Udinese 2-2 Parma

Antonio Di Natale denied Parma a winning return to Serie A with an injury-time equaliser at the Stadio Friuli.

Francesco Guidolin's newly-promoted side had twice gone ahead, but on both occasions it was the Udinese skipper Di Natale that pulled the hosts level.

Italy Under-21 international Alberto Paloschi had put Parma ahead after 42 minutes but they could not even keep the lead into the break - Di Natale scoring an injury-time penalty after Alessandro Lucarelli fouled Christian Zapata in the area.

Lucarelli made up for his mistake with a towering header four minutes after the break, and that strike had looked to be the decisive moment before Di Natale bobbed up again in injury time.

Former Parma striker Bernardo Corradi made his debut for the hosts after his summer move from Reggina, but it was one of the home side's more familiar names, Di Natale, who would prove the busier of the front two.

The 31-year-old was in the thick of the action after just six minutes, when he headed wide of the right post after Gaetano D'Agostino's pin-point free-kick from 25 yards had picked him out.

Parma were not to be overawed on their return to the top flight as they mounted a sustained period of pressure.

Jonathan Biabiany rolled a ball across the face of goal only for the away strikers to be caught out of position. A minute later the same player tried his luck with a shot that goalkeeper Samir Handanovic easily parried.

Paloschi then had the chance to shoot from close range but Gokhan Inler made a timely tackle to deny him.

The teenage striker made the most of his next opportunity, albeit with a suspicion of offside, after 42 minutes when he collected a Stefano Morrone pass before slotting home from close range.

The new boys could not hold onto that advantage for long though as Lucarelli chopped down Zapata inside the area to concede a penalty in the second minute of injury time.

Di Natale made no mistake from the spot firing his penalty down the middle to equalise.

Lucarelli would make up for his penalty blunder with just four second-half minutes on the clock.

Davide Lanzafame found space to cross on the right and the centre back met his delivery with a bullet header that Handanovic could do nothing about.

Not content with their one-goal advantage Parma pushed for a third goal with Lanzafame's deflected effort falling into the path of Paloschi who nudged an effort wide of the right post.

Morrone then rattled the crossbar with a full-blooded strike from 30 yards before Handanovic expertly denied McDonald Mariga's with a low save after he also caught the ball sweetly.

There had been little for Parma goalkeeper Antonio Mirante to do before he affected a fine double save with 69 minutes played.

First he denied Zapata's goalbound header before forcing Alexis Sanchez's follow-up effort from the rebound past his post.

Udinese were now on the attack and Inler was only denied by another fine save from Mirante with seven minutes to play.

Parma's resistence could not hold firm for long enough, however, although it took a fine strike from Di Natale who arrowed a shot from the edge of the box to secure an injury-time equaliser.