Juventus boss Andrea Pirlo has defended Cristiano Ronaldo after the Portugal star's uncharacteristic penalty miss saw the Bianconeri drop points against Atalanta.
The reigning Serie A champions played out a 1-1 draw against Atalanta on Wednesday evening but were made to rue their luck after Ronaldo failed to convert from the penalty spot, before Alvaro Morata scuffed an effort wide with the goal gaping moments later.
It was only the fourth time in 30 attempts that Ronaldo had not scored from the penalty spot since joining Juve from Real Madrid in 2018 and boss Pirlo was quick to absolve the five-time Ballon d'Or winner of any blame for the result.
"It was not an easy game but he did well," the former Italy international said, per AS. "If he scored his penalty some judgments would have changed. He did what he had to, maybe not brilliant as usual but he is a champion and champions miss penalties too."
Pirlo shared similar views on Morata's woes in front of goals, although he admitted that the Spain striker's decision to go for goal with an attempted back-heel had infuriated him.
"Morata's miss made me very angry, it's something we cannot afford," the 41-year-old added, per Goal. "These opportunities can channel the game in a certain way. One must have the lucidity to make the right choice and he didn't. Aside from that, he played a great game. It happens that goals are not scored sometimes."
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