Monday 10 December 2012

Torino 2-4 AC Milan

Torino lost back-to-back games for the first time this season, as despite taking the lead, they fell to a 4-2 defeat at home to AC Milan on Sunday afternoon.

Giampiero Ventura made two changes to the side beaten by Juventus last weekend, as Valerio Di Cesare replaced the suspended Kamil Glik and Salvatore Masiello was given a start in place of Danilo D'Ambrosio.
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Mario Santana had the first chance of the match, but his long range shot went well wide of the AC Milan goal. Milan also had chances to take the lead, but Stephen El-Shaarawy ballooned his shot over the bar when well placed.

The Granata did take the lead on the half hour mark as Santana capitalised on a poor back pass from Antonio Nocerino, and the Argentinean kept cool to take the ball around Marco Amelia before side-footing into an empty net. However five minutes before half time, Milan equalised when an outrageous dummy from Robinho bamboozled Valerio Di Cesare in the area, and that gave him the space needed to fire the ball into the roof of the net.

And just eight minutes after the break, Milan completed the turnaround by taking the lead as Jean-Francois Gillet gifted the away side a goal. El Shaarawy's cross from the left seemed to be going harmlessly out of play, but the Belgian keeper tried to claim it anyway - but he only succeeded in parrying the ball straight to Antonio Nocerino, who made up for his earlier error by nodding in from six yards.

The home side thought they should have had a penalty when Mario Yepes pulled Rolando Bianchi to the ground, but referee Andrea Romeo waved away the Toro skipper's appeal. And on the hour mark Milan doubled their lead, as Giampaolo Pazzini barged past Salvatore Masiello before firing a powerful shot past Gillet. Once again the Granata complained to the referee, as they felt that Pazzini had fouled the former Bari defender before the goal.

Torino's normally reliable defence seemed to be in disarray, as Milan hit the woodwork twice in quick succession, firstly from Urby Emanuelson and then from a Pazzini header. With fifteen minutes left, Gillet once again presented the Rossoneri with an early Christmas present, as he fumbled a harmless Nocerino cross to allow Stephan El-Shaarawy to score and put the result beyond doubt.

With ten minutes remaining, Torino scored a consolation goal as Rolando Bianchi ended his three month goal drought by heading in Valter Birsa's excellent cross, but that did not mask a disappointing performance from the home side. Despite a promising start to the season, this result has put Torino just one point away from the relegation zone, and their next fixture against 19th placed Genoa promises to be a tense affair.

Forza Torino

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