Valiant Juventus fights back to earn enthralling draw with Bayern Munich
Turin - Super-sub Stefano Sturaro came off the bench to hit a late equaliser in a 2-2 draw with Bayern Munich, as Juventus, outclassed for much of the contest, rescued its round of 16 Champions League tie on Tuesday.
Bayern dominated throughout a one-sided opening half at a packed Juventus Stadium, and took a deserved 43rd-minute lead through Thomas Muller.
Related - VIDEO: Juventus succumbs to Bayern's incessant pressure on Muller goal
Arjen Robben doubled the Germans' lead on 55 minutes, but the 2013 champion paid for a series of earlier misses when Paulo Dybala netted on the hour and Sturaro hit a dramatic leveller 14 minutes from time.
It leaves the tie delicately poised, although on this performance Pep Guardiola's men will be favourites to secure a place in the quarter-finals when the second leg takes place in three weeks.
Bayern dominated the opening period and Juve fans watched with silent awe as Bayern squatted in the home side's half, kept possession and limited any Juve forays past the centre circle.
The reward for the Bavarian side's dominance came late in the opening stanza.
Douglas Costa's good work and persistence down the left flank finally paid off three minutes before half-time when he volleyed a ball into the box that Juve's backline failed to clear. It fell to Muller, who this time made no mistake from 12 yards out, rolling the ball past a desperate Buffon.
Bayern looked to be home and dry early in the second half, when Robben struck on the counter after a trademark cut inside from the right before curling home left-footed.
Related - VIDEO: Robben's fine effort hands Bayern huge advantage vs. Juventus
It took until 63 minutes for Juventus to launch a salvage operation; Dybala running down the right side unhindered to beat a splayed Neuer at his near post.
The stadium erupted and Juve immediately began to play with purpose. Mandzukic did well to help win back possession deep on the left before running upfield and offloading for Juan Cuadrado, but Neuer palmed the Colombian's drive over.
Allegri replaced Sami Khedira with Sturaro on 69 minutes, and seven minutes later the stocky Italian pulled the hosts level.
Related - VIDEO: Juventus completes superb comeback as Sturaro levels vs. Bayern
A Mandzukic cross found the head of Alvaro Morata, and his first-time ball found Sturaro bursting into the penalty area, the midfielder pinging the ball off the underside of the crossbar and into the net to salvage a 2-2 draw.