Inzaghi Treble Denies Hamburg
HAMBURG, Germany, Sept 13 (Reuters) - A Filippo Inzaghi hat-trick, including a controversial penalty two minutes from time, helped Juventus snatch a 4-4 draw against Hamburg SV in a thrilling Champions League match on Wednesday.
Hamburg returned to Europe's top soccer stage in style after 16 seasons in the wilderness, coming back from 3-1 down to grab a point in group E.
The home team, who beat the Turin club to win the 1983 European Cup, were denied a dream victory when Inzaghi won a spot kick for having his shirt tugged by Sergej Barbarez.
'To be honest it's anger at the penalty that lingers -- we all know Inzaghi falls nicely,' said Hamburg coach Frank Pagelsdorf.
'It's not often you're in a position to overturn a 3-1 scoreline against a club like Juventus, but the players put in a great performance and they won't forget it in a hurry.'
Hamburg went behind in the fifth minute through a close range header from Croatian international defender Igor Tudor.
But Ghanian striker Tony Yeboah revived the home fans' hopes with another header, his first goal of the season, when a Rodolfo Cardoso free kick from the half-way line found him unmarked on the edge of the six-yard box after 17 minutes.
Juventus soaked up relentless pressure from the home side before an exquisite ball from Zinedine Zidane put Inzaghi through in the 36th to restore the lead, which he extended eight minutes after the break following a defensive mix-up.
'Inzaghi proved he's a great goalscorer,' said Juventus trainer Carlo Ancelotti.
'It was a great match but we lost a bit of motivation and concentration after going 3-1 up,' he added.
Mehdi Mahdavikia brought Hamburg back into the match with a 65th minute tap-in before penalty-taking goalkeeper Hans-Joerg Butt levelled the score with a coolly placed spot kick in the 72nd after Mahdavikia was fouled by Juve captain Ciro Ferrara.
Midfielder Niko Kovac, who had struggled to contain Juventus playmaker Zidane in the early phases, sent the Hamburg fans into ecstasy 10 minutes later with a fourth as seat covers rained onto the pitch.
But Inzaghi's penalty in the dying minutes sent the Hamburg fans home disappointed and saved the visitors' blushes after an often unconvincing display in midfield and at the back.
