Embattled Ronaldo scores as Juventus beat Udinese
Ronaldo showed no sign of being under pressure despite the accusations made against him
UDINE (AFP) - Cristiano Ronaldo shrugged off damaging rape allegations to score for Juventus as the Italian champions beat Udinese 2-0 to stretch their lead at the top of Serie A on Saturday.
The Portuguese forward lashed in the second goal in the 37th minute from Mario Mandzukic s pass, four minutes after Rodrigo Bentancur s opener.
It was Ronaldo s fourth goal this season for Juventus, with the 33-year-old celebrating wildly with his teammates.
Juventus -- with a maximum 24 points from eight games -- opened up a nine-point lead on second-placed Napoli who host Sassuolo on Sunday.
Ronaldo showed no sign of being under pressure despite the accusations made against him which threaten his multi-million euro sporting empire.
US police on Monday re-opened an investigation into accusations by former American model Kathryn Mayorga that the five-time Ballon d Or winner raped her in a Las Vegas hotel in June 2009.
Ronaldo has strenuously denied the claims, and Juventus have so far stood behind their superstar, who moved to Turin in the summer in a 100-million-euro ($115 million) deal from Real Madrid.
He arrived at Udinese s compact Stadio Friuli and was greeted by the enthusiastic cries of dozens of children waiting for the two team buses.
During the warm-up before the game he was even approached by a child who came onto the pitch to ask for his autograph.
