Rome: Cesena scored 10 minutes from time to earn a 2-2 draw at home with Juventus on Saturday after Marco Motta was sent off at the end of the first half.
Until then, Juventus looked comfortable and went two goals up through a brace by Alessandro Matri. Luis Jiminez pulled a goal back for Cesena with a penalty after Gianluigi Buffon pulled down Marco Parolo before Motta received his marching orders.
After halftime Cesena dominated and Juventus needed Buffon to make vital saves. Eventually Parolo took advantage of weak Juventus defending to fire in an equaliser.
"Going down to 10 men was similar to what happened at Lecce but this time we were able to hold on to get a point, whereas at Lecce we lost," Juventus wing Simone Pepe said.
"We did all we could but unfortunately a draw doesn't really help us in the league. Playing with 10 players is always difficult but we are working to try to improve this situation."
Juventus was in control from the start and took the lead in the 19th. Alessandro Del Piero ran at Cesena's defence, picked out Matri's run behind the back four and he shot low past Francesco Antonioli.
Emanuele Giaccherini then squandered a fantastic opening to draw Cesena level. He shot first time past Gianluigi Buffon but it came back to him off the post. With an open goal in front of him though, he blazed across the goal, and wide.
Matri punished such profligacy soon after when Matri scored his second. Del Piero hit the post and his strike partner reacted quickest to head home the rebound.
Buffon was lucky not to be sent off in the 40th when he pulled down Parolo. He received only a yellow card, while Jiminez fired the penalty down the centre of the goal.
Juventus went down to 10 men two minutes later when Motta was booked for a second time when he kicked Giaccherini in the face as the striker went to head the ball.
In the second half, Buffon needed to dive low to push away Giuseppe Colucci's shot. He stopped Cesena again five minutes later when he stopped shots from Giaccherini and Erjon Bogdani in quick succession; then later in the half, he stopped Dominique Malonga's shot from outside the area.
Finally, Cesena's effort paid off when Parolo was first to the loose ball that he swept past Buffon after Juventus failed to clear a corner.
"We had a good game, especially considering we had to play with 10 men for about 60 minutes," Juventus coach Luigi Delneri said. "We have the type of players who will work to overcome such a disadvantage but Cesena is a good team and has some good players, especially Jiminez who caused us a number of problems tonight."
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