Atalanta may be the only team still unbeaten in Serie A this campaign, but their record of five draws from seven matches prior to kick-off was hardly convincing. Cremonese, meanwhile, had enjoyed a strong start to the term following their promotion, keeping themselves well clear of relegation.
During the opening 45 minutes, it was easy to see why they have acquitted themselves well so far in the Italian top flight. Clear-cut chances were at a premium, but the hosts were the more dangerous of the teams early on, as Jari Vandeputte and Tommaso Barbieri tested Marco Carnesecchi between the Atalanta sticks.
Only in the final quarter-hour of the opening period did La Dea begin to threaten, with Nikola Krstović’s low shot that was pushed away by Marco Silvestri in the 35th minute their first shot on target of the encounter.
On the brink of half-time, Charles De Ketelaere also forced the Cremonese shotstopper into action as Atalanta ended the first half on top.
After the interval, it was the visitors who took the game to their opponents. Ademola Lookman constantly looked to cut inside onto his right foot and fire towards goal and, despite him repeating this trick on several occasions, it still took a series of last-ditch blocks to prevent him from troubling Silvestri.
Lazar Samardzic was his team’s most productive player, forcing two stops from the goalkeeper as Atalanta increased the tempo.
At the other end, Cremonese did put the ball into the back of the net, but Vardy was well offside when he received the ball.
The former Leicester City man was not to be denied, though, and he gave his side the advantage with around 15 minutes remaining. Alessio Zerbin should have finished himself, but although Carnesecchi did get a foot to the midfielder’s attempt, Vardy was on hand to bury the rebound.
Still, Atalanta did not need long to pull themselves back to level terms, as Marco Brescianini fired in off the post after Silvestri had thwarted Gianluca Scamacca.
Atalanta looked the likelier to net a late winner, but in the end both teams had to settle for a share of the spoils.
The result leaves Atalanta in seventh, just one point above Cremonese in the table, and Ivan Juric must be wondering how many more times his team will draw this term.
The home team, meanwhile, will be delighted with their current top 10 place and will look to build on this point moving forward.
Flashscore Man of the Match: Marco Silvestri (Cremonese)