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Juventus were held to another 1-1 draw in the Serie A tonight. Their riveting encounter with Atalanta ended in a stalemate after Cristiano Ronaldo's potentially match-winning penalty was saved by Pierluigi Gollini.
Both sides got on the scoresheet in spectacular fashions. Federico Chiesa scored a belter of a goal for the hosts in the first half, before Remo Freuler equalised with an equally-impressive strike from a similar position.
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The hosts had their fair share of chances, with Alvaro Morata and Ronaldo missing easy openings in the early stages of the game. They finally broke the deadlock after winning the ball back from Atalanta in the midfield. Federico Chiesa scored an absolute screamer from the edge of the box in the 29th minute.
By the end of the first half, the visitors upped their work-rate and had as many as eight attempts on goal, with three of them being on target. The addition of Papu Gomez had a positive impact on the visitors' game and he inadvertently led to his side's opener.
Atalanta equalised in the 57th minute through Freuler, who scored an almost identical-goal to Chiesa's screamer from the same position. Their joy was shortlived, as Juventus were awarded a penalty in the 68th minute. However, Ronaldo's rather tame effort was saved by Gollini, who was impressive throughout.
After two back-to-back wins in the league, Juventus were again held to a draw. If not for Szczesny's inspired performance between the sticks, the outcome would've been different for the hosts.
Here we take a look at the five major points from the reigning champions' sixth draw of the season.
#5 Juventus won the battle in the middle of the park
There were a lot of individual errors on the pitch tonight, but Juventus were solid in midfield and regained possession much to the frustration of the visitors. McKennie, Bentancur, and Arthur ensured that La Dea were not able to build from the back, and stopped most of their attacks in their tracks.
Arthur, being a creative midfielder, struggled to contain Pessina and Malinovskiy, but his replacement Rabiot was more than up to the task and added steel to the midfield. The hosts made the most of the absence of Atalanta's creative force, Gomez, to win the battle in the midfield.
Notably, it was a steal from Bentancur in the midfield that had allowed Andrea Pirlo's men to score the opening goal.
#4 Cristiano Ronaldo misses a penalty for the second time this year
Cristiano Ronaldo has been the saviour of his side in their recent outings, even though the last four of his goals have all come from the penalty spot. Tonight, he again had the opportunity to seal the win for his side as for the third game running, Juventus were awarded a penalty.
The 35-year-old, who has scored 31 Serie A goals in 2020, was expected to convert from the spot, given that he had a 100% record from penalties this term. He had confidently scored not one, but two penalties in each of his previous two outings.
Tonight, lady luck was not on his side, as his uncharacteristic poor effort was saved by Gollini. It was just the third time he had failed to convert a penalty in the Serie A. His last miss came against Sampdoria in July, although he had scored from open-play in that game which ended in a win for Juventus.
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#3 Pierluigi Gollini and Wojciech Szczesny kept their sides in the game with incredible saves
In the low scoring fixture, the two goalkeepers were the true heroes for their teams. Gollini did amazingly well to read Ronaldo's effort from the penalty spot. He almost single-handedly ensured a point for the visitors, but his best save to deny Juventus came a minute later.
After Juventus carved their way through the defence and Morata looked destined to score, he reacted quickly to pressure him and divert his effort behind for a corner. Earlier in the game, he had taken the striker's shot right in the face which had forced the game to be paused for a couple of minutes.
Szczesny was not that busy in the first half and only had a couple of saves to make. However, after the break, the Atalanta players were relentless in their attacks and forced the Polish 'keeper into making one save after another. If not for his heroics, the scoreline would've been very different.
#2 Ronaldo fails to score from open play for the fourth game running
Cristiano Ronaldo had a strong start to the 2020-21 campaign. He has scored 14 goals across all competitions, but has recently struggled to make things happen from open play.
His last four goals across all competitions have all come from the penalty spot and tonight he could've added one more to that list. However, his effort from the spot was saved by Gollini.
He was rarely involved in the buildup tonight. Almost every ball from the back was directed towards his strike partner Alvaro Morata, who impressed with his work-rate.
Ronaldo's movement and ability to run up and down the flanks has taken a hit with age. It seems he will have to work hard to get involved in the thick of things from now on, as he can't just wait for penalties to add to his tally.
#1 Juventus draw six of their first 12 game for the first time in 36 years
Juventus dropped points for the sixth time this season tonight. As things stand, Juventus have drawn 50% of their league fixtures so far. The game was the fifth time they had to be content with a 1-1 scoreline this season.
This campaign is the first time since the 1984-85 season that Juventus have dropped points six times in the opening 12 fixtures. If they are not attentive now, things could go downhill very quickly from here.
There are a couple of apparent reasons for Juventus' tendency to draw so many of their games. First, they have made a habit of conceding soon after scoring. They let their guard down and end up losing their lead, which was observed in their previous outing as well.
Secondly, Juventus have been overly reliant on a few players for the threat in the final third. Ronaldo, Morata, and Cuadrado have been their go-to players for creating and finishing the goals. So, when they have an off day, their gameplan is distorted.
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