Cristiano Ronaldo Goal Rescues 2-2 Draw for Juventus vs. Atalanta

Cristiano Ronaldo came off the bench to rescue a 2-2 draw for 10-man Juventus against Atalanta at the Atleti Azzurri d'Italia stadium in Bergamo on Wednesday.

The Bianconeri took the lead in just the second minute when Berat Djimsiti sliced Alex Sandro's cross into his own goal, but the teams went in level at the break after Duvan Zapata turned Leonardo Bonucci on the edge of the area before firing past Wojciech Szczesny in the 24th minute.

Rodrigo Bentancur was sent off for a second bookable offence early in the second half. Having been issued a yellow card for a cynical challenge on Josip Ilicic in the first half, the Uruguayan received another for a late tackle on Timothy Castagne.

Zapata had his brace soon after when a corner from Alejandro Gomez ran through to him in the six-yard box in the 56th minute.

Juventus boss Massimiliano Allegri turned to Ronaldo after his side fell behind, and the Portugal international duly delivered when he headed home Mario Mandzukic's knock-down from close range.

Bonucci looked to have won it in injury time for the Old Lady with a tap-in from Sandro's ball, but the goal was disallowed for offside. 

Juve Should Buy Striker in January to Take Pressure off Ronaldo

Juve started Wednesday eight points ahead of second-place Napoli—who travel to Inter Milan later in the day—in Serie A having gone unbeaten and won 16 of their first 17 matches.

They can be forgiven for taking the opportunity to hand Ronaldo, who will be 34 in February, a rest by starting him on the bench for the first time this season.

ESPN's Matteo Bonetti commented on their squad depth ahead of the clash:

When the Bianconeri took an early lead in Bergamo, it seemed Ronaldo would not be needed, affording him a much-needed rest.

His team-mates failed to step up in his absence, though, and before long, his presence was required:

Bentancur's departure from the contest did Juve no favours, but even before then, Atalanta had responded well from their early setback and weren't making life easy for the Bianconeri. 

Prior to Wednesday, Ronaldo had started every match for Juventus this season bar the UEFA Champions League clash with Young Boys, where he was suspended, and he had completed 90 minutes on 20 occasions.

He'll need carefully managing in the second half of the campaign, where Juventus will want him at his best for the Champions League knockout rounds. Doing so won't be easy if they need to call on him every time he's rested from the starting lineup because they can't win without him.

A dip into the January transfer market for an experienced striker who can take Ronaldo's place in games such as these will allow them to maintain their title push while also giving the former Real Madrid man the chance to recharge his batteries.

If they continue to lack a viable alternative, they risk burning him out ahead of the business end of the campaign, where he's traditionally at his most effective.

What Next

Juventus host Sampdoria on Saturday, while Atalanta travel to Sassuolo the same day.