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Juventus were denied a Champions League victory in controversial circumstances at the Stadio Olimpico as Bordeaux came away with a 1-1 draw.

The Italians had led through Vincenzo Iaquinta, after superb work by Fabio Cannavaro, but Jaroslav Plasil popped up 15 minutes from time to equalise from an offside position.

Bordeaux's Czech midfielder arrived at the back post to stab home from two yards, but replays showed he was goalside of the last defender when Yoann Gourcuff's free kick was nodded on at the near post.

Juventus went into Tuesday's encounter with crippling problems up front, where Brazilian playmaker Diego and talisman Alessandro Del Piero missed out with thigh injuries, and the duo's absence was tangible in the first half.

With Iaquinta partnering Amauri up front the Italians found the temptation of the long ball too difficult to resist in the first 45 minutes, rendering the little magician Sebastian Giovinco somewhat redundant.

Ciro Ferrara also had issues at the back as key defender Giorgio Chiellini served a one-match ban, so veteran World Cup winner Cannavaro made the 60th Champions League appearance of his illustrious career - and a telling appearance it would be.

There were significant changes in the Bordeaux XI too as Saturday's match-winner Yoan Gouffran dropped to the bench along with Franck Jurietti and Henri Saivet, making room for Matthieu Chalme, Menegazzo and former Arsenal target Marouane Chamakh.

The French undoubtedly settled better.

Inside two minutes the Ligue 1 champions could have silenced The Stadio Olimpico, Menegazzo breaking into the inside-right channel of Juventus' area to force an unexpected early one-handed stop from Gianluigi Buffon.

Bordeaux's right flank was a constant source of danger to the home side and Yoann Gourcuff wasted an excellent opportunity from another right-wing delivery, failing to make a clean connection from 12 yards. Oh how the former Milan man would have loved to have done better.

Moments later it was Gourcuff in the thick of the action again, this time collapsing inside the box after Plasil's cutback, but the familiar face of referee Tom Ovrebo (he of the Chelsea v Barcelona semi-final) proved once again that he can be a hard man to please as he waved away penalty appeals.

Juventus were distinctly second best early on, yet they managed to claw their way into the game midway through the first half and were almost gifted an opener.

After Iaquinta and Amauri had both threatened, Bordeaux keeper Cedric Carrasso suddenly completely lost the flight of a corner, only to see the ball evade Amauri's head by a matter of centimetres as an empty net beckoned.

Other than that one aberration, Bordeaux would have gone in at half time pleased with how they had silenced the home crowd, yet the match exploded into life at the beginning of the second period.

Within five minutes both teams should have scored, first when Chamakh found himself one-on-one with Buffon...only to shoot straight at the keeper's legs.

Then came an even better opportunity for Iaquinta, who did excellently to round goalkeeper Carrasso, but then he brainlessly chose to shoot from an impossible angle when Giovinco was crying out for a simple lay-off in front of an open goal.

A lucky escape for Bordeaux, but the incident seemed to have serious consequences nonetheless as keeper Carrasso left the field injured to be replaced by veteran shot-stopper Ulrich Rame.

Within moments Rame would be picking the ball out of his net.

Veteran defender Cannavaro proved the architect of the goal as he released Iaquinta, who rammed the ball under Rame to hand Juventus the lead just after the hour mark.

Now Bordeaux needed some inspiration and it came from their goalkeeper, who made a world class reaction stop from Amauri's near-post glance just moments before Laurent Blanc's men found the equaliser.

The goal itself was covered in controversy as Plasil poked home from an offside position after Gourcuff's free kick had been flicked on. No flag, the goal stood.

Juventus charged forward desperately in search of justice, but when the golden chance fell to Claudio Marchisio with two minutes remaining, he scuffed his volley into the ground and up onto the bar as Bordeaux returned to France with a point.

Ben Blackmore / Eurosport