The Bianconeri’s hopes and dreams of Champions League stumbled to a halt after a hardworking Atalanta side beat them 1-0 at home on Sunday. Juve jump into third place in Serie A while Andrea Pirlo’s Juventus remain fourth, two points above Napoli in fifth.
Juventus clearly looked average without an injured Cristiano Ronaldo as they failed to break the deadlock several times, with Spanish striker Alvaro Morata missing two crucial chances. Atalanta looked more threatening and were rewarded for their perseverance with a fantastic 40-yard banger from Malinovsky.
One of the most crucial fixtures of the season started well for Atalanta, who soaked Juventus pressure and used counter-attacks repeatedly. An early penalty appeal was denied by the referee when Luis Muriel was shoved by Juan Cuadrado inside the box. Juve winger Federico Chiesa tried scoring the opener, but his shot from a distance flew by the post by a short margin. The Bianconeris almost took the lead just before half time as Alvaro Morata’s lob was saved by Joakim Maehle off the line.
The second half was mostly dominated by the home side as long spells of possession kept Juventus busy in midfield. However, Ruslan Malinovskiy sealed three points for his side; dispatching a low struck shot outside the area, deflecting off Alex Sandro while wrongfooting Wojciech Szczesny.
“It was a good game against a strong team. We played the match we needed to, then they were lucky with the late goal, but we played with great determination and aggression. It’s disappointing, we could’ve brought home at least a point.”
Pirlo said in the press match conference.
The loss means that Juve’s 10th successive Scudetto dream is now off-limits as they are 13 points behind league leaders Inter, who drew 1-1 with Napoli last night. The Naples club are only two points below Juventus and Lazio who sit on sixth are four points behind the ‘Old Lady’, with a game in hand.
But eight draws and five losses in 31 league outings might not prove to be enough for a Champions League spot in a side that boasts the likes of superstars Matthijs de Ligt, Federico Chiesa and Cristiano Ronaldo and the highest wage bill in Serie A.
