Adam Johnson earned Manchester City a 1-1 home draw with Italian giants Juventus in the Europa League - but only after Alessandro del Piero had watched a free-kick crash off the bar in the closing minutes.
The Serie A side had clearly not come to England to play for a draw and struck when Italy striker Vincenzo Iaquinta rattled home a shot from 25 yards that flew past Joe Hart via the head of Kolo Toure on 10 minutes.
Yaya Toure atoned for his brother's misfortune when he played in Johnson for the equaliser on 37 minutes.
With England manager Fabio Capello watching, Johnson was coolness personified as he broke free of his markers to roll the ball past the isolated Juventus keeper Alex Manninger.
The Turin side gave as good as they got in the Group A encounter and were unlucky not to claim all three points when midfielder Del Piero thumped a shot off the underside of the bar after Gareth Barry had upended the ever-dangerous Iaquinta.
City are level with Lech Poznan at the top of the section on four points after they beat Salzburg 2-0. The Polish side are only ahead of City on goals scored.
Juventus visit European champions Internazionale on domestic duty on Sunday and will do so in good heart after departing Eastlands with a merited point.
They began the evening in some style as Iaquinta showed his class when he forced home goalkeeper Joe Hart to pull off a fine diving stop as early as the fourth minute.
Hart was called into action moments later when Del Piero gave a glimpse of what was to come when he banged in a free-kick from distance that dipped horribly in front of Hart, but the England player had enough presence of mind to nudge the ball out of the danger area.
He was helpless when Iaquitna struck an opener that silenced a home crowd that were not exactly foaming at the mouth for most of the night.
Carlos Tevez was the first to threaten the visiting goal as he won space on the edge of the box only to see a shot sail wide on 17 minutes after wriggling clear of several Juve players.
Gareth Barry was extremely unfortunate to see a header rebound off the post on 32 minutes before Johnson restored parity with an exceptional finish that must have impressed the watching Capello in the stands.
City had their tails up, but Juventus were a constant threat on the break with Iaquinta, Milos Krasic and Del Piero providing an attacking trio of some menace.
Del Piero clubbed a shot wide on 64 minutes, but was so unlucky when his free-kick came back out 20 minutes later with Hart well beaten.
Spanish referee Eduardo Iturralde Gonzalez enjoyed a fine match and rightly agreed with his linesman's assertion that the ball had not crossed the line, much to the relief of City manager Roberto Mancini and the home supporters.
Original Text
The Serie A side had clearly not come to England to play for a draw and struck when Italy striker Vincenzo Iaquinta rattled home a shot from 25 yards that flew past Joe Hart via the head of Kolo Toure on 10 minutes.
Yaya Toure atoned for his brother's misfortune when he played in Johnson for the equaliser on 37 minutes.
With England manager Fabio Capello watching, Johnson was coolness personified as he broke free of his markers to roll the ball past the isolated Juventus keeper Alex Manninger.
The Turin side gave as good as they got in the Group A encounter and were unlucky not to claim all three points when midfielder Del Piero thumped a shot off the underside of the bar after Gareth Barry had upended the ever-dangerous Iaquinta.
City are level with Lech Poznan at the top of the section on four points after they beat Salzburg 2-0. The Polish side are only ahead of City on goals scored.
Juventus visit European champions Internazionale on domestic duty on Sunday and will do so in good heart after departing Eastlands with a merited point.
They began the evening in some style as Iaquinta showed his class when he forced home goalkeeper Joe Hart to pull off a fine diving stop as early as the fourth minute.
Hart was called into action moments later when Del Piero gave a glimpse of what was to come when he banged in a free-kick from distance that dipped horribly in front of Hart, but the England player had enough presence of mind to nudge the ball out of the danger area.
He was helpless when Iaquitna struck an opener that silenced a home crowd that were not exactly foaming at the mouth for most of the night.
Carlos Tevez was the first to threaten the visiting goal as he won space on the edge of the box only to see a shot sail wide on 17 minutes after wriggling clear of several Juve players.
Gareth Barry was extremely unfortunate to see a header rebound off the post on 32 minutes before Johnson restored parity with an exceptional finish that must have impressed the watching Capello in the stands.
City had their tails up, but Juventus were a constant threat on the break with Iaquinta, Milos Krasic and Del Piero providing an attacking trio of some menace.
Del Piero clubbed a shot wide on 64 minutes, but was so unlucky when his free-kick came back out 20 minutes later with Hart well beaten.
Spanish referee Eduardo Iturralde Gonzalez enjoyed a fine match and rightly agreed with his linesman's assertion that the ball had not crossed the line, much to the relief of City manager Roberto Mancini and the home supporters.
Original Text
