Atalanta kicked off their Serie A season with a disappointing 1-1 draw at home to newly-promoted Pisa on Saturday. Gianluca Scamacca scored his first league goal in over a year, but it wasn`t enough to secure victory for Gian Piero Gasperini`s side in their competitive debut under the new coach.
Pisa took a surprise lead in the 26th minute when Isak Hien accidentally bundled the ball into his own net following a cross from Idrissa Toure. Atalanta struggled to break down the visitors` defense for much of the first half.
The hosts equalized five minutes after halftime through Scamacca. The striker collected a pass from Mario Pasalic, created space and curled a right-footed shot into the far corner from 12 yards out. It was Scamacca`s first Serie A goal in over 450 days, having been sidelined with a serious knee injury last season.
Atalanta pushed hard for a winner in the closing stages. Scamacca hit the crossbar with a header and Adrian Semper made an excellent save to deny Daniel Maldini when through on goal. However, Pisa held firm to secure an impressive point on their return to the top flight.
The result will be seen as two points dropped for Atalanta, who have ambitions of returning to European competition this season. New signing Charles De Ketelaere made his debut but was unable to make a decisive impact. Gasperini will be looking for a much-improved performance when Atalanta travel to face Lazio next weekend.