Torino and Fiorentina drew 1-1 at the Stadio Olimpico in a balanced game, with the two clubs’ supporters showing their usual appreciation of one another as Italy’s most twinned sets of ultras.
Marco Benassi scored the opener after just two minutes, but it was Torino who dominated for most of the game, with Alban Lafont’s own goal coming as a deserved equaliser for the Granata.
Benassi scored again against the club he used to captain, like he did in last season’s game at the Stadio Artemio Franchi, and again he didn’t celebrate in front of his former fans.
The joy didn’t last long for the travelling fans though as Torino took over the midfield, started dominating and equalised on 14 minutes, with Ola Aina’s shot coming off the post, onto Lafont’s helpless back and hitting the back of the net.
Torino controlled the game from then on, with Fiorentina unable to react until the second half. The Granata had to do without coach Walter Mazzarri, who was sent off after half an hour for protesting against the referee.
Fiorentina struggled to cope with the lack of a real No.9 in the first 45 minutes, so Stefano Pioli brought on Giovanni Simeone for the second half. Mazzarri responded, adding firepower on 65 minutes with Simone Zaza coming off the bench.
Torino went close to scoring with Iago Falque on 72 minutes, Fiorentina with Simeone on 82, but in general the game was a lot more balanced in the second half, with the teams ending up drawing and getting a point that changes nothing in the table.
A useless point
A draw that leaves both teams happy and disappointment at the same time. They both drew against a decent opponent, yet missed the chance to win after sloppy draws last week. Fiorentina are still to win away, and Torino got two points from two games they really should have won. The Granata were overall the better side, yet got a point, just like at Bologna. In the end, it was a game that changes very little for both sides.
A game of physique
The rain and the fragile Fiorentina midfield made it the perfect game for powerful and strong midfielders. The difference makers for Torino were Tomas Rincon and Soualiho Meite, absolutely devastating in midfield, bossing it for large chunks of the game. Controlling the midfield meant the Granata controlled the game.
A failed experiment
Fiorentina’s attack was absolutely non-existent in the first half, with Kevin Mirallas and Valentin Eysseric struggling to cope with the physicality of defenders like Nicolas N’Koulou. The heavy rain didn’t help Pioli’s experiment of playing with a false nine, surely, but Fiorentina were embarrassing up front in the first half. Benching Simeone could have made sense, considering the lack of form of the Argentinian, but he was very much needed in this game and Pioli admitted the failure of his system without a real centre-forward as he subbed Simeone on for the second half and Fiorentina had a much bigger presence in attack.
