Torino moved a point clear of Hellas Verona at the top of the Serie B table,after a 0-0 draw with mid-table Bari.
Giampiero Ventura resisted the temptation to give on loan Juventus winger Cristian Pasquato his first start for the club, as Toro lined up with Rolando Bianchi, Mirco Antenucci and Alen Stevanovic as their attacking outlets.
The home side made a bright start, and after a short corner, Adrian Stoian fooled two Toro defenders, but no Bari players were able to divert his drilled cross goalwards. At the other end, a clever free kick routine gave Mirco Antenucci an opportunity to open the scoring, but he was denied by a stunning save from Eugenio Lamanna.
However, the young Romanian Stoian continued to be a threat for Bari, and the on loan Roma midfielder glided past Kamil Glik before curling his shot narrowly wide of the post. In an open first half, Toro also created chances, and Lamanna was forced to make another great save from Rolando Bianchi's overhead kick that was set up by an imaginative flick from Antenucci.
Former Bari player Alessandro Parisi had Torino's first chance of the second half, but his fierce 30 yard free kick went just wide. Substitutes Danilo D'Ambrosio and Alessandro Sgrigna both had half chances to open the scoring, but Lamanna wasn't made to repeat the heroics of the first half and he easily saved both shots.
In the closing stages, neither side could find a breakthrough and in the end, both teams seemed relatively happy with the draw. With Hellas Verona and Sassuolo both losing, it meant that Torino were able to extend their lead at the top of the table ahead of an important week in which they can move a step nearer to promotion.
On Wednesday, Toro will play the remaining 45 minutes of the match against Reggina that was abandoned due to rain a fortnight ago. With Torino 1-0 ahead they will certainly be looking to gain maximum points, and on Saturday, the home fixture against Crotone looks winnable, despite the Calabrian sides impressive home win against Verona.
Forza Toro
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