Atalanta were held to a goalless draw at home to mid-table Cagliari in a match of few chances and little quality in Serie A on Saturday.

The title-chasing hosts struggled to find a telling breakthrough in the match against visiting opposition who kept things tight effectively, without ever threatening themselves.

After an uneventful first half, the biggest moment of the game came on the hour when the hosts thought they had scored the opener.

Midfielder Marco Brescianini turned the ball home from a corner, but the goal was ruled out for a foul on Cagliari goalkeeper Elia Caprile.

The draw leaves Atalanta third in the Serie A table, four points off leaders Napoli and three behind second-placed Inter. Both teams above them have a game in hand to be played over the remainder of the weekend.

Gian Piero Gasperini's side host Club Brugge in the Champions League on Tuesday, before travelling to Empoli next Sunday.

Cagliari, meanwhile, are 13th on 25 points and have a home game against Juventus next up in the league.

Data debrief: Stale match extends winless run

Atalanta managed just two shots on target in the match, while Cagliari failed to record a single one.

The match itself was the first home goalless draw in Serie A for Atalanta since October 2023. The result also extended Atalanta's winless run at home to four league matches (D3 L1), which is their longest such sequence since August 2022.

But in brighter news, the point was Gasperini's 600th in Serie A with Atalanta, making him only the second coach in history alongside Massimiliano Allegri, to reach the milestone.