Torino found a glimmer of light at the end of the tunnel just in time to enter September’s international break on a positive note. Nemanja Radonjic came off the bench to score a stoppage-time winner in a narrow 1-0 home win over newly-promoted Genoa.
After a goalless draw against Cagliari and a 4-1 rout at Milan, Ivan Juric was under pressure to deliver. However, Genoa headed into the Stadio Olimpico Grande Torino with high expectations following a 1-0 triumph at Lazio. Marquee striker Mateo Retegui hoped to build on his winning strike at the Stadio Olimpico.
But Torino put on another resilient defensive showing. Synonymous with uneventful contests under Juric, Granata spent most of the game defending their goal. Chances were at a premium on both ends of the field, especially in the opening 45 minutes.
Despite several efforts to find a breakthrough on his Torino debut, Duvan Zapata lacked the cutting edge. When it looked like the ex-Atalanta forward’s first start couldn’t help Juric’s team overcome their well-documented scoring woes, Radonjic provided a late spark.
The lightning-fast winger got on the end of a low cross to grab a morale-boosting three points for Torino at the death. Before Radonjic’s strike, they had gone scoreless in four of their eight previous Serie A outings.
Juric will have a fortnight to find a much-needed balance between his rock-solid defense and lackluster attack. Meanwhile, Alberto Gilardino has a lot to do if Genoa are to avoid a quick return to the second tier.
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