Serie A | Torino 0-0 Fiorentina: Wasted Viola opportunity

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·2 March 2024

Serie A | Torino 0-0 Fiorentina: Wasted Viola opportunity

Torino were down to 10 men for the entire second half following a controversial Samuele Ricci dismissal, but Fiorentina still couldn’t break them down.

This was a head-to-head for European ambitions between sides who had lost their way in recent weeks. The Viola had Lucas Martinez-Quarta, Christian Kouame, Gaetano Castrovilli and Oliver Christensen injured, while Andrea Belotti faced his former club. Toro were without Mergim Vojvoda, Adrien Tameze, Matteo Lovato and Perr Schuurs, but Alessandro Buongiorno returned after dislocating his shoulder on January 26.

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Toro lost Ivan Ilic early on after a knock to the knee in the accidental collision with Cristiano Biraghi.

Duvan Zapata started his run from the centre-circle and fired inches over, then Pietro Terracciano got down to fingertip a Nikola Vlasic daisy-cutter round the base of the upright.

Nico Gonzalez steered his header just wide from a Biraghi cross, while Antonio Sanabria was going clear on goal following a Luca Ranieri error on the goal kick until he stumbled inside the penalty area.

Toro went Route One again soon after, Vanja Milinkovic-Savic pumping a free kick forward and Duvan Zapata pushed Nikola Milenkovic to get a clear shot into the roof of the net. It was disallowed following the VAR On-Field Review for that foul. Lucas Beltran was booked for dissent during the wait and will be suspended against Roma.

Samuele Ricci was shown a card for an elbow on Nico Gonzalez, but moments later he screamed at the referee for not immediately booking Arthur for a foul, earning himself a second yellow and reducing Torino to 10 men.

Despite that, Torino had the first chance of the second half, Gineitis sending Raoul Bellanova on the counter with an angled drive parried by Terracciano’s legs at the near post.

Milinkovic-Savic made a huge save to claw the Giacomo Bonaventura header out of the top corner from a Nico Gonzalez cross.

Duvan Zapata’s towering header from a corner flashed just wide, as did the Nico Gonzalez cross-shot, then late on the coaches got into an ugly argument on the touchline, prompting Italiano’s first yellow card and the second for Ivan Juric.

Milinkovic-Savic also palmed away a Nico Gonzalez curler in stoppages and Belotti fired over, but the 0-0 draw sums up the poor overall form of both these teams.