Torino vs Milan 0-0: Another Goalless Draw for the Rossoneri

You may have the best defense in the world but it’s scoring goals that win you games. That’s the paradox of Stefano Pioli’s Milan, who recorded their second goalless draw in a row as they failed to overcome Torino’s resistance at the Stadio Olimpico Grande Torino on Sunday night.

The red-and-blacks’ performance followed a pattern seen many times this season against mid-table opponents (think of Salernitana, Udinese, or Bologna). The Rossoneri tried everything they could but once again lacked precision in the final third, where a willing Olivier Giroud couldn’t do it all by himself. With Zlatan Ibrahimovic once again unavailable, Pioli basically had no backup plan when he saw his men once again struggling to find the back of the net. 

And so, Milan ended up squandering the lead over Inter that they had been building week after week. Their advantage versus the Nerazzurri is now reduced to two points only. If Inter win their catch-up game against Bologna on April 27, they will pass their cross-town rivals at the top of the table. Basically, Milan’s destiny on the path towards the Scudetto is no longer in their own hands. 

The first half at the Stadio Olimpico Grande Torino will not go down in history as the most spectacular ever seen in Serie A. Milan appeared to be still suffering from the tension accumulated during their goalless stalemate with Bologna on Monday.

Torino, on the other hand, defended themselves with efficiency and tried to punish the visitors on the counter. They did manage to give the Rossoneri a scare with a great combination involving Andrea Belotti, Josip Brekalo and Samuele Ricci, but the Empoli loanee sent his shot wide of the net. Milan’s only chance came from a Davide Calabria conclusion that was palmed away by Etrit Berisha.

In such a stalemate, the most interesting sparks from the first half came from one-on-one duels, especially between Wilfried Singo and Theo Hernandez along Milan’s left channel, while Olivier Giroud engaged in a though battle upfront with Torino’s Gleison Bremer. 

Something changed for Milan during the break but it was not what one would expect: Rafael Leao came back to the pitch with a different hairstyle. It seemed to work, as the Portuguese soon produced himself in an irresistible progression from the left into the middle of the box. However, Bremer came to the rescue again for the Granata. 

Before that, the second half had opened with a spectacular Mike Maignan save from a Mergim Vojvoda’s shot to the top left corner of the goal.

On 64 minutes, Andrea Belotti did the best thing of the night with a magic trick to grab a long-range pass in the middle of the box, but Fikayo Tomori, after being wrong-footed by Il Gallo‘s movement, regained his balance and blocked his conclusion. Belotti had another great chance a few minutes later, but ended his progression from a fast break with a shot that hit the side netting. 

Milan’s best occasion in the second half was powered by Sandro Tonali, whose shot from a Junior Messias service was blocked by the Granata goalkeeper. There were still 20 minutes left on the clock, but the Rossoneri‘s last portion of the game was similar to what seen on Monday at the San Siro and the ending could not be any different.   

 

MATCH SCORECARD

April 10, 2021 – Serie A 2021-2022 Round 32
TORINO – MILAN 0-0