Juventus sent to -7 from fourth place by a torpedo from Zapata in the first half. The match between Juventus and Atalanta ends 0-1, much to the regret of the Allegri players who try in waves in the second half but only find the crossbar with Dybala in the 94th minute. A knockout after two victories in a row in the league and, above all, after the European debacle against Chelsea. And the Juventus people at the Stadium boo the team, not helped even by the injuries of Chiesa and McKennie among the liveliest on the pitch.
Juve, Atalanta and the new hierarchies
Antonio Barillà
After two games without goals, the goal is one of Allegri’s problems: Joya tried the whole game and after two red pencil conclusions in the first 45 ‘she straightened the trajectory up to the final crossbar on a free kick. Morata, on the other hand, came out without great rings with 5 ‘from the end – in full attack for the equal – to let the young Kaio Jorge enter. If it is not a rejection by Allegri, surely the one from the Stadium who whistled him arrives, a treatment also reserved for Rabiot on the pitch and for the whole team after the triple whistle. «We don’t score any goals» says Allegri after the match in Dazn, where his words about the position in the standings stand out: «Seventh place? At the moment we are worth that ». Clean and solid, on the other hand, is Gasperini’s Atalanta which is worth all of its fourth place thanks to its driver Zapata, with the seventh consecutive goal. Inter tied in third place to -4 from Milan and Napoli paired in first place.
Juventus and Allegri, a clear involution. Other than “All or nothing”
Christian Rocca
The first half
Not the first half that Allegri wanted. Juventus ends up 1-0 after the first 45 minutes played with some twitches, but many difficulties during the horizontal ball possession phase. In the first few minutes, Atalanta manages the first possession of the match badly and blocks Juventus’ initiatives. The music begins to change when Zapata burns the Bianconeri on the right and serves Malinovskyi in tow on the edge of the area, De Ligt intervenes and the Nerazzurri attacking midfielder’s conclusion ends in a stalemate. The minutes go by and the chills are always all around Sczcesny’s goal, with a tense cross in the middle on which Cuadrado saves Juve at the far post. At 15 ‘De Ligt and Bonucci risk making a mess with Zapata who surprises the Italian and once again makes the assist for Freuler, but the midfielder’s shot is not inside the mirror of the goal. The Juventus response is on the feet of Dybala who does everything by himself between progression and dribbling, but the left-handed is too velvety and Musso controls without problems.
At 20 ‘Juve’s match lights up thanks to an attacking error by Atalanta. The bianconeri restart with McKennie and a change of field is needed Chiesa launched face to face with Musso. The winger of the national team controls and is ready for the shot, but Toloi makes a great recovery and says no. Juventus, however, does not raise the center of gravity and when they try to do so with a dense network of passes, it cannot go worse. Because after 4 front-row passes that of Morata who in the void that occupies Djimsiti quick to serve Zapata behind the Juventus defensive line. The Colombian starts the right that crosses the crossbar with great power and the ball ends up in the goal. At 28 ‘Atalanta took the lead with Zapata at the Juventus Stadium. It is always Dybala who has the ball of the possible equal on the left-handed, but the Argentine wastes by sending to the side from his clod. Then the minutes pass and the interval arrives: Juventus must climb the mountain Atalanta that flies on the wings of Zapata, with the seventh goal in a row.
The recovery
At the beginning of the second half Allegri, to recover, focuses on Bernardeschi, who was out of the Church due to an injury. The bianconeri did not immediately raise the center of gravity, continuing to suffer the overwhelming physical power of Zapata across the board. In the tenth it is Bernardeschi who tries to charge his Juve with a personal action towards the center of the field. His left-handed ends wide, but the bianconeri at least stand out in Musso’s parts. Shortly after, De Ligt even tries it from the outside, but these are occasions that do not give the Nerazzurri great chills. Unlike what happens after 15 ‘when Juventus emerges from the limbo of their game with a vertical action led by McKennie who, served by Bonucci on the race, burns Djimsiti and tries several times to conclude, with Atalanta being saved thanks to Musso. The ball then surrounds the penalty area and ends up on Dybala’s left-handed who this time just misses to find the intersection of the posts.
McKennie was injured in the action and is forced to go out, for Allegri second obligatory change. And with courage he chooses Kean, an offensive change. But the Juve that remains on the field is galvanized by the opportunity created by the American and begins the Juventus siege with another pitch from Dybala on which Musso is monumental diving and another opportunity blocked by the Atalanta defenders for Bernardeschi. For Gasperini outside Zappacosta and inside Palomino, after having inserted Pasalic for Pessina at 15 ‘, with Atalanta retreating to stop suffering this Juve. And he succeeds with 10 minutes of ball possession, but returns to give the field and opportunities to the bianconeri. Like the one on De Ligt’s feet on the development of a corner kicked perfectly by Dybala, but the violent conclusion of the Dutchman in the middle of the penalty area is deflected for a corner by Palomino.
With 5 ‘from the end Allegri chooses Kaio Jorge, but this time by sending out an attacker. AND Alvaro Morata, booed by the fans as his teammate Rabiot, even today without a goal and decisive in the error that gave life to the decisive action of Zapata. Gasperini for the final chooses Koopmeiners for Malinovskyi and backs off again as the seconds pass. In the 94th minute, after another Juventus attack complete with protests for a hand ball – judged involuntary – in the Koopmeiners penalty area, Dybala has the chance of 1-1 with 120 seconds left in an excellent position. A free kick from the edge of the perfect area for a southpaw like him, who in fact pulls a great conclusion out of the hat: shooting around that only finds the crossbar and goes out. The Dybala Cross is the last hope for Juve that comes out of the stadium under the whistles. And at -7 from fourth place.
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