Juventus v Atalanta: the brainteaser

Off to a night on the (Piedmont) town, the Nerazzurri will take the heat to Turin for the first of two back-to-back top-of-the-Sunday-schedule games. As we were saying, for the “Step 1” of their climactic outline, Atalanta visit Juventus two odd months after their previous head-to-head in Bergamo. With the Nerazzurri locking in on the Allianz Stadium, time to brace yourself for our Serie A Enilive MD28 “Sunday at the race” with our pre-game brainteaser!

Who are the goalscorers in our 1-0 victories in Turin?

Excluding thee one claimed in the 1962/63 campaign, which marked Atalanta's second-ever victory in Turin (specifically the MD2 2-3 triumph where Tabanelli's team triumphed at the Comunale stadium with goals from Domenghini, Colombo and Merenghetti), the remaining black-and-blue wins in the Piedmont capital follow an interasting lietmotiv: the final score (0-1 in all four instances).

Since each victory had a different hero, who are the four mysterious Nerazzurri players?

Starting “from the top,” the first name on the list is Atalanta’s top scorer in this fixture, with a total of four goals across all encounters, Duvan Zapata! It was in fact the Cafetero forward who scored the decisive goal at the Allianz Stadium from a Djimsiti assist, sewing up Atalanta's first victory in Turin since the back-to-back wins of 1989. to

Speaking of, let's move on to the one-two punch "made in Mondonico!” First act: January 22, 1989. With Stromberg sidelined due to injury, Atalanta, led by Nicolini and Prytz, weathered Juventus’ storms until the 43rd minute of the second half, when Evair struck the killer blow, beating Bruno and Fricella before firing past Tacconi with a deadly right-foot shot.

Second act: October 8, 1989. Another clash between Mondonico's Atalanta and Zoff's Juventus, and once again, the Nerazzurri came out on top with a 0-1 victory. After a balanced first half, with chances from Bonacina, Pasciullo, and a Madonna hit on the post, the second half remained calm—except for a key goal-line clearance by Tricella from a Stromberg shot early in the half. Then, in the 30th minute, Atalanta struck with the golden goal… Who was the man of the hour? None other than “the son of the wind,” Caniggia, who, pounced on Tacconi’s save after a shot from Contratto like a cougar, securing another historic win for Atalanta in Turin.

Finally, the last name on the list is Giovanni Zavaglio, the “deus ex machina” of Atalanta’s very first win in Turin. It was the number 9 from Valcareggi’s team who broke Juventus’ unbeaten home streak in the 21st round of the 1959/60 season, scoring the game-winning goal in the 53rd minute of the second half.

2008/2009 Serie A MD 36, Juventus 2-2 Atalanta: who scored the equalizer?

On Sunday, March 17, 2009, the 36th round of Serie A saw Atalanta face Juventus at the Stadio Olimpico.

Atalanta, managed by Delneri, took on Ranieri’s Juventus in a match played behind closed doors due to a stadium suspension. Bound to be a head-turner as it pitted the second-placed team in the league against Atalanta, the game lived up to expectations. The Nerazzurri stunned the home side by taking the lead just 2 minutes into the game. Cigarini’s shot from distance took a deflection off Legrottaglie and wrong-footed Buffon, rolling into the back of the net.

With their tails up after the early goal, Atalanta poured forward in the opening quarter of the match, first with Doni, stopped by Buffon in the mano-a-mano, and then with Plasmati, who had his effort denied by De Ceglie on the line. Juventus responded with a series of attacks, hitting the crossbar through Legrottaglie and equalizing with Iaquinta in the 26th minute. Just two minutes later, Amauri also rattled the crossbar.

With the score level, Juventus edged in front again in the 36th minute, as Zanetti put them ahead. But just when it seemed like the tide had turned in favor of the hosts, Atalanta rose to the occasion, leveling the score again just before the halftime whistle from a corner-kick situation.

The second half saw Atalanta seize the initiative, turning the tables as the game flipped on its head. With the wind in their sails, the Nerazzurri came inches away from taking the lead multiple times, while Juventus seemed to lack any real spark, was it not for the woodwork, both a friend and foe: Atalanta hit the crossbar three times, with Plasmati’s free-kick from Doni and Cigarini’s stunning strike both rattling the bar in the opening minutes of the second half. In between, Cerci had a great solo run but was denied by Buffon. After yet another Plasmati shot hit the crossbar, Juventus almost pulled off the counter-comeback in the 89th minute, with Del Piero’s sure-fire goal from an Iaquinta assist saved heroically by Consigli.

So, who was the mystery goalscorer of the day? It was Maximiliano Pellegrino, who scored his first goal of the season with a header off a Plasmati assist.

How many times has Marten de Roon faced Juventus in the Serie A?

With 296 Serie A caps ùto his name, Marten de Roon solos the standings for most Atalanta appearances in the competition. When it comes to his personal head-to-head register, having MdR faced the Turin club 20 times across all competitions, Juventus rank at the top of his private batch, tied with Fiorentina.

But what about in Serie A alone?

For a bit of flair, we could say "15 for the 15!", a milestone that puts de Roon ahead of all his current teammates. With ther Oranje mid leading the pack, Toloi follows suit with 14, preceeding Djimsiti in third (13) and then Pašalić (fourth with 12) As for the all-time ranking? Tied with the club’s historical record holder, Gianpaolo Bellini, only Angeleri (17) surpasses Marten for the number of matches played against Juventus in the top division.