Ronaldo double sees Juventus beat Parma

Cristiano Ronaldo scored for a seventh successive Serie A game as his brace gave leaders Juventus victory at home to Parma.

Ronaldo opened the scoring two minutes before half-time with a deflected effort off Matteo Darmian.

Andreas Cornelius' powerful header restored parity, but Ronaldo slotted home Paulo Dybala's pass to restore Juve's lead three minutes later.

The result lifts Juventus four points clear of second-placed Inter Milan.

Ronaldo is the first player to score in seven consecutive league games for Juventus since David Trezeguet netted in nine successive matches in 2005.

The Portuguese forward went close to completing his hat-trick in the second half, shooting straight at Parma goalkeeper Luigi Sepe from a tight angle.

Juventus keeper Wojciech Szczesny had to be on his toes to deny Jasmin Kurtic and Hernani as the visitors pushed for a late equaliser, while Matthijs de Ligt did well to block Mattia Sprocati's goal-bound effort late on.

Inter Milan failed to put pressure on Maurizio Sarri's side earlier in the day, drawing 1-1 with struggling Lecce.

Dhaka/Mukul