JAKARTA - Cristiano Ronaldo has to face the fact that his penalty kick was thwarted by the Atalanta goalkeeper when Juventus were held to a 1-1 draw in an entertaining Serie A match in Turin on Thursday morning.
A stunning strike from Federico Chiesa put the Italian champions ahead in the first half, but Remo Freuler, who threw a ball against the bar, finally equalized to provide a vital point after halftime.
Ronaldo wasted a golden opportunity to double the hosts' lead after his penalty was defused by an impressive Pierluigi Gollini.
Andrea Pirlo's team are now in third place with 24 points or six points above Atalanta who are in eighth place.
Although Juve remain unbeaten this season, they have drawn in half of their 12 league games so far.
"You have to bring the results of these matches," Juventus coach Andrea Pirlo told Sky Italia as quoted by Antara from Reuters.
"We created a lot of opportunities but did not succeed in completing them."
Alvaro Morata missed a good chance early on when the Juve striker took advantage of a loose ball six meters in front of an open goal and made a finish wide of the opponent's goal.
FT | ⏱ | It ends even at the Allianz. #JuveAtalanta #FinoAllaFine #ForzaJuve pic.twitter.com/TcAJC4EHn1
- JuventusFC (@juventusfcen) December 16, 2020
The goalkeepers of both teams determine this match. Gollini made two excellent saves when he snatched Morata's shot in the second half, while Juve goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny blocked dangerous attempts from Duvan Zapata, Cristian Romero and substitute Alejandro Gomez.
"Gollini was incredible," said Atalanta coach Gian Piero Gasperini. "He saved Ronaldo's penalty which was only one in a hundred chances to miss."
Speculation regarding the possibility of captain Atalanta Gomez leaving due to a dispute with Gasperini overshadowed the visitors' appearance. The Argentine did not appear in the win against Fiorentina and was on the bench against Juve in Turin.
But the playmaker made an immediate impact as soon as he was introduced at the start of the second half.
He has assisted several times, as well as creating his own chances.
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