Juventus and Roma failed to get the better of one another and ended up sharing the spoils in a lively 1-1 draw at the Stadio Olimpico tonight. Vincenzo Iaquinta put the hosts in front in the 35th minute, but Francesco Totti levelled from the spot at the end of the first half.

The two sides were committed to trying to win the game to the very end and delivered an entertaining battle which confirmed they both have the credentials to challenge for the title this season. Juventus had the first chance of the game in the seventh minute when Fabio Quagliarella's pass sent Iaquinta through, but the Italy striker  - who appeared unconvinced that he was onside - only half-heartedly chased the ball, which he was unable to reach.

Look at my team not the table, I'm very happy with my lads. We deserved the three points, we've got a lot of character.
Luigi Delneri, Juventus coach

At the other end, Jeremy Menez had a shot pushed wide at full stretch by Marco Storari. It was a sign of things to come that both sides had good early chances as the game continued to flow from end to end at a high pace. Iaquinta was only inches away from reaching Alberto Aquilani's cross which was headed on to the far post by Quagliarella in the 24th minute.

The hosts then went ahead 10 minutes before the interval with Aquilani lifting the ball into the area and Iaquinta turning to volley the ball unstoppably past Julio Sergio from just inside the penalty area. The referee pointed to the penalty spot in the final minute of the first half when Simone Pepe blocked Totti's free-kick with his arm. Totti kept his nerve while those around him were losing theirs to convert the penalty deep into first-half stoppage time.

The pace was frenetic early in the second half too with Claudio Marchisio missing a chance to put Juventus back in front in the 66th minute when he controlled the ball well with his chest, but could not guide it inside the post with his second touch. Both teams understandably tired as the clock ticked down, but Quagliarella showed he was still fully alert mentally as he spotted Julio Sergio off his line and tried to beat him with a volley from 35 yards out. The Roma goalkeeper recovered to punch the ball clear and ensure his side clinched a point.

Juventus coach Luigi Delneri believed his team deserved more. "We totally deserved to win, we did everything to win, we had five or six great chances and gave little away to Roma, who were in great form," he said. "Look at my team not the table, I'm very happy with my lads. We deserved the three points, we've got a lot of character."

Roma coach Claudio Ranieri understandably disagreed, although he admitted his team needed to show more in the final third. "We needed to be more incisive and clinical, just like they (Juve) did against Brescia (in midweek) they stayed back and waited," he said.

"There were two teams that wanted to win, maybe in the first half we had the chance to be more clinical but we didn't take it.

"They scored from their first chance, then we equalised, and in the second half there was a chance here and a chance there.

"We're a good team, we need to be always hungry and concentrated, that's the way we want to play with everyone," concluded the Roma coach.