Juve escape Genoa fightback with draw

Juventus missed the opportunity to open up a three-point lead at the top of Serie A as they were held to a 2-2 draw at home to Genoa tonight. Juve were pegged back twice by the Rossoblu, who missed two good chances to win the game late on. Alessandro Matri opened the scoring in the sixth minute before Marco Rossi levelled for the visitors. Matri was on target again in the 58th minute, but Andrea Caracciolo replied five minutes from time and went close to stealing all three points in stoppage time. The league leaders got off to a flying start, with Matri putting them ahead in the sixth minute with a set-piece from the training ground. A corner from the right was pulled back to Claudio Marchisio, whose low shot was intentionally diverted in by Matri from close range. Genoa levelled in the 31st minute with Rossi heading in from a pinpoint cross from the lively Alexander Merkel. A mistake by Miguel Veloso in the 41st minute almost led to a second Juve goal but Mirko Vucinic, who intercepted the Portuguese midfielder's weak pass across the field, shot straight at Sebastien Frey. Matri had the ball in the back of the net in the 50th minute, but Vucinic had delayed his pass too long and the Italian striker had drifted offside. Five minutes later, Merkel's deliberate touch from a free-kick sent the ball just inches wide of the far post before Giorgio Chiellini missed the post by the same margin with a header at the other end. Matri then scored the second, sliding the ball into the bottom corner after Vucinic's pass had been dummied expertly by Pirlo to make room for his team-mate near the penalty spot. Genoa responded like they did in the first half and Merkel, their best player on the day, hit the crossbar with a header from Rossi's cross in the 63rd minute. Juve seemed to ease up and try to play down the clock without really taking any risks, but Genoa needed just a glimpse of a chance to level five minutes from time. Juraj Kucka headed the ball down to Caracciolo, who beat Marco Storari to the ball near the post and lifted it over the Juve goalkeeper and into the back of the net. Jorquera and Caracciolo had excellent chances to win it for the Rossoblu in stoppage time and in the end it was Juve who would have been happier to hear the final whistle