Atalanta scored a late equaliser to rescue a 1-1 draw against 10-man Genoa this evening having missed a penalty earlier in the match.
The visitors came within inches of breaking the deadlock after just 12 minutes when Andrea Bertolacci let fly from the edge of the area only to see his strike come back off the post.
They threatened again midway through the half when Ioannis Fetfatzidis reacted quickest to a loose ball inside the area, but Andrea Consigli pulled off a fine reaction stop to deny the Greek winger.
Genoa did have the lead five minutes later, however, as Paolo De Ceglie was left unmarked inside the box to plant a firm header in, having been found by Luca Antonelli.
Atalanta were given a huge helping hand in their search for an equaliser five minutes after the restart when Daniele Portanova was shown a straight red card for a foul inside the box.
The hosts couldn't make the most of the opportunity, however, as Mattia Perin guessed the right way to make a fine stop to deny German Denis from the resulting penalty.
They continued to push for an equaliser and came within inches of getting it in the 65th minute as Yohan Benalouane rose highest inside the area to connect with a corner, only to see his header come back off the bar.
Denis, Giacomo Bonaventura and Guglielmo Stendardo all came close to levelling things up for the hosts before Giuseppe De Luca finally got the equaliser, pouncing on a rebound to sweep the ball home.
That was enough for the hosts to claim a share of the spoils, putting them one step closer to being mathematically safe from relegation.
Barney Corkhill
