Atalanta were held to 1-1 draw with Inter at the Stadio Atleti Azzurri d’Italia on Saturday afternoon.
It was the Orobici who took the lead in the 17th minute through Nerazzurri defender Jesion Murillo, who turned a cross past his own goalkeeper.
However, the game went own-goal crazy in the 25th minute, when Rafael Tolol deflected a cross into his own net to equalise for for the visitors.
The second-half remained goalless but only because of the efforts of Inter goalkeeper Samir Handanovic who made a number of stunning saves.
La Dea came out of the blocks flying and stung the fingers of Handanovic within the first five minutes. A cross was flung in by Andrea Conti and eventually found it’s way to Boukary Drame, but his powerful effort was easily pushed away.
And just 10 minutes later the home side took the lead. Drame gracefully dribbled past a couple of Inter defenders before stabbing into the box a low cross, which Murillo inadvertently turned into his own net.
Edy Reja’s side were totally dominant and almost doubled their lead when Gaetano Monachello won the ball off Murillo inside the penalty box, but Handanovic quickly narrowed the angle to deny the Italian.
Yet, despite their strong start, Atalanta found themselves level two minutes later. After a nice piece of play, Mauro Icardi fired a low cross into the six-yard-box which Tolol embarrassingly smashed into the roof of his own net.
Just before half-time Monachello almost doubled La Dea’s goal tally. Luca Cigarini flicked the ball around Murillo and into the penalty box, but Monachello was denied by a sharp save from Handanovic.
The Slovenian goalkeeper was single-handedly keeping Atalanta at bay, as he brilliantly clipped a Tolol header over the bar in the 51st minute.
The Orobici were in total control and once again forced Handanovic into an extraordinary save. Alejandro Gomez’s cross was headed down by Monachello and into the path of Cigarini, but the Italian’s shot was acrobatically denied by Handanovic’s feet.
In the last 10 minutes both sides pushed to find a winner, however neither side were able to add to their goal tally. The result leaves Inter temporarily in second place, whereas Atalanta stay eleventh in the Serie A table.
