Merih Demiral and Duvan Zapata were the standout performers in an excellent away performance as Atalanta claimed a memorable 1-0 win away at Juventus in Serie A on Saturday evening.
La Dea won at Juventus for the first time since 1989 thanks to a solitary goal from the Colombian forward, but the Turkish centre-back was unpassable at the heart of the visitors’ back three.
Atalanta player ratings vs Juventus
Musso 7; Toloi 7, Demiral 7.5, Djimsiti 6.5; Zappacosta 6.5 (71′ Palomino 6), De Roon 6.5, Freuler 6.5, Maehle 6.5; Pessina 6 (59′ Pasalic 6), Malinovskyi 6 (87′ Koopmeiners 6); Zapata 7.5.
Player of the Match – Merih Demiral
Although Duvan Zapata got the goal, Merih Demiral returned to Juventus with a point to prove and might have left his old club wondering why they let him leave.
The Turk was a wall on the night and he didn’t give Alvaro Morata an inch, following him everywhere he went to the extent that to see him in the Juventus dressing room at half time wouldn’t have been a surprise. A mammoth performance from the centre-back, but credit to Zapata is warranted as well.