Juventus 2-2 Atalanta: 5 talking points as Ronaldo rescues a point for the Bianconeri | Serie A 2019-20
Heading into today's match, the Bianconeri were set to move 10 points clear but a strong Atalanta side were on hand to stifle their efforts, holding Juventus to an intense draw.
The Oribici have exceeded expectations so far this season and they currently lie in third place, just behind Lazio. Juventus remain eight points ahead of the pack with only s games left in the Serie A, which means they still have one hand on the title, but they would have to be at their best to see the season out in style.
The game started with both sides itching for a win as either side of the pitch saw fluidity and created chances. However, Juventus seemed to quickly fall into defensive mode, leaving the visitors to dictate the game.
This didn't bode well for them as 16 minutes in, Duvan Zapata scored the opener for Atalanta. Winning back possession in the midfield, Remo Freuler sent the ball onwards for Alejandro Gomez to drive into the final third. Gomez found an onrushing Zapata who latched onto the ball, cleared room for himself, and put the ball into the back of the net.
Being on the losing end seemed to wake up the Turin giants who leaned into Atalanta and drove ferocious attacks into the final third, time and time again. Holding onto the ball well, they created chances throughout the remainder of the first half, but a rock-solid Atalanta backline refused them access.
Juventus continued their onslaught right from the start of the second half, and it paid off eventually after Marten de Roon's error saw him deflect the flight of the ball with his arm. The incident happened in the box, and the referee's penalty decision was easy to make. Cristiano Ronaldo stepped up to take the spot kick and unleashed a powerful shot that beat Pierluigi Gollini and levelled the game.
Although the hosts were set to dictate the proceedings once more, the opponents had no intention of settling back to defend. Constantly finding chances to get on the attack, Atalanta's second goal came late in the game when Ruslan Malinovskiy unleashed a powerful shot that beat Wojciech Szczesny and put the visitors in the lead.
Much of the credit had to go to Luis Muriel, who drew defenders to himself before squaring a pass into Malinovskiy. The Ukranian freed himself from his marker with his first touch, and slammed the ball right past Szczesny and into the goal.
It all seemed like Atalanta had done the unexpected and taken three points home from a visit to the Allianz Stadium, but their handball woes were not over. 90 minutes into the game, it was Muriel's arm that got in the way of a Juve cross, and the referee had no choice but to point to the spot.
Cristiano Ronaldo took it once again, and although Gollini guessed correctly, the Juve star's shot was too accurate to reach. Once again, Juventus drew level and saw the game out with a point for each side.
Without further ado, let's look at five talking points from the game:
#1 Atalanta were very unlucky
Not many Italian teams can square off with the giants of Turin, but these lads went right for the jugular and pressed Juventus into submission. All things being equal, Atalanta were the better side today, and certainly deserved to take all three points home.
Juventus were well matched on nearly every level, and they struggled to find a clear route into the visitors' box. However, two silly and unlucky mistakes from Atalanta saw the referee point to the spot twice for handball incidents. Cristiano Ronaldo converted both penalties, and that essentially saved Juventus from dropping all three points.
#2 Atalanta could have been better in front of goal
Aside from the troubling frequency of handbills in the penalty area while defending, the Italian outfit could have certainly done better in the final third as well. While they did have more shots than the Juventini, the Oribici attackers found it difficult to keep them on target. From a total of 13 shots at goal, they put only two on target (and thankfully scored them).
Players like Alejandro Gomez and Josip Ilicic had all their shots off target, while scorers Zapata and Malinovskiy had only a shot on target each. A more clinical outfit would perhaps have seen the visitors outscore their defensive mistakes and win the game, but alas, their inaccuracy in front of goal caused their loss of points.
#3 What happened to Juventus?
For a side with one hand on the domestic trophy, the Bianconeri played with complacency and poor concentration. It was almost as though they believed the Serie A title was already theirs. Shocking to watch, Juventus misplaced possession incredulously, picked up fouls and cards on their right wing, and failed to successfully score a single goal from open play.
In fact, the only attacking outlet seemed to be Cristiano Ronaldo who managed five shots against Gollini, more than every other player in his team combined. This poor draw for the Turin giants comes right after their gaffe at the Giuseppe Mezzala where Milan thrashed them 4-2.
In their last two games, Juventus have dropped five points, and this certainly doesn't bode well for Maurizio Sarri and his men.
#4 Juventus misplaced their long passes constantly
For a ball-playing defender like Leonardo Bonucci to finish the game with 82% passing accuracy, it was quite clear that his idea of launching the ball over Atalanta's backline was a pointless venture. Making 10 of such passes through the course of the game, only four found their target.
it also wasn't beneficial from Szczesny's goalkicks and launches, as Atalanta were quite capable of dealing with such balls with their three-man defensive lineup. Perhaps only Juan Cuadrado was efficient with his long passing and crossing, from which he provided a big chance that almost put Juventus level from open play.
#5 Cristiano Ronaldo saved Juventus twice in the game
While he seemed to be the only available attacking outlet in the toothless team that was Juventus, the 35-year-old was on hand to see them through the game with two well-taken penalties. Rival fans will certainly bring up the "Penaldo" jokes and call this stat-padding, but Ronaldo's total influence on pushing his side forward was clear.
Unable to stop some of his advances, Atalanta defenders resorted to fouling him, putting him at par with Duvan Zapata as the most fouled player on the field. Ronaldo sought out his chances, caused trouble for Atlanta on the left flank, and beat the goalkeeper twice with his penalties.
Perhaps he didn't do enough overall, but the Portugal international kept Juventus in the game and saved his side from what would have been their second defeat in a row.