Atalanta's 1-1 Serie A draw at Juventus saw them go a fifth consecutive game unbeaten for the first time since 2007, whilst the Bianconeri, who haven’t beaten La Dea at home since 2018, drop further off the pace at the top of the table.
Juventus came flying out of the blocks, and only the width of a post stopped Pierre Kalulu from opening the scoring with a towering header in the second minute.
All La Dea were able to initially offer in response were half-chances from 17-year-old Honest Ahanor and Nikola Krstovic.
Both Andrea Cambiaso and Teun Koopmeiners were dictating play in the Juve midfield, and in Atalanta’s desire to limit their forays, they left Khephren Thuram completely unmarked to fire a goalbound effort that was a whisker away from finding the net after a deflection.
The visitors deserved great credit for coping with a persistent onslaught from the Bianconeri during the opening half hour, with Berat Djimsiti and Ahanor in particular providing sterling resistance.
Djimsiti glanced a header over from a corner in one of Atalanta’s only significant attacks of the first half, and although they did little going forward, La Dea were still able to contain Juve.
In stoppage time, and with the hosts still in the ascendancy, the frustration from the home support only increased when Kamaldeen Sulemana slalomed through two challenges before firing home a stunning left-footed effort, which handed his side the lead against the run of play.
Things were more equal at the start of the second half, with a consistent back-and-forth contest emerging.
Krstovic somehow screwed the ball wide when one-on-one with Michele Di Gregorio, whilst Lois Openda’s great movement and chance creation seemed to suggest that he would be the most likely to get the hosts back on terms.
A looping header from Mario Pasalic had Di Gregorio scrambling as Atalanta looked to strike the killer blow just after the hour, and Raoul Bellanova would be disappointed at not having made the most of Charles De Ketelaere’s sumptuous cross.
As Atalanta continued to drive forward whilst looking solid at the back, an awful error from Odilon Kossounou let in Juan Cabal to poke home the equaliser just two minutes after coming on.
Marten de Roon was soon sent off for the visitors as the pendulum swung firmly in favour of the Bianconeri, and the last few moments of the game then became an exercise for both teams in keeping their composure under the most intense pressure.
Weston McKennie’s shot from the edge of the six-yard box was the most golden of chances to win the game, and his failure to find the net means that Atalanta are now unbeaten in the last five Serie A H2Hs (W1, D4) against Juve, losing just one of the last 12 meetings in the league (W3, D8).
Flashscore Man of the Match: Honest Ahanor (Atalanta)
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