Atalanta were held to a 0-0 draw at Udinese in Serie A on Saturday, missing the opportunity to move level on points with leaders Napoli.
Despite some close calls, Atalanta were fortunate to leave with a point, thanks to the woodwork and the alert goalkeeping of Marco Carnesecchi.
This second consecutive draw for Atalanta keeps them in second place with 42 points, two behind Napoli, who will face Hellas Verona on Sunday. Udinese remain in ninth with 26 points.
The hosts were the more dominant side for most of the match and came very close to taking the lead just after the half-hour mark.
Carnesecchi made a spectacular save, keeping a header from Jaka Bijol off the line.
Atalanta’s luck was tested again just before halftime as Udinese’s Alexis Sánchez hit the woodwork with a header, and his follow-up shot rattled the crossbar before Carnesecchi denied Sandi Lovric’s attempt in a frantic series of chances.
However, Atalanta nearly snatched all three points in the final moments of the match. Lazar Samardzic registered their second shot on target, but Udinese goalkeeper Razvan Sava was on hand to make an important save, ensuring the game ended goalless.
Atalanta’s coach Gian Piero Gasperini acknowledged that his team faced a tough challenge against Udinese.
“In the first half, Udinese had more physicality, quality, and quantity. They had a couple of clear goal opportunities, and we struggled to contain them physically,” he said. “In the second half, we did better, and perhaps Udinese also dropped a bit. We grew but not enough.”
Atalanta were without injured players Mateo Retegui, Juan Cuadrado, and Gianluca Scamacca, but Gasperini insisted that the absences were not the main reason for their struggles.
“Absences can weigh on us, but in general, we weren’t good at holding up to their physicality,” he explained. “On a technical level, we didn’t have clarity. If you don’t recover the ball, you can’t generate play: few of us managed to keep up the pace of the entire match.”
Udinese’s coach Kosta Runjaic, while satisfied with his team’s performance, felt the draw was bittersweet.
“It left a bit of a bitter taste in our mouths. We collected a point, and it could have been three, but we were against one of the strongest teams in Serie A,” he said. “We held the field well, played a good game, compliments go to the whole team.”
