After disappointing results against Hellas Verona and Juve Stabia, Torino bounced back in scintillating fashion with a 6-0 thrashing of lowly Gubbio.
Stefano Guberti was given his first start since being injured in September, whilst Rolando Bianchi was preferred to Alessandro Sgrigna upfront.
It was Bianchi who had Torino's first chance of the match, after a long ball from the back but him through on goal, but his shot went just wide of the post. Stefano Guberti also came close to scoring a spectacular goal on his return, but his curling shot was tipped over the bar by Antonio Donnarumma.
The away side came close to taking the lead against the run of play, but Mattia Graffiedi's volley was easily saved by Francesco Benussi. And five minutes before Half Time, it was Toro who finally got the breakthrough when Juan Surraco's through ball found Bianchi who powered through the defence, and although his initial shot hit the post, he reacted quickest to put the ball into an empty net.
Less than a minute into the second half, Torino doubled their lead as Stefano Guberti showed the home fans what they had been missing when his sublime cross was turned into the net by Mirco Antenucci. Guberti was replaced by Alessandro Sgrigna soon after that assist, and his return is certainly a massive boost for Torino's promotion challenge.
And with 25 minutes remaining, Torino added a third goal as Juan Surraco got his first goal for the club with a low shot from the edge of the area. The fourth goal arrived just three minutes later, and Bianchi got his second goal of the match with a stunning half volley from Sgrigna's pass.
With a quarter of an hour left, Cristian Pasquato came off the bench to make his long-awaited Toro debut after arriving on loan from rivals Juventus, and his impact was immediate. Alessando Sgrigna's shot from inside the area was parried by Donnarumma, but Pasquato was on hand to score Torino's fifth goal of the afternoon.
There was still time for another goal, as with ten minutes remaining Pasquato turned provided as his deft header put Antenucci through on goal, and he finished well to get his second goal of the match.
After receiving much criticism for their performances against Hellas and Juve Stabia, this performance emphasised that reports of Torino's demise had been greatly exaggerated and that they were still promotion contenders. With both Pescara and Hellas Verona suffering defeats, this victory puts Torino four points clear at the top of the table.
Forza Torino
Showing posts with label Gubbio. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Gubbio. Show all posts
Sunday, 25 March 2012
Friday, 23 March 2012
Torino V Gubbio Preview
Manuel Iori should return to the starting eleven after being rested against Juve Stabia last Saturday, whilst Stefano Guberti will be pushing for a start after recovering from the injury he suffered in September. Cristian Pasquato is also included in the squad and could make his long-awaited debut after his loan move from Juventus.
Gubbio have been in a relegation battle for much of the season since their surprise promotion last season, but it should be remembered that it was the Umbrian side who inflicted Torino's first defeat of the season in the reverse fixture in October.
Prediction
Torino 2-0 Gubbio
Wednesday, 26 October 2011
Gubbio 1-0 Torino
Well the bubble had to burst at some point didn't it?
And if you ask the majority of Torino fans, I doubt that they were that surprised that The Granata's unbeaten run was ended by lowly Gubbio.
Before the game, players and fans of both teams paid tribute to MotoGP rider Marco Simoncelli who died in tragic circumstances at the Malaysian Grand Prix on Sunday.
Toro had two good chances in the early stages of the match, with Rolando Bianchi, and then Kamil Glik going close with headers. It was Glik who then became public enemy number one amongst the Gubbio fans, after his reckless challenge resulted in Marcel Büchel being stretchered off.
The home side had their best chance towards the end of the first half, but Alessandro Sandreani's shot was easily saved by Ferdinando Coppola.
Fifteen minutes into the Second Half, Gubbio took the lead in comical circumstances after a poor mistake by Coppola. The on loan goalkeeper came out of his goal to try and intercept a long ball forward, but his clearance was a timid one that went straight to a Gubbio player. Daniel Ciofani was the grateful recipient of Coppola's gift, and he calmly side footed the ball into an empty net from 20 yards out.
Torino had a number of chances in the final 30 minutes to equalise, the best of which falling to Rolando Bianchi, and he was unlucky to see his header hit the bar. In fact, Gubbio almost doubled their lead, as Mario Rui was equally unlucky to see his long range shot rebound off the post.
In injury time, Torino had one last chance to maintain their unbeaten record, and once again the opportunity fell to Bianchi. And this time, Gubbio had their goalkeeper, Antonio Donnarumma to thank as he made a great save to tip Bianchi's header over the bar.
Whilst Torino were certainly not at their best, they probably did enough to deserve a draw, and it was only due to a catastrophic error that meant they lost the game. However this match was a wake up call for Toro, and shows that no team in Serie B can be underestimated.
Let's hope that Torino learn a valuable lesson from this match, and get back to winning ways against Empoli on Saturday.
Forza Torino
And if you ask the majority of Torino fans, I doubt that they were that surprised that The Granata's unbeaten run was ended by lowly Gubbio.
Before the game, players and fans of both teams paid tribute to MotoGP rider Marco Simoncelli who died in tragic circumstances at the Malaysian Grand Prix on Sunday.
Toro had two good chances in the early stages of the match, with Rolando Bianchi, and then Kamil Glik going close with headers. It was Glik who then became public enemy number one amongst the Gubbio fans, after his reckless challenge resulted in Marcel Büchel being stretchered off.
The home side had their best chance towards the end of the first half, but Alessandro Sandreani's shot was easily saved by Ferdinando Coppola.
Fifteen minutes into the Second Half, Gubbio took the lead in comical circumstances after a poor mistake by Coppola. The on loan goalkeeper came out of his goal to try and intercept a long ball forward, but his clearance was a timid one that went straight to a Gubbio player. Daniel Ciofani was the grateful recipient of Coppola's gift, and he calmly side footed the ball into an empty net from 20 yards out.
Torino had a number of chances in the final 30 minutes to equalise, the best of which falling to Rolando Bianchi, and he was unlucky to see his header hit the bar. In fact, Gubbio almost doubled their lead, as Mario Rui was equally unlucky to see his long range shot rebound off the post.
In injury time, Torino had one last chance to maintain their unbeaten record, and once again the opportunity fell to Bianchi. And this time, Gubbio had their goalkeeper, Antonio Donnarumma to thank as he made a great save to tip Bianchi's header over the bar.
Whilst Torino were certainly not at their best, they probably did enough to deserve a draw, and it was only due to a catastrophic error that meant they lost the game. However this match was a wake up call for Toro, and shows that no team in Serie B can be underestimated.
Let's hope that Torino learn a valuable lesson from this match, and get back to winning ways against Empoli on Saturday.
Forza Torino
Saturday, 22 October 2011
Gubbio V Torino Preview
Torino will have to wait until Monday night for their game this weekend, as they face a visit to newly promoted Gubbio in search of their sixth consecutive away victory.
Gubbio is a picturesque Umbrian town with a population of just 32,000 people, therefore the fact their football team has been able to reach their second tier of Italian football is an achievement in itself. However, Gubbio have had a difficult start to the season, and are currently 21st in the Serie B table, and would be bottom of the table if it wasn’t for the fact Ascoli have been given a points deduction.
In an attempt to halt their slide down the table, earlier this week, Gubbio sacked their manager Fabio Pecchia. Former Inter coach Gigi Simoni, who had been the club’s technical director, will take charge of the match against Torino.
Whilst the appointment of 72 year old Simoni is surely only a temporary measure, his experience could help a squad of talented players - including former Toro defender Simone Benedetti, fulfil their potential.
Torino are boosted by the fact that they have no major injury worries for the match, and Giampiero Ventura will have a difficult team selection ahead of him. Kamil Glik impressed last week against Juve Stabia, so he may keep his place in the side, although that would be harsh on Valerio Di Cesare who has also played well when called upon.
With a number of genuine wingers now available, Mirco Antenucci, who has recently been playing on the left wing, could change to his favoured striking role with Simone Verdi, Juan Surraco and Nnamdi Oduamadi in contention to replace him on the wing.
Gubbio is a picturesque Umbrian town with a population of just 32,000 people, therefore the fact their football team has been able to reach their second tier of Italian football is an achievement in itself. However, Gubbio have had a difficult start to the season, and are currently 21st in the Serie B table, and would be bottom of the table if it wasn’t for the fact Ascoli have been given a points deduction.
In an attempt to halt their slide down the table, earlier this week, Gubbio sacked their manager Fabio Pecchia. Former Inter coach Gigi Simoni, who had been the club’s technical director, will take charge of the match against Torino.
Whilst the appointment of 72 year old Simoni is surely only a temporary measure, his experience could help a squad of talented players - including former Toro defender Simone Benedetti, fulfil their potential.
Torino are boosted by the fact that they have no major injury worries for the match, and Giampiero Ventura will have a difficult team selection ahead of him. Kamil Glik impressed last week against Juve Stabia, so he may keep his place in the side, although that would be harsh on Valerio Di Cesare who has also played well when called upon.
With a number of genuine wingers now available, Mirco Antenucci, who has recently been playing on the left wing, could change to his favoured striking role with Simone Verdi, Juan Surraco and Nnamdi Oduamadi in contention to replace him on the wing.
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