Atalanta 0-0 Inter: Nerazzurri´s Serie A winning streak comes to a halt

Inter’s run of eight straight Serie A wins came to an end on Sunday as the reigning champions were held to a 0-0 draw by Atalanta.

Simone Inzaghi’s side won the Supercoppa Italiana in midweek with almost the last kick of the game, but there was no such drama at the Gewiss Stadium as the visitors missed the chance to extend their lead at the top of the table.

Edin Dzeko was guilty of a glaring miss in the second half, with Inter failing to score in a league game for the first time this season. 

The result means Inter remain top – two points clear of bitter rivals Milan – while Atalanta stay fourth, one point ahead of Juventus.

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89 – Inter so close to a late goal! @ddambrosio breaks into the box but his shot is off target #AtalantaInter –#FORZAINTER pic.twitter.com/NlMdwDwDHF Inter (@Inter_en) January 16, 2022

Inter dominated possession in the early stages, but did not threaten the Atalanta goal until the 26th minute when Juan Musso superbly pawed away Alexis Sanchez’s powerful strike.

Atalanta had to wait until the 39th minute for their first effort on target, Matteo Pessina’s header comfortably kept out by Samir Handanovic.

The Inter goalkeeper denied Pessina again soon after the interval, racing off his line to thwart the forward after an incisive move from the hosts. 

Dzeko’s attempt was repelled by Musso at the other end and the 35-year-old inexplicably headed over from four yards with 20 minutes remaining. 

Handanovic superbly denied Luis Muriel in the 80th minute after Alessandro Bastoni had been caught out, while Danilo D’Ambrosio squandered the opportunity to seal all three points for the visitors late on when he fired into the side netting with only Musso to beat.

What does it mean? Inter draw a rare blank

Inter’s failure to find a way past Musso meant they missed the chance to register just the third instance in Serie A history of a team scoring in 40 consecutive league games, after Juventus did so in December 2017 (44) and March 2014 (43).

Inter also lost their status as one of only two teams in the big five European leagues to have scored in every top-flight game this season, leaving Bundesliga giants Bayern Munich as the only side to have done so.

Brozovic in formidable form

Marcelo Brozovic was a rock at the heart of the Inter midfield, winning possession a game-high 11 times and playing more successful passes (72) than anyone else on the pitch.

Sanchez struggles

He was the hero of the Supercoppa Italiana triumph, scoring the dramatic late winner, but Sanchez was well off the pace here. The former Manchester United and Arsenal forward had just a single shot and failed to play a key pass before he was hauled off in the 67th minute.

Key Opta Facts

– Atalanta have not scored in two of their last three Serie A games (both 0-0), as many times as in their previous 30 league matches.
– Inter have kept clean sheets in five Serie A games in a row away from San Siro for their first time in the three-points-for-a-win era.
– Samir Handanovic has now kept 150 clean sheets for Inter in all competitions.
– Atalanta have not found the net in six of their last 10 league games against Inter.
– Atalanta (36 per cent) averaged their lowest possession rate in a Serie A game since January 2018, against AS Roma (33 per cent).

What’s next?

Inter are at home to Empoli in the Coppa Italia round of 16 on Wednesday, while Atalanta are next in action on Saturday when they visit Lazio in Serie A.