Sharjah24 – Reuters: Juventus substitute Cristiano Ronaldo was denied a stoppage-time winner by VAR as Udinese came from two goals down to snatch a 2-2 draw in their thrilling Serie A season opener on Sunday.
Reports in the Italian media suggested Ronaldo had asked to be named as a substitute in order to remain fit for a move away from the club, something Juve denied.
But after coming off the bench, the 36-year-old Portuguese forward thought he had headed his side to victory right at the death, only for VAR to rule Ronaldo to be offside.
In Massimiliano Allegri's first game in charge after returning for a second spell at the club, goals by Paulo Dybala and Juan Cuadrado gave Juve a comfortable halftime lead.
A soft penalty conceded by goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny six minutes after the break gifted Udinese a route back into the match before an even more calamitous error by the Pole let Gerard Deulofeu in to level in the 83rd minute.
Ronaldo, who came on for Alvaro Morata in the second half, then celebrated meeting Federico Chiesa's cross perfectly, only to see Juve's joy curtailed by VAR after a lengthy review.
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