Iaquinta salvages a point for Juve at lowly BATE

MINSK (Reuters) - Vincenzo Iaquinta scored a first-half double to help Juventus salvage a 2-2 draw at Belarus minnows BATE Borisov in Group H of the Champions League on Tuesday.

Italy forward Iaquinta saved the Serie A side's blushes by nodding in a Sebastian Giovinco cross in the 29th minute and firing through the legs of BATE keeper Sergei Veremko on the stroke of half time.

The hosts had taken control with goals by Sergei Kryvets and Igor Stasevich on 17 and 23 minutes.

After two matches Juventus, who beat Zenit St Petersburg 1-0 in their opener, are second in Group H with four points, two behind leaders Real Madrid.

"They surprised us. We couldn't hold them in any area of the field. It was a nightmare first half hour," Juve coach Claudio Ranieri told Sky television.

"We did well not to give up. We have to compliment these lads from Belarus. They ran like there were 22 of them, not 11."

BATE made a fearsome start and Kryvets gave them a deserved lead when he ran on to a long pass, rounded Alexander Manninger and slipped the ball into an empty net.

Stasevich headed past an immobile Manninger, standing in for Italy keeper Gianluigi Buffon, after Pavel Nedved failed to cut out a Pavel Nekhaychik cross to double the lead.

Both sides pressed forward after Iaquinta's double, which made for a lively, albeit goalless second half, with twice European champions Juve having the better chances.