Juventus’ Cristiano Ronaldo gave high-fives to imaginary fans prior to their Serie A clash against title rivals Inter Milan, with the game being played behind closed doors due to the coronavirus.
After getting off the team coach, Ronaldo grinned at the waiting cameras before applauding all corners of Juve’s empty stadium.
It’s been a difficult week for the Portugal legend as his mother had a stroke and emergency surgery.
Thankfully she’s recovering well and the 65-year-old sustained no long-term damage.
Coming into the Inter contest, the forward had scored in 11 straight Italian top-flight matches, equalling the Serie A record.
However, the 35-year-old couldn’t break the landmark in the unique atmosphere at the Allianz Stadium.
Despite failing to find the net, Juve still triumphed 2-0 over Antonio Conte’s side thanks to second half goals from Aaron Ramsey and Paulo Dybala.
The visitor’s disappointing night was compounded with the sending off of Daniele Padelli.
Their title hopes appear to be fading as they fell nine points behind the Old Lady, although they do have a game in hand.
Meanwhile, Maurizio Sarri’s men leapfrogged Lazio at the summit as they chase a ninth straight title.
They’re now one point clear of their closest rivals with 12 fixtures remaining.
Italy has been hit terribly by the coronavirus.
The number of people who have died from it has risen from 133 to 366 in just a day.
Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte has announced the closure of schools, gyms, museums and other venues.
The government has also insisted that all sport in the country will be played behind closed doors, with these restrictions lasting until 3 April.
Italy now has the highest number of confirmed infections outside of China, where it originated in December.
They’ve overtaken South Korea, which has 7,313 cases of the virus.
