Two-time European Cup winners Juventus had to come from two goals down on Tuesday evening to salvage a 2-2 draw with a BATE Borisov side whose honours list includes four Belarusian Premier League titles and one Belarusian Cup.
David looked like he was not only going to slay Goliath, but positively pummel him after BATE took a two-goal lead through Sergey Kryvets and Igor Stasevich, but Vincenzo Iaquinta scored twice to restore parity before the first half was up.
BATE are unbeaten in the Vysshaya Liga, while Juve are languishing seventh in Serie A and, in the first Champions League group game to be played on Belarusian soil, it was the visitors who looked to be the new kids on the block.
BATE have not had the easiest of introductions to life at the top table of European football – a trip to Real Madrid and the visit Juve is no walk in the park – but they were well worth a point on this occasion.
Juventus’ European exile means they had not played a Champions League away tie since their 2006 quarter final defeat to Arsenal, and on the evidence of the opening 30 minutes it was they who looked to be in unchartered territory.
Fabio Capello was the Bianconeri manager then, Claudio Ranieri today – even a duo with such coveted CVs could not have been prepared for the manner in which these upstarts from Eastern Europe took to the task at hand.
Barely quarter of an hour had passed by the time Vitali Rodionov and Kryvets had come close to breaking the deadlock, and it was only three minutes later that the unlikeliest of leads was taken.
Pavel Nedved and Alessandro Del Piero – the latter of whom’s header was Juve’s only opening of the first 30 minutes – have approaching 200 international caps between them, but neither could have crafted, or taken, Kryvets’ goal better.
Racing onto a perfectly weighted through-ball, he dropped his shoulder to leave former Arsenal keeper Alex Manninger on his backside and slotted in.
The sense of surrealism heightened five minutes later when Igor Stasevich – one for the Premier League’s scouts to jot down in their black books – crossed for Nekhaychik to head back across Manninger. Nedved’s attempt to challenge for the header was little more than a token.
There was a feeling that BATE might be about to rival CFR Cluj and Anorthosis Famagusta’s upsets on what Uefa dubs ‘Matchday One’, until Sebastian Giovinco and Iaquinta came to the party.
The big burly Italy striker twice profited from his compatriot’s craftsmanship in the closing 15 minutes to take matters back to square one at half time.
His first was a trademark header from Giovinco’s cross, his second – running onto his team-mate’s pass in the third minute of first-half injury time – was a low drive through the legs of BATE keeper Sergey Veremko.
The Belarusians would have been forgiven for being a little disheartened by such a turn of events but, it seems, that Belarusians do not do feeling sorry for themselves.
Viktor Goncharenko’s side emerged from half-time a good three minutes earlier than their visitors – it was as if they could not wait to be back on the same field as the illustrious Old Lady. Overawed? Not a bit of it.
Juve once again started sluggishly, BATE like a rocket. Talking of rockets, Aleksandr Volodko’s header ten minutes into the half – which must have shaved some paint off the outside of Manninger’s right-hand post – certainly looked to have been fuelled by something venomous such was its velocity.
Tinkerman Ranieri lived up his moniker by making two changes within the hour but, aside from Nedved and Girogio Chiellini chancing their arms, Juve looked impotent – David Trezeguet’s absence was telling.
Del Piero whistled a shot just wide after 70 minutes and Giorgio Chiellini went close with a dose of the acrobatics, but Juve were unable to find a winner and now head into a Group H double–header against Real Madrid having survived a mighty fright.
STAR MAN: Vincenzo Iaquinta (*8). Nothing spectacular from an old-fashioned centre forward, but two goals that looked unlikely to come from anywhere else in a Juve side that has the Italy striker to thank for saving their blushes. Click here for our full player ratings and match statistics.