Atalanta – Juventus, Getty Images 06 February 2026, 00:01

Italy is also trying to follow the trends of other European countries this week and played matches in the quarter-final round of the national cup. At the same time, one of the most interesting pairs was made up of two teams from the northern regions of the country, Atalanta from Bergamo and Juventus from Turin, between which fierce duels have been constantly taking place lately, and when it comes to the relegation matches, they are ready.

Raffaele Palladino and Luciano Spalletti were not particularly in the rotation for this game, so it could be assumed that both teams are looking to continue their participation in this tournament. And with the way the “zebras” ran already in the first seconds to create a goal-scoring moment for Tyuram at the other side’s goal, in general, it might seem that the guests are planning to catch the opponents by surprise. However, the Frenchman missed a take-off shot at a crucial moment in the center of the penalty area.

After that, Juventus tried to prevent Atalanta’s attack from developing, but as time went on, they found themselves at their own goal more and more often, waiting for the hosts’ flank passes. And in the end, apart from Conceisan’s two shots in the middle of the first half, one of which sent the ball into the crossbar, it was difficult to remember the Turinese in front of other people’s goals. Instead, they conceded from the penalty spot, which was equalized by Bremer’s handball against Ederson’s left-wing pass.

Scamakka did not forgive the opponents for this, after which there was no hint of balance in the game of Spalletti’s team. Trivially, the guests did not manage to consistently deliver the ball to the final third of the attack, so in this sterile football of the opponents, Atalanti simply had to wait for the right moment to strike another blow.

An episode midway through the second half with McKenney’s shot into the center of the away box past the right-hand post could have turned the game in Juve’s favour, but the American wasted a chance and then his side got two more effective shots in response late in the game. At first, Spalletti’s defense failed to cope with Bellanova’s cross from the right wing, which locked Suleman into an empty net, and later Palashych sent the ball into the net with almost the first touch after appearing on the field as a substitute.

Juventus: Perin – Kalulu, Gatti (Boga, 64), Bremer, Kelly – Locatelli (Kopmainers, 74), K. Thuram – Conceisan (Zhegrova, 80), McKenney, Cambiaso (Openda, 80) – David (Holm, 74).