Marchisio: It was a point earned for Juve

Massimo Carrera has blamed opening-night jitters for his Juventus side's disappointing 1-1 draw at home to Shakhtar Donetsk on Tuesday evening. The Juventus Stadium, opened at the start of last season, was hosting UEFA Champions League football for the first time, but it was the visitors' Alex Teixera who made history in Turin. The Brazilian midfielder profited from countryman Willian's skilful approach play to register the first European goal at I Bianconeri's new home, forcing Leonardo Bonucci to drag his side out of their shells by equalising immediately through a sumptuous drive. Indeed, Juventus survived a flurry of late raids and the ever-impressive Willian was only denied a late winner by the crossbar. Despite 10,000 tickets going unsold for the Group E game, Carrera believed stage fright was largely to blame for La Vecchia Signora's slow start. He told Juventus.com: "We were a bit fearful, but we were aware that Shakhtar would be tricky to deal with. We gave them space and conceded the goal but, after replying straight away, we matched them." Juventus, who sit third in their group, are under pressure to collect maximum points from their upcoming double header against Danish champions Nordsjaelland, who just slumped to a 4-0 defeat at home to Chelsea. "This year we have less time to work [between games] and that's the biggest problem," Carrera said. "We know that in our group there are two sides who will compete with us right until the very end." Claudio Marchisio might have notched in the early exchanges had the Juventus midfielder better controlled Andrea Pirlo's exquisite lob into the area. He told Gazzetta.it: "Based on how it went in the final minutes, it was a point earned. "We knew they were a team who play good football, with fast attackers who are dangerous on the counter-attack. We were a bit restrained in the first half, but then we managed to lift ourselves and create plenty of chances. There's no doubt that they're a great team, and if you're playing every three games then it's difficult to keep up. "Are the two games against the Danes important? Definitely. Hopefully when we're up there we won't have to play through snow and ice." Mixed feelings for Lucescu Shakhtar coach Mircea Lucescu told his club's official website: "The point that we have earned is vital. "Juventus are a strong team who played well, but we were able to make them do a lot of running. It's a pity that we didn't manage to score in the dying stages of the match." FIFA