Belotti volley stunts Juve title hopes

TURIN: Juventus' faint Serie A title hopes were further dented by local rivals Torino, who fought their way back to earn a deserved 1-1 draw in Friday night's derby.

Dutch defender Matthijs de Ligt headed Juve in front in the 13th minute, arriving at the far post to connect with a Juan Cuadrado free kick.

Torino coped well with falling behind and matched their more illustrious neighbours for intensity and intelligence and went on to outplay them in the second half.

After coming close to scoring on a few occasions they found an equaliser when Josip Brekalo raced to the byline and launched a cross back into the box which star striker Andrea Belotti converted on the volley.

Torino continued to cause the hosts problems until late in the game but were forced to defend with their backs against the wall deep in stoppage time before they could celebrate a well-earned point.

The draw left Juventus fourth in the table on 47 points after 26 games, eight behind leaders AC Milan, who visit bottom side Salernitana on Saturday. Torino are 10th on 33 points.