Honours shared between Juve and Roma

Juventus and Roma did little to boost their respective championship hopes as they battled to a 1-1 draw at Turin’s Olympic stadium on Saturday.

Vincenzo Iaquinta opened the scoring for hosts Juve on 35 minutes but deep into first half stoppage time Roma captain Francesco Totti equalised from the spot.

The point did little to improve either team’s standing in Serie A, although Juve did move up a place for 24 hours at least as they took fourth spot from champions Inter Milan, who face leaders AC Milan in their city derby on Sunday.

The hosts made a bright start as Fabio Quagliarella hit a dipping volley just over the top.

On seven minutes he released Iaquinta with an inch-perfect ball from the right but the big striker’s first touch was poor, taking him wide, and Julio Sergio came out to close down his target.

It wasn’t all one-way traffic as Frenchman Jeremy Menez hit a curler to the far post from the left that Marco Storari brilliantly kept out with one hand.

But the action was soon back at the Roma end as Alberto Aquilani took a short corner from Simone Pepe and crossed to the near post where Quagliarella glanced a header wide of the far upright on 24 minutes.

Sergio had to be alert to nick Pepe’s cross off Iaquinta’s head but the hosts were in front 10 minutes from the break.

Aquilani delighted home fans as he nut-megged Leandro Greco and then crossed for Iaquinta to hit a splendid acrobatic volley into the corner from the edge of the area.

It seemed as if Juve were going into the dressing rooms in front until Roma were given a penalty in first half stoppage time when Totti’s free-kick hit Pepe on the arm.

Totti sent Storari the wrong way from the spot.

Juve had the better of the second period as well as Pepe dinked the ball to the back post with the outside of his right boot but Claudio Marchisio couldn’t direct it on target from close range.

Menez put a dangerous ball into the box for Roma but with Marco Borriello on the bench, there was no poacher to gamble on getting on the end of it.

Pepe cut in from the right with 15 minutes left but lashed his effort high and wide.

Roma were twice saved by desperate sliding blocks from their centre-backs, Philippe Mexes denying Quagliarella and Nicolas Burdisso getting in the way of an Aquilani effort.

Sergio tipped away a long range Quagliarella effort late on but neither team could find a winner.

In the day’s earlier game, Alberto Gilardino eased the pressure on coach Sinisa Mihajlovic as he scored the only goal in a 1-0 win over Cesena, who remain second from bottom.