JUVENTUS was stunned by promoted Empoli in their first match of the post-Cristiano Ronaldo era, a 1-0 home defeat in Serie A leaving the “Old Lady” looking toothless while Ciro Immobile hit a hat trick for Lazio in a 6-1 thrashing of Spezia. The Turin giants would have been confident of their chances against their Tuscan opponents but Leonardo Mancuso’s first ever goal in Italy’s top flight mid-way through the first half condemned Juve to an embarrassing defeat, which enraged supporters at the Allianz Stadium. Those fans will be worrying about their team’s chances of taking the league title back from fierce rival Inter Milan on the basis of Saturday’s display and last week’s 2-2 draw at Udinese. Coach Massimiliano Allegri practically shrugged his shoulders and said “l(fā)ife goes on” when he revealed Friday that superstar forward Ronaldo, now back at Manchester United, had told him he wanted to leave. And after the defeat he attempted to downplay the departure of the five-time Ballon d’Or winner, who would have saved Juve’s skin at Udinese had it not been for a razor thin offside decision. “Cristiano was at Juventus three years, I only had him for one. He scored goals, he did what he was very good at, he is a great player but from this point onwards we can’t think about Cristiano Ronaldo any more,” Allegri told media DAZN. But Juve missed a cutting edge in front of goal in what was the worst possible start to life without the 36-year-old, who last term topped the Serie A goals charts and scored over 100 times for the in three seasons in Italy. They were whistled off the field by indignant home fans, whose team sits 13th in Serie A with one point from their opening two matches. Juve’s best play came before Mancuso’s goal turned the match on its head in the 21st minute, with Federico Chiesa twice being denied by excellent Guglielmo Vicario saves. After that, Aurelio Andreazzoli’s Empoli players, who were beaten 3-1 by Lazio last weekend, played courageously and matched their more illustrious hosts for long periods in what will be a famous victory for the small town club.(SD-Agencies) | 