Cristiano Ronaldo celebrated turning 36 in style as his early goal helped Juventus to see off Roma 2-0 in Saturday's Serie A contest.
A day after his 36th birthday, Ronaldo continued his stellar form in an exceptional performance at Allianz Stadium with a fantastic strike to open the scoring.
It was a match of few clear-cut chances – Roma failing to register an attempt on target until the 61st minute – though Ronaldo, who had all of Juve's three efforts, went close to a second when he rattled the crossbar.
A flurry of Roma pressure midway through the second half proved fruitless and, on the counter-attack, Juve had a decisive second when Ibanez turned into his own net.
Ronaldo avoided any risk of going four league games without a goal for the first time since 2017 as he thumped Juve ahead in the 13th minute, dispatching a left-footed snapshot into the right-hand corner.
Bryan Cristante was inches away from restoring parity in spectacular fashion seven minutes later – his wicked volley arrowing just wide.
The woodwork came to Roma's rescue in the 22nd minute, Ronaldo's deflected strike clattering down off the underside of the bar.
Ronaldo almost turned provider with an exquisite cross to Alex Sandro but the full-back was just unable to take it under control, before Pau Lopez denied Juve's rampant number seven.
With the onus on a toothless Roma attack, Juve frustrated their visitors after the restart, retaining 63 per cent possession in the first 15 minutes of the second half.
Wojciech Szczesny was finally called into action just after the hour, easily dealing with Henrikh Mkhitaryan's dipping effort before making a routine stop from Carles Perez's volley.
Yet Roma's comeback hopes were swiftly ended – Ibanez only able to divert Dejan Kulusevski's cutback into Roma's net to seal a Juve win which moved them within five points of leaders Inter.
What does it mean? Juve back in the running
Inter beat Fiorentina 2-0 on Friday to move top of Serie A, though Milan will retake pole position if they overcome bottom side Crotone on Sunday.
Juve have a game in hand on both Milan clubs and, with the Bianconeri having kept three successive league clean sheets for the first time under Andrea Pirlo, who also has Ronaldo on top form, you would not bet against them going on to clinch a 10th straight Scudetto.
Age is just a number
In an Instagram post to mark his 36th birthday on Friday, Ronaldo said: "I'm sorry that I can't promise you 20 more years of this."
While two more decades is beyond the reach of even the superhuman Ronaldo, the Portugal captain displayed his remarkable quality in another inspired showing. He has now scored 16 times across 17 Serie A appearances this season, while he has been directly involved in more goals than any other player (84) since making his debut in the competition.
Roma blunted
With Edin Dzeko starting on the bench after failing to secure a move away in the transfer window, Roma lacked a focal point until the forward's introduction just after the hour.
Paulo Fonseca's side had scored seven times in their previous two league outings yet had to wait over an hour for their first attempt on target and never truly came close to testing Szczesny, despite ending with 14 efforts on goal.
What's next?
Juve have a Coppa Italia semi-final second leg coming up on Tuesday, with Pirlo's team holding a 2-1 advantage over Inter. Roma, meanwhile, host Udinese a week on Sunday in their next league game.
'I know my worth and I will show it' – Antony vows to silence Man Utd critics
Manchester United winger Antony has pledged to silence his critics after ending his long wait for a Premier League goal on Saturday, saying: "I know my worth and I will show it."
Antony has struggled since swapping Ajax for Old Trafford in an £86million ($108m) deal last year, only managing five goals and three assists in 52 Premier League appearances.
The Brazilian failed to net in his first 26 league games this season before ending his goal drought against Burnley on Saturday, though Zeki Amdouni's late penalty earned the Clarets a 1-1 draw.
Antony was also roundly criticised for taunting Coventry City's players in the aftermath of United's FA Cup semi-final win over the Sky Blues earlier this month, with the Red Devils inching through on penalties after surrendering a 3-0 lead in a 3-3 draw.
Having struggled to live up to expectations since arriving in England, he was asked by The Athletic whether his price tag had put him under additional pressure, but he says that is not the case.
"It doesn't really impact me because I know my worth," Antony said. "The money is the money and obviously everyone speaks about it, but no one would if the performances were at the top.
"It's just a way of working harder, knowing I can get better, I know my worth and I will show it. The critics are going to exist, and they make me want to work harder and prove it to myself first.
"I'm going to keep working, giving everything for the group because it's most important to have a good mentality and to be focused."
Saturday's draw officially ended United's hopes of a top-four finish, heightening speculation regarding the future of manager Erik ten Hag.
While Antony accepts United have not been good enough this season, he is hopeful they can end the campaign on a high with another FA Cup final against Manchester City to come.
"It's been a very tough year for me and the team, the results are not ones we expected," Antony added.
"I am someone who takes criticism very well and I want to work on it, and I think we all have to focus on finishing the season the best we can.
"We still have five games and we have to think game by game, get better and go into the final in the best way possible to win it."
Bayer Leverkusen's Puerta sets sights on Copa America
Gustavo Puerta's first season with Bayer Leverkusen could not have gone any better and the 20-year-old midfielder hopes his experience with the undefeated German side will earn him a place in Colombia's Copa America squad this summer.
Puerta has made eight appearances this season for Bundesliga champions Leverkusen, who are unbeaten in 46 matches across all competitions under Xabi Alonso.
Leverkusen will play Roma in the Europa League semi-finals and are also through to the DFB-Pokal final.
"This year has been wonderful for me and for my career, I hope to keep winning titles and get minutes at the end of the tournament," Puerta, who has made five Bundesliga appearances, told Reuters.
Puerta enjoyed success with Colombia's under-20 side and has received his first call-up for the national team's friendlies against Spain and Romania in March.
He hopes to make an impression on coach Nestor Lorenzo with the Copa America on the horizon. The tournament takes place in the United States across June and July.
"Being in this team with an undefeated run is very important to be considered for the national team if the coach (Lorenzo) thinks I can contribute," he added.
"We haven't talked much about it, but he told me that he's keeping an eye on me, that he wants to see me play. I hope to get minutes in the end because it is a privilege to be in the national team, I want to wait for the call-up."
The Colombian added that playing for one of the top 10 teams in the world has not only improved his game but also given him confidence in his abilities.
"It helps you mature, spending time with great world-class players on a daily basis and training with them is important, they are very experienced and that makes a difference for someone as young as me," he added.
Puerta said he felt supported by the club and that he would be able to reach his full potential under Alonso.
"It was historic, very nice, very crazy to have won my first title in one of the top five leagues in Europe," he added.
Emotional Thiago Silva confirms Chelsea departure but vows to return 'in another role'
Thiago Silva will leave Chelsea at the end of the campaign, but hopes to return down the line in another role.
Silva, who joined Chelsea as a free agent after leaving Paris Saint-Germain in 2020, has made 151 appearances for the club and helped them win the Champions League, Club World Cup and Super Cup.
The 39-year-old, however, will not be staying at Stamford Bridge for a fifth campaign.
In an emotional interview with the club's media channels, the Brazilian said: "Chelsea means a lot to me. I came here with the intention of only staying for one year and it ended up being four years.
"Not just for me but for my family, too. My sons play for Chelsea so it's a source of great pride to be a member of the Chelsea family.
"I hope my sons can continue with their careers here at this victorious club that many players wish to be a part of.
"I think everything I did here over the four years, I always gave my all but, unfortunately, everything has a start, a middle and an end.
"It's an indescribable love. I can only say thank you."
However, Silva is set on returning to the club once his playing days are over.
He added: "That doesn't mean that this is a definitive end, I have to leave the door open so that in the near future I can return, albeit in another role here.
"Obviously, when I started here, it was during the pandemic, so there weren't any fans in the stadium, but through social media it became something very special to me and then when the fans started coming back, and life was getting back to normal, I started to feel a lot of affection and respect for my story and for my start here.
"So, it is already hard saying goodbye in the most normal of circumstances, but when there is a mutual love, it's even harder. But once a Blue, always a Blue."
Silva has worked under a variety of managers during his time at Chelsea, including Mauricio Pochettino, Graham Potter, Thomas Tuchel and Frank Lampard, who brought him to the club.
"The way in which I came here, with the support of the club, I got to be a leader of the club having arrived as the new guy," Silva continued.
"It's always difficult to integrate, but bit by bit, I became part of the group and Lampard played a big part in that, so I am grateful to him for that.
"Not even in my wildest dreams did I imagine that I could achieve such great things and win one of the best professional titles, the Champions League, at one of the biggest clubs in the world.
"Goodbyes are for those that leave and don't come back. I intend on coming back one day."
Silva will be hoping to bid farewell to Chelsea on a high note by propelling them to European qualification.
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