A thrilling encounter at the Allianz Stadium in Turin ended in a 4-4 draw, with all eight goals coming in the second half.
Visiting the home of Juventus, the team they defeated in 1997 to claim their only Champions League crown, was an emotional night for Borussia Dortmund. BVB almost evoked memories of that famous outing in Munich before the hosts staged a late comeback in a game filled with goals.
The Westphalian side felt the full force of the hosts' intentions as Kephren Thuram took aim from 27 yards within the first four minutes. Gregor Kobel adapted brilliantly to get a glove to the strike, which deflected off Felix Nmecha. Kovač's side settled into the game thereafter.
Roared on by strong away support, Dortmund boasted 63 percent of possession past the quarter-hour mark, but it was Juventus who held the lion's share of half-chances. Loïs Openda, formerly of RB Leipzig, headed wide from a corner that rattled the side-netting.
Aside from a few threatening dribbles from Karim Adeyemi and occasional corners, BVB lacked real output in the final third. Jonathan David's attempt to squeeze a shot in at the near post almost caught out Kobel, who smothered well to reach the break scoreless.
In a quiet first half for Maxi Beier, the second half proved different as he clipped the post on 50 minutes after latching onto an aimless long ball. BVB surged into a 1-0 lead seconds later as Nmecha and Guirassy combined to feed Adeyemi, whose shot zipped past Di Gregorio.
Juve's shot-stopper prevented the visitors from doubling their advantage by stopping Guirassy's effort from point-blank range. Teun Koopmeiners fizzed a shot wide approaching the hour mark as the game opened up for both teams.
In rapid succession, goals rained in at either end. Kenan Yildiz, Juve's greatest threat, curled a shot beyond Kobel under little pressure. However, BVB quickly responded, with Couto feeding Adeyemi, who assisted Nmecha to score from the edge of the box.
Unbelievably, Juventus responded magnificently to level once more in the 68th minute. Yildiz turned provider, lobbing the ball over to substitute Dusan Vlahovic, who thumped it inside the lower-left upright. Kovač made his first substitutions of the night as Brandt and Jobe entered for the last 20 minutes.
In this remarkable game, the Westphalian giants regained their lead for the final time in the 74th minute. A pure strike from Yan Couto caught Di Gregorio napping. Victory seemed assured when Lloyd Kelly's hand blocked Guirassy's shot, leading to a penalty that Ramy Bensebaini converted.
The Italian giants appeared consigned to defeat as the clock ticked towards its conclusion. However, during six minutes of allotted injury time, Pierre Kalulu found Vlahovic, who scored his second goal. The drama continued as a late cross from the Serbian marksman set up Lloyd Kelly to head home and salvage a point for the Turin side.
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