MILAN — Cristiano Ronaldo scored from the spot as unbeaten Italian champion Juventus saw off city rival Torino 1-0 to hammer home its domination in Serie A Saturday.
Juventus travelled to the Stadio Olimpico after its year-long unbeaten record away from home ended with a shock 2-1 Champions League defeat by Young Boys in Bern.
Ronaldo slotted in his 11th league goal this season, and 5,000th for Juventus in Serie A, after 70 minutes after Torino goalkeeper Salvador Ichazo fouled Mario Mandzukic.
Juventus is now 11 points ahead of second-placed Napoli with Inter Milan 14 points behind the leader after captain Mauro Icardi scored from the spot in a 1-0 win over Udinese.
Earlier, Icardi got third-placed Inter Milan back to winning ways with a 1-0 victory over Udinese.
Icardi slotted in after 76 minutes at the San Siro with a cheeky ‘Panenka’ into the center of goal after a penalty was awarded for a Seko Fofano handball.
It was the 25-year-old’s ninth league goal this season and 120th for the club, and pulled Inter to within three points of second-placed Napoli.
Real and Atletico
close in on Barcelona
Karim Benzema shot Real Madrid to within two points of La Liga leader Barcelona with the winner in a scrappy 1-0 win over Rayo Vallecano, while countryman Antoine Griezmann fired a brace in a 3-2 win over Real Valladolid to take Atletico Madrid level with Barca.
Benzema’s 13th-minute strike was enough for Real to move up to third on 29 points, two behind Barca and second-placed Atleti.
Earlier, Griezmann struck the winner for Diego Simeone’s Atleti 10 minutes from the end after Valladolid had fought back from a two goal half-time deficit.
Dortmund guarantees
‘autumn title’
Bundesliga leader Borussia Dortmund edged past Werder Bremen 2-1 Saturday to open up a nine-point gap that guarantees it will stay top of the table going into the winter break later this month.
Goals from the league’s leading scorer Paco Alcacer and Marco Reus earned unbeaten Dortmund its sixth league win in a row.
It put it on 39 points from 15 games, nine clear of Borussia Moenchengladbach, which drew 0-0 at Hoffenheim, and champion Bayern Munich, winners 4-0 at Hanover 96, with two matchdays left until the start of the winter break on Dec. 23.
The unofficial autumn ‘Herbstmeister’ title, for the team which leads the Bundesliga at the halfway mark, may mean little now but 38 of the last 55 sides to earn that accolade have gone on to also win the league title.
Mario Gomez scored twice for VfB Stuttgart to help it come from a goal down and beat Hertha Berlin 2-1.
But the victory was overshadowed by the sudden death of the father of Stuttgart captain Christian Gentner, who passed away in the stadium immediately after the game. — Agencies
