Golden boot slips away from Cristiano Ronaldo as Immobile widens gap

Lazio striker Ciro Immobile took the outright lead in the battle for the European golden ball after scoring his 35th goal of the season on Wednesday night. Meanwhile, Juventus star Cristiano Ronaldo failed to close the gap as he remains on 31 Serie A goals with only one match remaining.

Lazio defeated Brescia 2-0 last night, thanks to Immobile's strike and Joaquin Correa's early goal. Despite having his team lose out to Juventus on the Serie A title race, Immobile looks to be on course to capture the European golden boot. He took the outright lead after overtaking Bayern Munich player Robert Lewandowski, who already wrapped up his Bundesliga season with 34 goals.

Meanwhile, Cristiano Ronaldo was frustrated against Cagliari, as the recently declared Serie A champions lost 2-0. Luca Gagliano and Giovanni Simeone netted the ball for the hosts, while neither Ronaldo nor any other Juventus player could add to their tally. Nevertheless, the dropped points did not make a dent on the Old Lady's standing, as they had already achieved an insurmountable championship lead as of their previous match.

Still, Juventus will be looking forward to closing their domestic season on a high. They have one more opportunity to do that with a win against Roma on Saturday. It will be a tall order for Ronaldo to secure the golden boot, as he will need to score at least four times to stand level with Immobile.

Following a record-extending ninth consecutive Serie A title, the boys from Turin will have their sights set on European glory. They will need to work hard to stage a comeback against Lyon in the second leg of their round-of-16 encounter. As it stands, Lyon leads 1-0. Juventus is set to host the delayed second leg on August 8. The original matchday in March was cancelled due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.

The remaining round-of-16 matches of the UEFA Champions League are scheduled to be played in their original venues in the first week of August. After that, the quarter-finals onward will all be played as knockout matches in Lisbon, Portugal.