Serie A: Juventus draw Atalanta after point reduction

• Juventus hosted Atalanta in a huge Serie A clash on Sunday evening in Turin
• This was Juventus’ first match since seeing a 15-point deduction in Serie A
• A six-goal thriller made sure the two sides shared the points with a 3-3 score

Danilo’s creative strike rendered Ademola Lookman’s brace useless as Juventus battled to a dramatic 3-3 draw with Atalanta in response to their Serie A point deduction.

Despite fighting to split the spoils at the Allianz Stadium, Juve was docked 15 points on Friday following an examination into previous transfer transactions. The club is set to appeal the decision.

After Angel Di Maria overturned Lookman’s opening goal, Arkadiusz Milik gave the Bianconeri the lead going into the break. However, Joakim Maehle quickly restored parity in the second half.

Atalanta took the lead once more thanks to a goal from Lookman, but Danilo moved Juve, who had been third before the penalty, to ninth place with a well-placed free kick.

Atalanta forward Ademola Lookman celebrates after scoring against Juventus in the Serie A on Sunday, January 22 2023. | PHOTO: Marca |

Lookman’s right-footed shot eluded the hands of Wojciech Szczesny, giving Atalanta the lead, and Manuel Locatelli’s follow-up shot was just wide.

After the VAR stepped in for an Ederson Silva foul on Nicolo Fagioli, Juve quickly equalized. Di Maria then converted from the spot from the resulting penalty kick into the bottom-right corner.

However, Juve’s lead was short-lived after the break as Fagioli’s right-wing cross was intercepted by Milik, who curled a right-footed effort into the bottom right corner.

Seven minutes later, Maehle headed Jeremie Boga’s left-wing cross into the far corner after Lookman had rolled in Maehle to push beyond Szczesny.

After Di Maria’s back-heel free-kick manoeuvre, Danilo drilled a 20-yard effort under the Atalanta wall and into the bottom-left corner to level the score, but neither team could score a late winner in a frantic match.

Juventus players celebrate after Danilo scored the equaliser against Atalanta in the Serie A clash. | PHOTO: Score |

When Juventus’ punishment was made public, the club’s legal team referred to it as a “obvious injustice toward millions of fans” and stated that the Bianconeri will be appealing the deduction.

Juve’s players replied with a respectable effort against Atalanta, who are currently just two points behind the top four, even though any sliver of hope of qualifying for the Champions League may depend on off-field events.

Even still, Juve must be wondering what they can do to overcome Atalanta given that this is the eighth draw in the previous 12 league encounters between the two teams. Since 2017, no Serie A match has produced more draws.

Lively Lookman

After 19 games in his first Serie A season, Lookman became the fourth Atalanta player with 10 or more goals. He then increased his total to 11 with a controlled header.

The only other people to accomplish the feat are Jorgen Leschly Sorensen (1949–1950), Karl Aage Hansen (1949–1950), and Poul Rasmussen (1952–1953), as Lookman continues to convince Gian Piero Gasperini of his value.

Juventus defensive concerns

While a valiant effort against top-four chasers Atalanta may draw praise, Massimiliano Allegri may be concerned about Bianconeri’s defensive performances.

Juve has given up eight goals in two straight Serie A games for the first time since November 1988, following a 5-1 loss to Napoli and this six-goal thriller.