Cristiano Ronaldo tasted defeat in a final for the first time since 2014 as his Juventus team were beaten by Lazio in the Italian Super Cup in Saudi Arabia.
Juve went down 3-1 to their Rome-based rivals, with Luis Alberto’s opener for Lazio being cancelled out by Paulo Dybala on the stroke of half time, before Senad Lulic and Danilo Cataldi sealed the win for Lazio in the second half.
For Ronaldo, 34, it was a first defeat in a final since 2014, when he lost the two-legged Spanish Super Cup while playing for Real Madrid against rivals Atletico.
Clearly unaccustomed to losing, Ronaldo showed his disdain on Sunday by removing the silver medal from around his neck immediately after being presented with it at King Saud University Stadium in Riyadh.
Prior to that, the Portuguese had won an incredible 14 consecutive finals for club or country: four Champions League finals, three FIFA Club World Cup finals, two UEFA Super Cup finals, one Copa del Rey final, one Spanish Super Cup final, one Italian Super Cup final, one UEFA European Championship final, and one UEFA Nations League final.
The Italian Super Cup was being held in Saudi Arabia for the second year in a row – a decision which has drawn criticism in Italy over the kingdom’s human rights record.
For Lazio, it was a second win over Juventus in three weeks, after they beat the Bianconeri 3-1 in Serie A earlier in December.
Maurizio Sarri’s Juve team are facing a tight battle to retain the Scudetto title they have won for the past eight years.
They are level on 42 points with Inter Milan at the top of the table, but sit second on goal difference. Lazio lie six points behind in third but with a game in hand.
After Sunday’s defeat, Sarri said his team had “arrived at this game short of energy, physically and mentally.
“Meanwhile, Lazio are experiencing a moment of incredible form,” Sarri added, before claiming that “I don’t think this final can affect the next five months of the league championship.”
Juventus are next in action on January 6 when they host Cagliari in Serie A.
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