Cristiano Ronaldo's Brace Not Enough as Juventus Draw 3-3 with Parma in Serie A

Cristiano Ronaldo and Gervinho each scored twice as Juventus were forced to share the spoils with Parma in a six-goal thriller at the Allianz Stadium on Saturday.

Ronaldo opened the scoring in the 36th minute, as Juve sought to get back to winning ways in Serie A following their shock 3-0 defeat to Atalanta in the Coppa Italia on Wednesday.

Moments after Sami Khedira had rattled the post, Ronaldo picked up the ball from Blaise Matuidi and sent a deflected effort past Luigi Sepe in the visitors' goal to hand the hosts the lead.

Juve thought they had a penalty on the stroke of half-time when centre-back Martin Caceres collided with Simone Iacoponi, but the decision was overturned following a review from the video assistant referee.

The hosts doubled their lead shortly after Khedira had hit the post a second time when Ronaldo knocked down a cross for defender Daniele Rugani to finish in the 62nd minute.

Midfielder Antonino Barilla pulled one back for the visitors two minutes later with a fine header, but Ronaldo quickly nodded home from Mario Mandzukic's cross at the other end to restore Juve's two-goal lead.

Gervinho reduced the deficit again for the visitors when he beat Rugani to meet Juraj Kucka's cross, and he snatched a dramatic late equaliser when he lashed home a cut-back through Mattia Perin in the third minute of injury time.

Juventus Not Ready to Move on from BBC

Juve have long relied on veteran centre-back trio Leonardo Bonucci (31), Andrea Barzagli (37) and Giorgio Chiellini (34), and the defenders—who are currently all out injured—have been key to them winning the last seven Serie A titles in succession.

With Barzagli and Chiellini nearing retirement age, Juve have made strides to prepare for their eventual departures by bringing through the likes of Rugani, who partnered recent signing Martin Caceres in defence on Saturday.

Remarkably, it was the first time since March 2012 that none of the veteran trio were in the match-day squad—which is even more surprising given Bonucci spent last season at AC Milan—but the Bianconeri's poor defensive performance showed they're not ready to move on just yet.

Juve dominated the first half, but from the outset of the second they appeared lax at the back, with Roberto Inglese threatening before the goals began to fly in.

Barilla was unmarked for Parma's first, while Italian football writer Adam Digby and Bleacher Report's Gianni Verschueren were both a little premature in praising Rugani before he failed to prevent Parma's second:

Sports journalist Ryan Taylor felt the absence of Bonucci, Barzagli and Chiellini told its own story:

Such is the trio's quality and experience, transitioning to a new defensive unit was always going to be a bumpy road.

It seems Juve have much work to do to be ready for when they need to move on permanently.

Mandzukic a Much Better Focal Point Than Paulo Dybala

Mario Mandzukic made his first appearance of the year after missing Juve's five matches in January through injury, and Bianconeri boss Massimiliano Allegri took the opportunity to rest Paulo Dybala on the bench.

The Argentinian is a fine player who can create moments of magic, but the Croatian's return offered a reminder that he's a much better focal point for the team than Dybala.

Mandzukic came close to recording an assist shortly before half-time when he found Ronaldo, but the Portuguese fired narrowly wide.

Italian football writers David Amoyal and Digby praised his impact at the break:

In the second half, he proved useful at both ends, relieving some pressure on his side by winning a free-kick near his own penalty area and providing a sublime cross to assist Ronaldo's second.

Eurosport's Siavoush Fallahi was also moved to praise the striker:

Mandzukic may not have Dybala's raw ability, but he's a much better fit alongside Ronaldo in Allegri's system and excels in bringing others into the game.

Now that he's back, Allegri will have to find a way of forming the three of them into an effective attacking unit, because he's too valuable to leave out—even for Dybala.

What's Next

Juventus travel to Sassuolo on February 10, a day after Parma host Inter Milan.