RNK Split 0-0 Torino

The Granata were made to rue missed chances as they failed to score a crucial away goal in their Europa League playoff round match against RNK Split.

Fabio Quagliarella was once again left on the bench as Giampiero Ventura decided to keep faith with strike duo Paulo Barreto and Marcelo Larrondo.

It was the Argentine striker who had Torino's best chance of the first half, but he was denied by the Croatian side's goalkeeper Andrija Vuković.

RNK were creating chances themselves, mainly from set pieces, but Cameroonian Henri Belle forced Daniele Padelli to push his ambitious 35 yard shot over the crossbar.

In the second half, Larrondo was once again denied by Vuković, whilst Padelli also had to make a save to deny Croatian striker Mate Bilić.

Former Italian international Quagliarella came off the bench with twenty minutes remaining to try and get a winning goal for Toro, but even he was unable to find a breakthrough.

Due to having so many clear cut chances, Toro will be disappointed not to have won the game but will still feel they are favourites to progress with the home leg at the Stadio Olimpico to come next Thursday.

Forza Toro

RNK Split v Torino Preview

Torino are just two matches away from the group stage of the Europa League, but face a difficult trip to Croatia this evening.

Opponents RNK Split impressively saw off Ukrainian side Chornomorets Odesa in the previous round, so will certainly be a difficult proposition for the Granata.

Despite finally getting his Italian passport, Juan Sanchez Mino is not included in the squad, neither is Alessio Cerci, which may be a sign that he may be departing the club shortly.

Prediction
RNK Split 1-2 Torino

Torino 4-0 Brommapojkarna

Torino secured their place in the next round of the Europa League with a convincing 4-0 victory over Swedish side Brommapojkarna.

Matteo Darmian came into the starting eleven to make his first start of the season, as did new signings Ruben Perez and Marco Benassi.

The Granata were ahead within five minutes in comical fashion, when Kristinn Jónsson managed to score an own goal after the ball ricocheted off him following Davor Blažević's save from a Marcelo Larrondo strike.

Despite dominating the game, Toro had to wait until the end of the half to double their lead, and it was World Cup sensation Matteo Darmian who scored his 2nd goal for the club, with the aid of a deflection.

Just before the hour mark, Fabio Quagliarella came on to make his Torino debut for a second time - over ten years after making his first appearance for the club. The former Italian international was given an opportunity for a debut goal after a Swedish defender was penalised for handball in the area, Quagliarella stepped up and made no mistake to extend Torino's lead.

In injury time, a fine cross from Cristian Molinaro found substitute Josef Martinez unmarked, and the Venezuelan striker headed home to score his first goal for the Granata.

An aggregate scoreline of 7-0 in their first European game in twenty years was certainly impressive for Torino, but in all honesty, Brommapojkarna were a poor side who rarely threaten Toro at all during the two legs. The Granata face one more tie before they can secure their place in the Europa League group stage, and Croatian side RNK Split will certainly provide a tougher test in the next round.

Forza Toro!

Torino v Brommapojkarna Preview

Torino will play the second leg of their Europa League tie against Swedish side Brommapojkarna on Thursday evening, with the Granata 3-0 ahead after the first leg.

Toro should have won by more goals a week ago in Sweden, but they will hope to put on a convincing performance in front of their home fans, with over 22,000 tickets being sold.

Fabio Quagliarella could make his second debut for the Granata, but Matteo Darmian and Alessio Cerci are not expected to be risked.

Prediction
Torino 3-1 Brommapojkarna

Brommapojkarna 0-3 Torino

Torino have one foot in the next round of the Europa league following their convincing 3-0 victory over Brommapojkarna in Sweden on Thursday evening.

As expected, Cristian Molinaro and Antonio Nocerino made their competitive debuts for the Granata, but the other nine players were all at Torino last season, including the front two of Paulo Barreto and Marcelo Larrondo.

Torino should have taken the lead on two occasions through Argentine striker Larrondo, but first he was denied by home goalkeeper Davor Blažević and then a strike from outside the area clipped the crossbar. Debutant Cristian Molinaro also came close to giving Torino the lead, but Blažević made another fine save to deny him.

However, on the stroke of half time, Paulo Barreto was brought down in the area by Bromma captain Pontus Segerström who received a red card and Marcelo Larrondo calmly converted from the spot.

Early in the second half Toro doubled their lead when they capitalised on a mistake in the Swedish sides defence and Antonio Nocerino crossed for Larrondo to head home a second. Five minutes later the result was put beyond doubt when a well-worked free kick allowed Paulo Barreto to tap in from close range.

However, some complacency in the Toro defence led to Giuseppe Vives bringing down striker Dardan Rexhepi in the area, and he also received his marching orders. However, when the Swede stepped up to take the penalty himself, he blazed the ball high over the bar.

Josef Martinez, Ruben Perez and Marco Benassi all came on to make their Toro debuts in the second half, as Toro cruised to an impressive victory ahead of the second leg next Thursday. 

Brommapojkarna v Torino Preview

Torino face their first European fixture in over 20 years when they face Brommapojkarna in Stockholm this evening.

The Granata are without Alessio Cerci and Matteo Darmian who are still lacking fitness after featuring in the World Cup. New signing Fabio Quagliarella also hasn't made the journey to Sweden, but should hopefully feature for his 'second' debut in the 2nd Leg next Thursday. 

Cristian Molinaro, Antonio Nocerino and Josef Martinez should all make their competitive debuts for the Granata after signing in the summer. Swedish side Brommapojkarna are currently mid-way through their league season but are currently bottom of the table with only one victory all season. 

Prediction

Brommapojkarna 0-1 Torino

My Toro Story #1 : Rob Gillman

With there being so many Torino fans from all across the globe who visit this website or contact me on Twitter, I thought it would be a good idea to learn more about each fan, and how they came about supporting Toro.

I've decided to start this feature with 'My Toro Story' but the idea is to make this a regular feature throughout the new season, so please email me at torinoblogger@hotmail.co.uk with your answers to the below questions and you too can be featured on the blog.

Name : Rob Gillman

Age : 24

Other Teams Supported : Southampton

How and when did you start supporting Torino : I fell in love with the club after reading about its tragic history in a copy of ‘FourFourTwo’ magazine whilst on a family holiday to Milan in 2005. Having been a big fan of Italian football since the days it was presented by the magnificent James Richardson on Channel 4 in England, it was only natural that I would go and see some live Calcio whilst in Italy, and I was luckily enough to visit the San Siro to see both Milan (v Palermo) and Inter (v Roma) play. The passionate atmosphere that I witnessed at both of these matches increased my interest in Italian football, and therefore I decided it was essential to find an Italian club that I could support. Both Milan clubs were immediately eliminated, as despite enjoying my experiences at the San Siro, I didn’t want to be accused of being a glory supporter by choosing one of the established giants of the Italian game. And then, as if by chance, I read about Torino – once the greatest force in Italian football before being beset by the tragedy of Superga. My mind was made up; Torino would be my Italian team. The fact that in 2005 they were plying their trade in Serie B didn’t deter me (My English team Southampton had also recently been relegated to the second tier), and something that I did not know at the time, but obviously know now, is that Torino won their last scudetto in 1976, the same year that Southampton won their only major trophy, The FA Cup. Maybe it is a coincidence, but I like to think that it was my destiny to become a Torino fan, no matter how corny that sounds.

First Memories : I can remember watching my first Torino game on television in May 2006, as the Serie B playoffs were being broadcast on Eurosport in the UK. I was still in my early stages of being a Torino fan, so didn't really know much about the players, but can remember the commentators being confused about how the playoff system worked in Italy, and did not realise that the final against Mantova would go to extra time.

First Match Attended : My first Torino game was in October 2006, but unfortunately it didn't go so well as the Granata lost 1-0 to Fiorentina after an early Martin Jorgensen goal. 

Favourite Former Players : I only like to judge players who I have seen play, therefore these are both players from the last decade. My first Toro hero was Alessandro Rosina who the team was built around after initially gaining promotion from Serie B. Those who know me also know that I have a somewhat unhealthy obsession with Rolando Bianchi, and I was lucky enough to meet him when his current club Bologna played in England last year.

Favourite Current Players : Kamil Glik, Omar El Kaddouri, Fabio Quagliarella

Favourite Torino Goal : Alessandro Rosina v Lazio. I'm slightly biased when judging this goal as I was able to witness this goal live in the stadium and literally couldn't believe what I had just seen. 

Predictions/Hopes for this Season : It will be difficult to replicate the sensational campaign of last year, especially with the departure of Ciro Immobile but another top half finish is certainly a realistic aim. A decent run in the Coppa Italia along with reaching the Group Stage of the Europa League (where we will hopefully face an English side) would represent a successful season in my opinion.