Danilo struck at the death to secure a precious point for Juventus as they held onto the fourth spot in Serie A with a 1-1 draw against Atalanta.
Danilo was the hero for Juventus against Atalanta on Sunday. La Dea looked to be on their way to an important three points only for the Brazilian to pop up and score the leveller in injury time.
In a direct face-off between the top two contenders for the coveted fourth spot, it was Atalanta who drew first blood thanks to Ruslan Malinovskyi in the 76th minute. His 30-yard strike was worthy of being the game-winner but Danilo had other ideas.
The Bianconeri started off well and had a few chances to take the lead. Unfortunately for them, they were unable to finish it off. Atalanta took advantage of this profligacy to assert their dominance and caused Juventus numerous issues. Jeremie Boga in particular had two opportunities but was thwarted by Matthijs de Ligt both times.
The draw helps Juventus hold onto the fourth spot. They now have a two-point lead over Atalanta but the latter has one game in hand. With the draw also giving Lazio an opportunity to get closer, the race for the top four will surely heat up in the weeks to come. The Hard Tackle looks at how the Juventus players fared on the night.
Wojciech Szczesny: 5/10
The former Arsenal man had a busy night and more often than not made dubious calls. He made a decent interception to deny Marten de Roon while also unwisely tripping Teun Koopmeiners. The Juventus number one did however make several routine stops otherwise.
Danilo: 8/10
The Brazilian was among Juventus’s best players on the night and was impressive both in attack and defence. He made several interceptions, stopping Atalanta attacks in their tracks before rising high above to secure the all-important injury-time equaliser.
90 – Danilo’s goal (thanks to a Dybala assist) scored after 91 minutes and 37 seconds of play is the latest netted by Juventus in Serie A since Dybala's goal against Udinese in January 2021 (92'50"), when Danilo delivered an assist. Connection.#AtalantaJuve
— OptaPaolo ? (@OptaPaolo) February 13, 2022
Matthijs de Ligt: 8/10
The Dutchman was simply imperious on the night and made a few stunning blocks and interceptions to deny Atalanta. He particularly had Jeremie Boga’s number and did not give the former Chelsea man an inch. The only blot on the performance was de Ligt conceding the freekick from which Atalanta scored.
Leonardo Bonucci: 6/10
The Italian veteran was solid yet unspectacular. However, he played second fiddle to de Ligt who was Juventus’s best defender on the night.
Pareggio conquistato dopo un’ottima prestazione. Da Squadra. #FinoAllaFine pic.twitter.com/HxTktDMwZu
— Leonardo Bonucci (@bonucci_leo19) February 13, 2022
Mattia De Sciglio (6/10)
He was defensively solid and kept Hans Hateboer quiet all night. However, his attacking contribution left much to be desired.
Weston McKennie: 6/10
The American midfielder showed his athletic prowess as he ran up and down the pitch all night. McKennie also showed off some deft flicks and tricks and showed imagination in his movements. Unfortunately, it failed to translate into the end product.
Manuel Locatelli: 6/10
The Euro 2020 star did well to shield the defence but was too deep to make much of an impact in attack. His long passes did not find much joy either and often led nowhere.
Adrien Rabiot: 6/10
The French international certainly tried his best and was not lacking in effort. His shooting however let him down on the night.
Paulo Dybala: 6/10
The Argentine was the most inventive of Juventus’s attackers and crafted numerous opportunities for Dusan Vlahovic and Alvaro Morata. He even went close to scoring a stunning solo effort in the first half before providing the assist for Danilo’s injury-time redeemer.
What a great pass from Weston McKennie for Paulo Dybala. Should’ve had an assist in today’s match. Hope to see more of this from McKennie.pic.twitter.com/lfIkzNVxQr
— USMNT Otaku ?? (@USMNTOtaku) February 13, 2022
Dusan Vlahovic: 6/10
The Serb continued to show off his sharpness in front of the goal and could have scored two on the night if not for the impressive Marco Sportiello. He showed great promise, but it is evident that some more adjustment is needed in order to get to the same wavelength as his teammates.
Alvaro Morata: 6/10
There was no lack of effort from the Spanish international who worked his socks off and won back possession numerous times. He was however reluctant to shoot and often laid off a pass to other players.
SUBSTITUTES
Juan Cuadrado: 6/10
Brought on as Juventus tried to get back into the game, the Colombian didn’t quite get going and failed to craft anything on the flank. He however won the all-important corner from which Danilo rose to head the ball home in injury time.
Moise Kean: N/A
He replaced Weston McKennie in the 81st minute but failed to offer much.
Marley Ake: N/A
The young Frenchman made his Serie A debut by replacing Alvaro Morata in the 86th minute.
Arthur Melo: N/A
He was Allegri’s last throw of the dice as he sought to salvage the game.
