the clash
Chievo had fought back to level the scoreline after Mariusz Stepinski rose highest to glance the ball home with precision
The Polish striker wheeled away in celebration after pulling the home side back into contention in Verona
Sami Khedira was mobbed by his team-mates after putting Juventus 1-0 ahead within three minutes of the match
Ronaldo used the early stages of the tie to get on the ball as much as possible and drive towards the Chievo defence
The forward tried an early piece of trickery to bamboozle his opponent in the opening stages and create a chance
All cameras were focused on the Portugal superstar as he took to a pitch in Italian football for the first time
Ronaldo stopped to applaud the travelling supporters who continued to chant his name during the pre-match warm up
The former Real Madrid star looked to be in stellar condition as he got himself ready for the fixture to get under way
Ronaldo cut a focused figure as he went through the pre-match warm up drills inside the Stadio Marc’Antonio Bentegodi
Ronaldo emerged for his first appearance in Serie A football through the tunnel entrance of Chievo’s stadium
MATCH FACTS
CHIEVO: Sorrentino, Cacciatore, Bani, Rossettini, Tomovic, Heternaj, Radovanovic, Rigoni, Giaccherini, Stepinski (Djordjevic 66), Depaoli.
SUBS NOT USED: Barba, Birsa, Obi, Jaroszynsku, Kiyine, Leris, Maggiorini, Pellissier, Seculin, Tanasijevic, Semper
GOALS: Stepinski, Giaccherini (pen)
BOOKED: Radovanovic
JUVENTUS: Szczesny; Cancelo, Bonucci, Chiellini, Alex Sandro; Khedira, Pjanic; Cuadrado, Dybala, Douglas Costa; Ronaldo
SUBS NOT USED: Perin, Pinsoglio, Benatia, Matuidi, Barzagli, Mandzukic, Emre Can, Rugani, Bentancur, Bernardeschi
GOALS: Khedira
BOOKED:
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