Atalanta’s Serie A title hopes suffered a setback on Saturday as they were held to a frustrating 1-1 draw at home against Torino.
Mateo Retegui had a golden opportunity to seal all three points from the penalty spot but failed to convert, leaving the hosts with just a single point.
The result leaves Atalanta in third place with 47 points, trailing Inter Milan, who have two games in hand by three points.
Inter face city rivals AC Milan on Sunday, while league leaders Napoli, who are another three points ahead, take on AS Roma the same day.
Torino, meanwhile, remain in 11th place with 27 points.
Atalanta dominated possession for the first 30 minutes, spending much of the time deep in Torino’s half. However, their attacking efforts produced little apart from a disallowed goal by Raoul Bellanova, ruled out for a handball.
Torino showed little urgency in the early stages and were even warned for time-wasting, but Atalanta’s opener jolted them into action.
The breakthrough came in the 35th minute when Berat Djimsiti rose highest from a corner kick, directing a powerful header beyond the goalkeeper from just outside the six-yard box.
However, Atalanta’s lead lasted only five minutes. Torino responded swiftly through a well-delivered free kick from Valentino Lazaro. His cross found Guillermo Maripan at the back post, and the defender made no mistake, heading home from close range to restore parity.
Chances were scarce in the second half, with Atalanta substitute Juan Cuadrado trying his luck twice from distance but failing to trouble Torino keeper Vanja Milinkovic-Savic.
The home side had a golden opportunity to reclaim the lead in the 74th minute when Adrien Tameze fouled Retegui in the box. Retegui stepped up for the penalty but struck a tame effort, which Milinkovic-Savic comfortably saved.
Atalanta pushed forward in search of a winner but struggled to truly test Torino’s defense.
One positive for the home fans was the long-awaited return of striker Gianluca Scamacca, who made his first appearance of the season after recovering from an anterior cruciate ligament injury suffered in pre-season.
However, there were no late heroics to mark his comeback, leaving Atalanta to settle for a disappointing draw.
