Atalanta creeped closer to Serie A leaders Napoli on Tuesday after drawing an entertaining match with Juventus 1-1 and moving to within four points of the summit.
Mateo Retegui salvaged a point for Atalanta with a close-range header 12 minutes from the end, not long after returning to action from the bench following four weeks on the sidelines with a hamstring injury.
The Italy striker’s finish put him out on his own at the top of the Serie A scoring charts on 13 goals and left Atalanta four points behind Napoli, ahead of the table toppers’ crucial trip to Bergamo this coming weekend.
Gian Piero Gasperini’s side, who are bidding for their first league title after winning the Europa League last season, are level on 43 points with second-placed Inter Milan.
However, champions Inter have two games in hand on both Atalanta and Napoli and play the first of those fixtures against Bologna at the San Siro on Wednesday.
Tuesday’s draw was Atalanta and Juve’s rescheduled fixture due to their trip to Saudi Arabia to contest the Italian Super Cup earlier this month.
Juve, without a recognised striker due to an injury crisis which has left both Dusan Vlahovic and Arkadiusz Milik sidelined, opened the scoring through central defender Pierre Kalulu in the 54th minute.
Thiago Motta’s side remain unbeaten after a superb performance in which they created as much as, if not more than, Atalanta but have now drawn 13 of their 20 league fixtures and sit fifth, 13 points behind Napoli.
– Conceicao success –
Earlier Theo Hernandez and Rafael Leao saved AC Milan from an embarrassing defeat at Como with the goals which gave Sergio Conceicao’s new team a 2-1 win.
Trailing to Assane Diao’s fine low strike on the hour mark, star players Hernandez and Leao turned the match around by the 76th minute, handing Conceicao his first league win as Milan coach.
Tuesday’s victory in one of their two games in hand moved Milan up to seventh on 31 points, five behind fourth-placed Lazio as Conceicao tries to reignite the Italian giants’ bid for Champions League qualification.
“They (Como) are a good team with a good coach, it’s not easy to play here,” said Conceicao.
“It was an even game but we can’t concede as much as we did, we need to be more organised.”
Left flank pairing Hernandez and Leao had reportedly been at loggerheads with Conceicao’s predecessor Paulo Fonseca, who was sacked at the end of December following a dismal opening half of the season.
Both praised their new coach after he arrived just before the new year and immediately won the Italian Super Cup for Milan, who came from two goals behind to beat Inter Milan in Saudi Arabia earlier this month.
Hernandez levelled for Milan in 11 minutes after Como new boy Diao’s opener when his mishit volley sliced off his left boot and looped past goalkeeper Jean Butez.
Leao dinked home the decisive goal shortly afterwards, meeting substitute Tammy Abraham’s excellent through ball before netting his seventh goal in all competitions.
AFP
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