Juve and Salzburg draw but lose ground

Juventus and FC Salzburg remain without a Europa League Group A between them after sharing another draw at the Stadio Olimpico.

Following the 1-1 impasse in Austria, the honours were even once more, though with KKS Lech Poznań beating Manchester City FC elsewhere the Bianconeri actually closed to within three points of the summit. Salzburg's ambitions are hanging by a thread – only wins for them and Juve from here on in will be enough.

Littered with early stoppages, the game was slow in finding its rhythm. Alessandro Del Piero warmed Gerhard Tremmel's palms with an ambitious free-kick on 17 minutes and the visiting goalkeeper had to be similarly alert to repel Claudio Marchisio's follow-up. At the other end, Marco Storari was equal to Nikola Pokrivač's long-range strike.

Juve sporadically exerted pressure, Nicola Legrottaglie heading over Marco Motta's cross before a sweeping move involving Amauri and Miloš Krasić resulted in Del Piero blazing over. The Bianconeri launched a similar counterattack on 54 minutes when Marchisio rampaged down the left, Del Piero flicked on for Amauri and Mohamed Sissoko drove straight at Tremmel.

But such moments were rare, set pieces by either side looking the most likely source of a breakthrough. Salzburg could have stolen ahead four minutes after the interval when Franz Schiemer glanced Jakob Jantscher's free-kick wide at the far post, while Roman Wallner also sent a diving header looping over.

Indeed, Huub Stevens' men looked likeliest to score as the injury-depleted hosts tired, Jantscher cutting inside to fire wide, Schiemer unleashing a fizzing effort across Storari's goal and Thomas Augustinussen heading wide with six minutes left. Die Bullen's race looks to be over.