In a match that may have been a litmus test for Thiago Motta’s qualifications to take over Juventus, his Bologna club made a strong start but faltered at the end, drawing 3-3 with the Turin giants on Monday.

Former Italy midfielder Motta’s contract with Bologna, where he has been since 2022, will expire at the conclusion of the season.

His club has been a revelation this season, and they have already qualified for next season’s Champions League.

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Monday’s draw kept third place, ahead of Juventus on tiebreak.

Juventus began their first game since Massimiliano Allegri was fired following a dramatic rage after his team won the Italian Cup last week in a haze.

After two minutes, Riccardo Calafiori side-footed into the roof of the net after a corner kick fell to him in space.

On 11 minutes, Argentinian Santiago Castro, a 19-year-old making his Serie A debut, headed in at the near post.

The only resistance he faced was from his adolescent teammate Kacper Urbanski, who was likewise anxious to nod in from close range.

With Juventus looking uninterested in rushing or tackling, unmarked Jens Odgaard hammered home the 13th rebound but was flagged offside.

Juventus showed more bite after their halftime meeting with temporary coach Paolo Montero, a former Uruguay defender who had previously managed the club’s Under-19 squad.

Montero danced in the rain on the touchline.

He is in charge for the last two games of the season.

Motta has been rumoured for weeks to be joining Juve next season, with Allegri’s sacking on Friday only heightening the speculation.

With the visitors pressing, Castro stole the ball in midfield in the 53rd minute and initiated a Bologna counterattack.

Calafiori went in alone on goal and chipped Wojciech Szczesny. After both managers made five substitutions, Bologna collapsed in five frenetic minutes.

Federico Chiesa capitalised on Jhon Lucumi’s blunder to equalise for Juventus after 76 minutes. Motta had removed both goalscorers. Montero, it turned out, had sent two.

After 83 minutes, substitute Arkadiusz Milik added the visitors’ second goal with a deflected free kick.

A minute later, another substitute, Kenan Yildiz, slipped past the home defenders and levelled.