MILAN — Atalanta faced a challenging start to a demanding month as they ended up in a frustrating 0-0 draw against Udinese in Serie A on Saturday.
The situation could have been dire for Atalanta had Alexis Sánchez not squandered a prime opportunity right before halftime, which would have given Udinese the upper hand. The Chilean striker intercepted a cross, only to see his header hit the right post. He then fired a follow-up attempt directly into the underside of the crossbar from just six meters out, with an open goal in sight.
Atalanta’s performance left much to be desired, as they created very few opportunities throughout the match. The team was fortunate to have goalkeeper Marco Carnesecchi, who came through with a remarkable save during the first half.
Despite the lackluster showing, Atalanta maintained their position in second place in the league, sitting two points behind Napoli. The league leaders were set to face Hellas Verona, a team fighting against relegation, on Sunday. Meanwhile, Inter Milan, only two points behind Atalanta in third place, also had a match against another struggling team, Venezia, on the same day.
Up next for Atalanta are challenging fixtures, including matches against Juventus and Napoli in Serie A as well as Champions League contests against Sturm Graz and Barcelona in the upcoming weeks.
In a different match, AC Milan encountered difficulties during Sérgio Conceição’s debut as head coach, resulting in a 1-1 draw at home against relegation-threatened Cagliari.
Conceição had recently guided Milan to an Italian Super Cup victory just over a week into his tenure, and the trophy was showcased to fans before the match began. Milan initially took a 1-0 lead in the 51st minute. Christian Pulisic had a shot that struck the crossbar moments prior, and another shot hit the right post, but Álvaro Morata was quick to react to the rebound, scoring from close range.
However, Cagliari equalized just four minutes later due to a rare mistake by goalkeeper Mike Maignan. After executing a spectacular save earlier in the match, Maignan misjudged his dive and failed to clear Nadir Zortea’s weak attempt, allowing the ball to slip into the net.
Despite this draw, Milan remained in eighth place, although they had played fewer matches than many of their competitors. Cagliari managed to climb closer to safety, now sitting just a point away from the safe zone.
In other news, Juventus drew 1-1 against Torino in a derby that was marked by both coaches being sent off early in the second half following an altercation on the sidelines.
This draw marked Juventus’ sixth tie in their last seven league matches. The scoring opened in the eighth minute through a brilliant solo goal by Kenan Y?ld?z, who maneuvered past two defenders before firing into the bottom corner of the net.
Torino quickly answered back, leveling the match right before halftime with an impressive goal by Nikola Vlasic, who controlled a pass from Yann Karamoh and launched the ball off the inside of the left post from the edge of the box.
In the relegation battle, Nikola Krstovic’s two goals propelled Lecce to a critical 3-1 victory against fellow relegation contender Empoli.
This win allowed Lecce to climb to 13th place in the standings, leveling them with Empoli while securing a three-point buffer over the relegation zone.
