A stunning strike from Alex Berenguer got Torino out of jail, after they had blown a two goal lead against Frosinone.
A stunning strike from Alex Berenguer got Torino out of jail, after they had blown a two goal lead against Frosinone.
The hosts appeared to be cruising at 2-0 up, but a crazy second half saw the Canarini level proceeedings, before Berenguer settled things with a fine curling effort.
Granata Coach Walter Mazzarri bowed to calls to start both Andrea Belotti and Simone Zaza, with the two Italian internationals leading the line in a 3-5-2.
That pair looked dangerous early on, and the former hit the woodwork with a low angled drive.
A challenge on Tomas Rincón drew blood, as the Canarini looked to turn it into a physical contest.
It seemed merely to anger the Venezuelan though, and it was he who opened the scoring after 20 minutes.
Armando Izzo pushed forward down the right, and his ball inside was clearly laid off by Zaza.
His touch found Rincón, who was afforded far too much time on the edge of the box and was only too happy to fire it into the bottom corner.
The 30-year-old dedicated the strike to his daughter, who turned one today, in his half-time interview.
Cristiano Molinaro was playing against his former club, and he almost set up Francesco Zampano from the left, but Daniele Baselli was alert to the danger and headed the cross out for a corner.
Daniel Ciofani got up to win a header on the brink of half-time, but his effort went well over the crossbar.
Toro had been sluggish in the first half, but it took them only 47 seconds to double their lead when the teams came out for the second 45.
Chelsea loanee Ola Aina won the ball on the right flank and surged into the box, cutting it back for Zaza.
Sportiello got a foot to his shot, but the rebound fell perfectly for Baselli who had the simple task of tapping it into the net.
The Frosinone goalkeeper was called into action once again, diving to his right to beat away Soualiho Meïté’s shot.
The visitors had scored only once in seven games going into this match, and Edoardo Goldaniga showed why.
Camilo Ciano’s free-kick evaded everyone, but the former Italy Under-21 international headed over at the back post with the goal gaping.
The on-loan Sassuolo man made up for it just minutes later, albeit with one of the scrappiest goals Serie A will see this season.
A corner kick went all the way to the back post, where a sliding Ciofani turned it back across from the byline.
Goldaniga was standing practically on the goal-line, and he got enough on the ball to shin it into the net.
Toro protested that there had been a foul on Sirigu from the initial set piece, but after a VAR check the goal was given.
Mazzarri spoke in his pre-match Press conference about his side being better in the second half, but that tendency wasn’t on show here as Frosinone grabbed an unlikely equaliser.
Joel Campbell picked the ball up on the right flank, and spotted Ciano completely unmarked in the box.
His left-footed cross found the forward, who headed the ball past the despairing dive of Salvatore Sirigu.
Armando Izzo thought he had equalised and promptly whipped his shirt off, but Belotti had been offside and interfering with play, so the defender earned only a booking for his troubles.
An attritional first half was a distant memory, as Alex Berenguer restored Torino’s advantage.
A cross from substitute Vittorio Parigini was only half cleared, and when it came to the Spaniard on the edge of the box he bent an unstoppable strike into the far top corner.
Nicolas Nkoulou could have sealed it, but his half-volley on the turn rattled the crossbar.
Berenguer was also the hero at the other end, getting back into his own box to stop substitute Rai Vloet turning it home.
Saša Lukić burst forward on the counter-attack from the resulting corner, but he shot straight at Sportiello.
Some slack play in the Toro midfield set Raman Chibsah free on the counter, but Stipe Perica could only fire weakly at Sirigu after being teed-up by the Ghanaian.
It proved to be the Canarini’s last chance, and Moreno Longo’s side remain on just one point after eight matches.
Torino: Sirigu; Izzo, Nkoulou, Moretti; Berenguer, Rincon, Meite (Soriano, 86), Baselli (Lukic, 79), Aina (Paragini, 65); Zaza, Belotti
Frosinone: Sportiello; Goldaniga, Salamon, Krajnc (Soddimo, 85); Zampano, Chibsah, Hallfredsson, Molinaro; Campbell (Vloet, 78), Ciano, Ciofani (Perica, 77)