The compelling match week 29 of the Serie A ended with a thriller as Inter managed to seal a point within the dying minutes against Torino in a 1-1 draw at the Stadio Olimpico Grande Torino.
Bremer Stuns the Nerazzurri with Early Opener
Within the opening minutes of the fixture, Torino held their ground in fashion as they were relentless through their fluid one-two combinations through the middle and along the flanks. The pace that they were circulating the ball and their immense amount of pressure high up the pitch was quite a struggle for Inzaghi’s side to cope with.
Early within the game, Josib Brekalo found an opening on the left-hand side and played a glorious through ball for Andrea Belotti. The Torino marksman released the trigger quickly and fired a ferocious shot, but his attempt went out-wide.
Shortly after, Alessandro Buongiorno delivered a well-weighted cross for Belotti into the centre of the box, but the the 28 year-old Italian’s headed attempt was brilliantly saved by the Nerazzurri‘s skipper Samir Handanovic.
In the 12th minute, the Granata’s corner-kick was well placed and landed directly onto the foot of Tommaso Pobega within Inter’s box. The promising Italian midfielder brought the ball down brilliantly with a gentle one-touch pass towards Gleison Bremer across La Benemata’s box. The Brazilian pillar remained composed and magnificently tucked the ball into the low corner with the inside of foot past Handanovic to give Juric’s side the lead.
After a rough 15 minutes of trying to cope with Torino’s fast-pace attacking style, the Nerazzurri began finding their groove as they pushed relentlessly for a goal within the final third of the pitch.
After a clumsy challenge by Koffi Djidji outside the box on Lautaro Martinez, Inzaghi’s side were handed a free-kick. Hakan Calhanoglu stepped to the occasion and delivered a delicious cross into the box between the two Torino defenders for Martinez. The 24 year-old Argentine connected brilliantly with a thunderous header, but his impressive attempt on target was miraculously saved the shot-stopper Etrit Berisha.
Despite an enchanting start to the fixture, the remaining half hour of the half was very cagey between both sides as they were unable find an opening within each-other’s defensive shapes, forcing Inzaghi to deal with being behind by a one-goal deficit after the first half of 45.
Sanchez Summoned from Heavens to Keep Title Hopes Alive
At the start of the second half, Inzaghi made some adjustments to his side as he brought on the pair of wing-backs Robin Gosens and Federico Dimarco from the sidelines in order to shift the tide within the challenging fixture. As a result, it didn’t take long for the Italian tactician’s changes to have a positive impact on La Benemata’s attacking play within the final phase of the field.
The veteran striker Edin Dzeko played an incredible through ball in-behind the Granata‘s last line of defense to Dimarco within the box. The 23 year-old was left all alone on the right of the box and struck an audacious attempt, but was unable to find the back of the net as he misfired out-wide.
The Nerazzurri began causing a significant amount of trouble as they were moving the ball around with much more of a sense of urgency, making it very difficult for Torino to maintain their defensive shape. However, despite creating more occasions, Inzaghi’s side lacked the finishing touch as the Nerazzurri were unable to find the finishing touch.
The 35 year-old Bosnian international was delivered well-placed crosses by Calhanoglu and Gosens out-wide, but the clinical striker failed to level the playing field as one of his headers went over the cross-bar while the other was brilliantly saved by Berisha.
While it seems like all hopes were lost after Auturo Vidal, Dzeko, and Gosens missed golden opportunities to score the vital equalizer, Inzaghi’s side made one final push within the dying minutes to avoid dropping too many points within this critical fixture.
The 35 year-old Chilean played a mesmerizing through ball for Dzeko within the box in the between the lines. Rather than shoot on target, the veteran marksman laid off the ball to Alexis Sanchez with a marvelous one-touch pass. The Chilean forward showed no signs of hesitation and buried the ball into the low corner with one-touch curler within the the 93rd minute to seal a point away from home to keep their title hopes alive.
What’s Next for Torino and Inter?
The Granata are set to face off against Genoa at the Stadio Luigi Ferraris. Meanwhile, the Nerazzurri head home to the San Siro where they are prepared to host Fiorentina in a vital fixture to keep their title ambitions well-intact.