VARELA’S SEVENTH GOAL, BUT TORINO WIN 3-2 AT THE OLIMPICO

On matchday eight of Serie A, Torino beat Monza 3-2 at the Olimpico Stadium, despite the visitors managing to equalise through Varela’s seventh league goal of the season.

An exchange of attacks in the opening minutes warmed up the Olimpico on an evening with an almost wintry feel. Less than a minute had passed when Dany Mota rose highest to meet a corner with a header, sending the ball wide. Torino responded at 2' with a powerful long-range effort from Mandragora, who failed to hit the target. The home side were looking for their third consecutive victory and tried to apply immediate pressure. At 10', Simeone delivered a dangerous cross, but Cacciamani failed to get the decisive touch. At 12', Ismajli rose to meet a corner and came close to finding the top corner. After those two close chances, however, Monza began to take control of possession, just as they had in the Coppa Italia meeting between the sides on 1st September. That lasted until 39', when Simeone won the ball in midfield and played it to Fitz-Jim, who advanced before unleashing a superb strike into the top corner to put Torino 1-0 ahead. The biancorossi responded and, at 46', appealed for a penalty after Mangas was brought down by a push from Belghali. However, referee Marchetti waved away the protests, judging the challenge to be legal. The first half ended with Juric's players furious at the decision. The second half began with Monza on the attack.

Less than a minute had passed when Birindelli cut inside from the right and struck with his left foot, narrowly missing the top corner. The visitors continued to press, and at 47', the ever-reliable Varela drew them level. Following a misplaced back pass from Comuzzo, the Portuguese forward raced past the Torino defence and delicately lifted the ball over Perri to make it 1-1. It was his third consecutive game with a goal, taking his tally to seven in Serie A and nine for the season. Torino were shaken by the equaliser but soon regrouped. At 54', Belghali tested Tornqvist with a close-range effort, but the goalkeeper was ready to turn it away. At 55', Ché Adams tried his luck from distance, but his curling right-footed shot missed the target. Abate's side increased the pressure, and at 56', Simeone made an excellent run down the left. Tornqvist once again proved unbeatable, rushing off his line to narrow the angle and deny him. The Swedish goalkeeper then produced another fine save to turn away Comuzzo's volley, but there was nothing he could do about Belghali's outstanding goal. At 61', the Torino player cut inside onto his right foot and unleashed an unstoppable shot into the far corner to restore the home side's lead at 2-1. Juric responded by bringing on Kouadio and Folorunsho. At 68', the biancorossi came close to equalising, but Perri produced a miraculous save to deny Mangas's header. The match had become a thrilling contest. Torino looked dangerous on the counterattack, as they showed at 70', when Simeone raced towards the Monza goal but fired wide. The third goal arrived at 72', courtesy of Vlasic, who shifted the ball onto his right foot before unleashing a powerful, precise strike into the top corner to make it 3-1. Things were becoming increasingly difficult for Monza, but the Brianzoli refused to give up, as always. At 79', Folorunsho came close to scoring with a superb long-range effort with his right foot. Juric made another double substitution, bringing on Cutrone and former player Ngonge. At 83', the two substitutes combined for a promising move, which ended with Perri producing a superb save to deny the number 10's acrobatic attempt. However, the effort would not have counted anyway, as the player was offside. Monza's final substitution saw Mout come on at 85'. During stoppage time, Tornqvist once again came off his line perfectly to deny Aboukhlal and prevent Torino from scoring a fourth. Then, at 94', Patterson turned the ball into his own net past Perri following a cross from Ngonge. However, it was too late for Monza to complete a remarkable comeback.

The match ended 3-2 in favour of Torino, who secured their third consecutive victory. The biancorossi will return to action on Wednesday, 28th October, at 8:45 PM, when they face Napoli in a big match at the Brianteo.