Ronaldo did talking on the pitch before declining interview - Pirlo

TURIN, Italy (Reuters) - Juventus coach Andrea Pirlo defended Cristiano Ronaldo’s decision not to speak to the media after scoring a hat-trick at Cagliari in Serie A on Sunday, saying the Portuguese had already done his talking on the pitch.

The 36-year-old scored three goals in 32 minutes as Juve bounced back from their midweek Champions League lat-16 exit to Porto with a 3-1 win in Sardinia.

WATCH | Click on Zee Business Live TV Streaming Below:

Ronaldo came in for widespread media criticism for his performance in Tuesday’s second leg, when Juventus went out on away goals to Porto following a 4-4 aggregate draw, and declined to give a post-match interview in Cagliari.

The forward scored a perfect treble with his head, right foot and left foot, and turned to the camera to point to his ear in an apparent response to his critics after netting his third.

“He was angry like the whole team was angry this week, because failing to qualify in the Champions League brought some sadness into the group,” Pirlo told Sky Italia.

“But he didn’t speak because he already spoke on the pitch by scoring three goals and putting in a great performance.

The story has been taken from a news agency