Juventus cruise against last-place Chievo

Turin (Italy), Jan 22 (IANS) Cristiano Ronaldo failed to convert a penalty but his Juventus side topped relegation-bound Chievo 3-0 to go 9 points clear of Napoli at the top of Serie A.

Still undefeated this season in Serie A, Juve have 56 points from 20 matches and are well on their way to what would be an eighth consecutive title, reports Efe.

Douglas Costa opened the scoring in the 13th minute here on Monday, blowing past defenders to beat visiting goalkeeper Stefano Sorrentino with a rocket from 25 yards.

The Bianconeri led 2-0 at the break thanks to a goal in the 45th minute by Emre Can, who got an assist from Paulo Dybala.

Juventus remained on the hunt for goals in the second half and the game would have turned into a runaway if not for some outstanding saves by the 39-year-old Sorrentino, including his redirection of Cristiano's penalty.

The third goal came with six minutes left on a powerful header by defender Daniele Rugani.