Bayern dominated throughout a one-sided encounter at a packed Juventus Stadium and took a 43rd-minute lead through Thomas Mueller.
Arjen Robben doubled the Germans' advantage on 55 minutes but the 2013 champions paid for a series of earlier misses when Paulo Dybala netted on the hour and Sturaro hit a dramatic leveller 14 minutes from time.
It leaves the tie still very much alive, although on this performance Pep Guardiola's men will be favourites to secure their last-eight place after the second leg in three weeks' time.
"Juventus made it to last year's final, not us. We're not dealing with a team from the provinces," said the Spaniard, who admitted he was highly impressed with Bayern's display.
Guardiola, who will take over at Manchester City in the summer, added: "I'm really happy with how we played. It's one of the matches from my career that I want to remember the most."
Juventus coach Massimiliano Allegri could not say the same, admitting his side had been error-strewn in the opening half.
"In the first half they pushed us hard in our own half and we just couldn't settle. We started making a lot of mistakes with our passes and didn't use the space well, but let's not forget we were playing Bayern," said the Italian, who steered Juve to last year's final, where they lost 3-1 to Barcelona.
Injuries to Jerome Boateng and Holger Badstuber forced Guardiola into naming a makeshift defence with Joshua Kimmich and David Alaba filling in at centre-back.
Juve's fans watched with silent awe as Bayern squatted in the home side's half, kept possession and limited any Juve forays past the centre circle.
On their way to being denied a penalty when the ball came off Arturo Vidal's arm from Paul Pogba, the chances from there on were few and far between for the Serie A leaders.
- Buffon scrambling -
=====================
Then on 14 minutes Mueller should have broken the deadlock only to miss a virtually empty net after Robert Lewandowski's pass from deep inside the six-yard box left Buffon scrambling.
Douglas Costa's good work and persistence down the left flank finally paid off three minutes before half-time when he volleyed a ball into the box that Juve's backline failed to clear.
It fell to Mueller, who this time made no mistake from 12 yards out, rolling the ball past a desperate Buffon.
But on 63 minutes Dybala ran down the right side unhindered to beat a splayed Neuer at his near post.
The stadium erupted and Juve immediately began to play with purpose. Mandzukic did well to help win back possession on the left before running upfield and finding Juan Cuadrado, but Manuel Neuer palmed the Colombian's drive over.
Allegri replaced Sami Khedira with Sturaro on 69 minutes and seven minutes later the stocky midfielder pulled the hosts level.
"It's the highlight of my short career so far," said Sturaro, 22.
You’ve reached your limit of {{free_limit}} free articles this month.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
Already subscribed? Log in
Subscribe to read the full story →
Smart Quarterly
₹900
3 Months
₹300/Month
Smart Essential
₹2,700
1 Year
₹225/Month
Super Saver
₹3,900
2 Years
₹162/Month
Renews automatically, cancel anytime
Here’s what’s included in our digital subscription plans
Exclusive premium stories online
Over 30 premium stories daily, handpicked by our editors


Complimentary Access to The New York Times
News, Games, Cooking, Audio, Wirecutter & The Athletic
Business Standard Epaper
Digital replica of our daily newspaper — with options to read, save, and share


Curated Newsletters
Insights on markets, finance, politics, tech, and more delivered to your inbox
Market Analysis & Investment Insights
In-depth market analysis & insights with access to The Smart Investor


Archives
Repository of articles and publications dating back to 1997
Ad-free Reading
Uninterrupted reading experience with no advertisements


Seamless Access Across All Devices
Access Business Standard across devices — mobile, tablet, or PC, via web or app
