Juventus vs Atalanta 0-1: Zapata Strike Seals Victory for La Dea

Juventus’ woes continued as they registered their second defeat in a row to Atalanta at the Allianz Stadium today. 

Both sides entered the game at the back of disappointing Champions League results and were looking to get three points. The Bianconeri had a few chances while Atalanta’s opportunities were mostly due to errors from Matthijs de Ligt.

The latter took the lead just before the hour-mark thanks to Duvan Zapata, who scored his eighth Serie A goal of the season. Juve tried to equalize but the Atalanta backline and Juan Musso foiled them on a few occasions.

The Bianconeri had a glorious chance to equalize towards the end of the game but Paulo Dybala’s free-kick clipped the crossbar.

With the victory, Atalanta registered their first victory over Juve in Turin since 1989.

Dybala Back, Atalanta Make Two Changes

Juventus made only one change from their thrashing against Chelsea as Dybala returned to the starting XI at the expense of Rodrigo Bentancur. Weston McKennine once again started as a right midfielder while Federico Chiesa was on the left.

Gian Piero Gasperini made two changes from Atalanta’s draw against Young Boys, with Berat Djimsiti replacing Jose Luis Palomino whole Matteo Pessina started ahead of Mario Pasalic.

Zapata Fires Atalanta Ahead

Atalanta started the match strongly with Zapata trying to create a chance for Malinovskyi. However, Juve’s centre-back pairing of Leonardo Bonucci and De Ligt were there to foil him.

La Dea had a chance when the latter’s loose pass allowed Zapata to take possession. He passed to Remo Freuler, only for the Swiss midfielder’s shot to go wide. Juventus threatened Atalanta’s defense and Dybala did well to put himself in a shooting position. However, the Argentine’s shot wasn’t strong enough and Musso had little trouble saving it.

Juve had another good chance when Weston McKennie’s pass found Chiesa. However, Atalanta skipper Rafael Toloi’s challenge prevented him from taking a shot on goal.

La Dea eventually opened the scoring after 28 minutes with Djimsiti’s defense-splitting pass finding Zapata, who beat Wojciech Szczesny with a marvelous right-footed finish.

Juve were eager to equalize quickly and Dybala tried to find the net but his shot was wide. 

Dybala Comes Close but Unable to Prevent Juve Defeat

Juventus suffered a major setback at the end of the first half as Chiesa got injured and he was replaced by Federico Bernardeschi. The 27-year-old took a shot on goal early in the second half but it was wide.

Dybala tried to find an equalizer close to the hour-mark but his left-footed shot went over the bar. In the move that led to the attempt, McKennie got injured and had to be taken off the pitch with Moise Kea replacing him.

Juve continued to attack and Adrien Rabiot took a shot at goal but Musso made a fine save to deny the Frenchman. Atalanta’s backline was often kept busy but they were always up to the task. La Dea’s best chance of the game came from Joakim Maehle but his shot was deflected for a corner

Juventus got one late free-kick during injury time and up stepped Dybala. However, his shot clipped the crossbar and Atalanta survived.

What’s Next for Juventus and Atalanta

Juventus travel to Salerno where they face bottom-ranked Salernitana. Just hours before that fixture, Atalanta host Venezia.

 

MATCH SCORECARD

November 27, 2021 – Serie A 2021-2022 Round 14
JUVENTUS – ATALANTA 0-1

SCORERS: 28′ Zapata (A)