Juventus 2-2 Atalanta: Koopmeiners' double denies Old Lady from reclaiming second spot
Atalanta held Juventus to a 2-2 draw in Serie A on Sunday at Allianz Stadium, with goals from Andrea Cambiaso and Arkadiusz Milik cancelled out by a brace from Teun Koopmeiners.
The match was a rollercoaster, with Koopmeiners scoring first, Juve orchestrating a quick turnaround in four minutes in the second half, only for the Dutch international to level the score in the 75th minute.
Juve, who have won one of their last seven league games, are third with 58 points, one point behind second-place AC Milan and 17 points behind leaders Inter Milan.
Juventus manager Massimiliano Allegri said he was unconcerned about his team's recent struggles.
"I think we had a good performance against a good Atalanta team, they did well with that free kick and the second goal, whereas we could’ve defended better," he told DAZN.
"We were coming off a difficult period, it might not seem like it, but this is a very important result for us."
"We try to win every game, it’s not always possible, and qualifying for the Champions League is the objective."
Atalanta's momentum has also slowed, and they are currently in sixth place with 47 points after failing to win their last four league games.
"The trouble with playing every three days is that you never know what condition you will be in. We were in better shape on Thursday, we’ll see what the situation is next week," Atalanta coach Gian Piero Gasperini told DAZN.
"It is always difficult to come here and play well. They had a thousand reasons to want to win and lock down the Champions League place, so seeing our mentality in this situation was really pleasing."
Atalanta broke the deadlock 10 minutes before halftime when Mario Pasalic's free kick found an unmarked Koopmeiners on the edge of the box, who scored with a strong first-time finish.
Juve equalised after 66 minutes when Cambiaso was played through inside the box and managed to poke the ball past Atalanta goalkeeper Marco Carnesecchi.
Juve completed the turnaround in the 70th minute, thanks to the support of enthusiastic home fans who sensed the prospect of a crucial victory. Weston McKennie skillfully chested down a cross, allowing Milik to slot it home from close range.
However, the frenzy died down five minutes later when Koopmeiners equalised with a low, angled shot off a through ball, securing a share of the points.
Juve host Genoa at home in the league next Sunday, while Atalanta will face Sporting in the second leg of the Europa League last 16 on Thursday, following a 1-1 draw in the first match.
SportsLigue