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Gary Lineker says Maurizio Sarri's decision to substitute Cristiano Ronaldo against AC Milan was a gamble but ultimately paid off.

With the game still goalless after half time, Juve had struggled to create clear cut chances and looked like they would drop two points in their pursuit of Inter Milan at the top of Serie A.

But former Chelsea boss Sarri made the decision to take top scorer Ronaldo off and replace the forward with Paulo Dybala after 55 minutes.

Ronaldo appeared to be unhappy and walked straight down the tunnel after being withdrawn for the second consecutive game. The striker was also taken off during Wednesday’s Champions League match at Lokomotiv Moscow, although Sarri said it was to avoid risking injury as the 34-year-old had complained of knee and thigh problems.

Dybala, who was close to a move to Tottenham in the summer, went on to score the winner against Milan after some smart inter-play with Gonzalo Higuain.

Match of the Day presenter Lineker took to social media when Sarri withdrew the Portugal star, writing: 'Sarri substitutes Ronaldo for the 2nd time and he marches past him straight down the tunnel. Won’t end well, I suspect. Got to say, he’s a ballsy bugger is Sarri.'

After Dybala's winning goal, Lineker said: 'Dybala who came on for Ronaldo scores the only goal of the game,' followed by: 'Sarri-ballsy', a play on the coined phrase 'Sarri-ball', which refers to the Italian's style of football.

The result means Juve move back to the top of the table on 32 points, a point ahead of Inter who are also managed by a former Chelsea manager in Antonio Conte.