Juventus striker Cristiano Ronaldo (Photo | AP) 
Football

Cristiano Ronaldo's absence shouldn't affect Juventus' performance: Andrea Pirlo after draw against Benevento

Andrea Pirlo said his side 'must be able to play' their game even in the absence of the team's star player Cristiano Ronaldo.

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BENEVENTO: Juventus manager Andrea Pirlo said his side "must be able to play" their game even in the absence of the team's star player Cristiano Ronaldo.

Pirlo's comments came after Juventus were restricted to a 1-1 draw by Benevento in the Serie A on Saturday.

"When we lack players of experience and personality, we struggle. Ronaldo had already had a little problem on Wednesday and preferred to recover. He is an added value and he has shown this, but even when he is not there, we must be able to play our game," the club's official website quoted Pirlo as saying.

Alvaro Morata scored the opening goal of the match, putting Juventus ahead in the 21st minute. However, Benevento managed to level the scores with the help of Gaetano Letizia.

Pirlo said there was a bit of "nervousness" in the second half.

"We managed the match well in the first half and we could have wrapped it up, but we're still not understanding certain moments of the match. We took a corner kick quickly at the end, they recovered the ball and we conceded a goal," he said.

"We must understand that certain moments of the matches are not all the same and in the second half there was a bit of nervousness and little clarity," Pirlo added.

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