Half-Time Report: All square between Borussia Monchengladbach, Juventus

It is level at the break between Borussia Monchengladbach and Juventus with the score evenly poised at 1-1 in Tuesday night's Champions league Group D clash at Borussia-Park.

© Getty Images

The visitors were quickest out of the starting blocks as Patrice Evra pounced on a rebound inside the box after just three minutes but blasted the ball inches above the bar.

Nevertheless Monchengladbach recovered to take the game to their opponents and were rewarded in the 18th minute when Fabian Johnson latched on to Rafael's precise pass deep inside the box and rifled a low shot into the bottom-left corner.

The hosts continued to push forward following their opener as, 22 minutes in, Ibrahima Traore fashioned a shot from the edge of the box, but Gianluigi Buffon was equal to it before Havard Nordtveit was similarly thwarted moments later.

Juve came within a whisker of equalising in the 26th minute when Paulo Dybala's corner was met by a leaping header from Giorgio Chiellini, which sailed narrowly wide of the left post, though Monchengladbach countered almost immediately with a ferocious shot from Granit Xhaka that flew over the bar.

Nevertheless, Massimiliano Allegri's charges were able to reap the rewards from their attacking endeavours when Stephan Lichtsteiner, playing his first game back following his recovery from a heart condition, lashed a volley from inside the box onto the bottom of the left post and into the net just before the break.