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TURIN. – Cristiano Ronaldo’s Juventus debut had to be cut short after supporters stormed the pitch to mob him and his team-mates during their final pre-season soccer friendly on Sunday.

Thousands of Juventus fans arrived for the friendly against their Under-19 side in anticipation of watching Ronaldo make his first appearance and got what they came to see. Ronaldo started the match and marked the occasion with a goal before an own goal and a quick fire brace from Paulo Dybala gave Juventus a commanding lead heading into the break.

The party atmosphere in rural Piedmont threatened to get out of hand as a fan seized on the opportunity to meet Ronaldo by running on the pitch to take a picture with him during the game.

The fan was swiftly dealt with by stewards and was escorted off the pitch. Shortly after the match resumed, Claudio Marchisio scored a fifth by finishing off a well-worked team move.

However, minutes later a huge swarm of fans invaded the pitch and the game was subsequently abandoned.

A pitch invasion takes place during this fixture every year, but this time with the extra excitement of Ronaldo’s presence, fans ran on prematurely.

Juventus manager Massimiliano Allegri says the Bianconeri are more determined than ever before to win everything this season. “Naturally, we have bigger ambitions of winning the Champions League than in previous years, just as we want the Scudetto, Coppa Italia and Supercoppa Italiana,” he told Sky Sport Italia.

“Ronaldo has above all brought experience at international level and is an extra motivation for the younger guys to aim higher. You don’t win five Ballon d’Or trophies for nothing and you can see how hard he works to get there.” – AFP.