Juventus, Atalanta share spoils as Ronaldo squanders penalty

Cristiano Ronaldo had a penalty saved as Juventus were held to yet another Series A draw in an entertaining match against Atalanta which finished 1-1 in Turin on Wednesday.

A stunning strike from Federico Chiesa put the Italian champions in front in the first half, but Remo Freuler’s powerful effort crashed off the bar and in, to earn the visitors a deserved point after the break.

Ronaldo spurned a golden chance to put the hosts back in front minutes later, but his tame spot kick was comfortably held by the impressive Pierluigi Gollini.

Andrea Pirlo’s side were third with 24 points, six ahead of Atalanta in eighth, and although they remained unbeaten this season, they had drawn half of their 12 league games.

Alvaro Morata was guilty of an extraordinary miss early on, when the Juve striker latched onto a loose ball six yards in front of an open goal and back-heeled a limp finish harmlessly wide.

Both goalkeepers were decisive, with Gollini making two superb sprawling saves from Morata shots in the second half and Juve’s Wojciech Szczesny denying dangerous efforts from Duvan Zapata, Cristian Romero and substitute Alejandro Gomez.

Speculation over the potential departure of Atalanta captain Gomez, following reports of a fall-out with coach Gian Piero Gasperini overshadowed the visitors’ build-up to the game, as the Argentine was left out of Sunday’s win over Fiorentina and also left on the bench in Turin.

But the playmaker made an instant impact after being introduced early in the second half, pulling the strings to help his team draw level and create several good chances while he was on the pitch.