Juve had the first attempt of the game, as Alex Del Piero took on Alessandro Gamberini and sent a cross into the penalty area that found Amauri but his header sailed high and wide.
Claudio Marchisio cracked a long range shot over, while down the other end Sergio Almiron unleashed a daisycutter wide. Shots were raining in from distance, with Mario Alberto Santana also firing off target.
On 15 minutes Alessandro Del Piero made a run to the near post, losing his marker, but he didn’t connect cleanly with his shot.
A comical misunderstanding by Marco Donadel and Almiron on a free kick led to a lightning Juventus counter-attack, which ended in Amauri blazing over.
The first half hour had been lacking in technical quality, but Alberto Gilardino lit up a so far dull affair with a neat chest and bicycle kick, but it was easy for Gianluigi Buffon.
Juve started to gain a bit of a foothold in midfield, and Mauro Camoranesi’s tricky run ended with Del Piero snapping in a sweet half volley straight into the arms of Frey.
On 38 minutes the Old Lady took the lead thanks the oldest player on the pitch – Pavel Nedved. The former Lazio star, celebrating his 36th birthday, tapped in at the back post following a superb run and cross down the right by Zdenek Grygera.
Minutes later it could have been 2-0 as Del Piero and Camoranesi linked up well, with the latter crossing into the box for Amauri who glanced a header wide from just six yards.
Del Piero missed an even better chance one minute before the break, as he shrugged off Gamberini and found himself through on goal, but the 33-year-old took an age on the ball, and eventually shot timidly at Frey.
Into the second half and Gilardino tried to get away from Nicola Legrottaglie, but the defender did superbly to mop up the danger. His centre back partner Olof Mellberg went up for a free kick down the other end, and beat Gamberini to the ball but headed wide.
Amauri saw a shot blocked, before Stevan Jovetic was brought on for Fiorentina, replacing the disappointing Almiron. This gave the home side a boost, and they started to exert some concerted pressure. Buffon had to be alert to punch the ball away from inside his six yard box.
On the hour mark, Fiorentina created their best chance of the match so far, as Jovetic crossed to the far post for Santana, who could not get any power on his header.
Juventus could not get out of their half, and on 66 minutes they conceded a free kick right on the edge of the area. Juan Manuel Vargas wound up one of his trademark run-ups but shot a couple of yards wide.
Nedved, who was still annoyed after conceding that free kick, unleashed a long range shot but his effort finished high and wide. Juventus were then awarded a free kick of their own, this time 25 yards out, and Del Piero whipped the ball over the wall but two yards past the post.
On 70 minutes Fiorentina missed a glorious chance to equalise, as Gilardino went past Mellberg and was one on one with Buffon, but the goalkeeper forced him wide, and Gila couldn’t turn the ball into the open net.
Felipe Melo had been much improved for Fiorentina in the second half, and he towered above Poulsen from a left wing cross, but headed well over.
Into the final 10 minutes and Gilardino, who had had a good second half, held off Legrottaglie and flashed a shot wide, as the Viola desperately searched for an equaliser.
Seconds later this task was made tougher as Felipe Melo was shown a straight red card for a late tackle on Poulsen, who was sent flying through the air.
Juventus thought they were going to hold out, but in the penultimate minute Fiorentina found an equaliser to send the Artemio Franchi into ecstasy. A long ball was flicked on by substitute Giampaolo Pazzini, and Gilardino turned the hapless Mellberg, before firing superbly past Buffon.
Five minutes of stoppage time were awarded and Amauri almost surprised Frey at his near post with a snap shot, but the Frenchman palmed the ball away.
Moments later, time seemed to stand still as Del Piero curled in a free kick from the left, which went past everyone and everything, including the far post.
That was that, and in the end a draw was just about the fair result. In what had been an incredible first weekend to the Serie A season, none of the so-called five title challengers – the others being Milan, Inter and Roma – had managed to register a victory.
Teams
Fiorentina: Frey; Zauri, Gamberini, Kroldrup, Vargas; Donadel (Kuzmanovic 78), Melo, Almiron (Jovetic 53); Santana, Osvaldo (Pazzini 63), Gilardino
Juventus: Buffon; Grygera, Mellberg, Legrottaglie, Molinaro (De Ceglie 73); Camoranesi (Iaquinta 88), Poulsen, Marchisio, Nedved; Amauri, Del Piero
Goals
Nedved 39 (J)
Gilardino 89 (F)
Red Card
Felipe Melo 83 (F)
Carlo Garganese
Goal.com
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