Juventus were once again held to a draw, finishing 1-1 at Atalanta in Serie A on Tuesday.
Pierre Kalulu gave Juventus the lead early in the second half, but a late equalizer from Mateo Retegui secured a point for Atalanta.
The result marks Juve’s 13th draw out of 20 league matches this season, keeping them in fifth place with 34 points.
Atalanta, now on a three-match draw streak, remain in third with 43 points, four behind Napoli, who lead the table.
Kalulu broke the deadlock in the 54th minute, finishing Weston McKennie’s cross with a slide past Atalanta’s goalkeeper Marco Carnesecchi at the near post.
However, Atalanta responded strongly, and in the 78th minute, Retegui, back from injury, headed in a cross from Raoul Bellanova to level the score.
Both teams registered positive milestones despite the draw. Atalanta remained unbeaten in their last 15 Serie A matches, a feat they’ve now achieved twice in their history.
Juve’s manager, Thiago Motta, who was suspended for the match after receiving a red card in the Torino derby, became the second Juve manager to stay unbeaten in his first 20 Serie A games, joining Antonio Conte in that regard.
The first half was uneventful, with Atalanta enjoying more possession but failing to create clear chances.
Juve’s best opportunity came just before halftime when Teun Koopmeiners stretched to meet a cross but saw his attempt saved by Carnesecchi.
After the break, Juve came out aggressively. Kalulu almost gave them the lead with a header that hit the post, and the rebound fell to Khephren Thuram, whose attempt was blocked, triggering a counterattack from Atalanta.
Mario Pasalic ended that move by firing wide from the edge of the box.
Following Kalulu’s goal, Atalanta pressed forward, and Éderson forced a diving save from Michele Di Gregorio.
Atalanta then nearly found an equalizer when Ademola Lookman’s shot was cleared off the line by Koopmeiners.
As the match continued, Atalanta’s pressure paid off, with Retegui’s diving header earning him his 13th goal of the season, putting him atop the Serie A scoring chart.
Both goalkeepers had to make crucial saves in the final moments. Carnesecchi denied Manuel Locatelli’s header, while Di Gregorio kept out Nicolò Zaniolo’s one-on-one chance.
Juve also had a chance to win in stoppage time when Kenan Yildiz’s angled shot skimmed the post.
“It’s clear that we can’t be happy with the result; we go on the pitch to win. We played well, created some interesting situations, but we weren’t good enough to score,” Motta said after the match.
“It’s true that we have drawn a lot this season and are not happy about that, we cannot be happy with a draw. However, they [the players] performed well. I have to acknowledge the effort and the performance.”
