Torino needs only Nikola Vlasic, Empoli in trouble

A game solved by great individual play.

Torino returned to winning ways and put tenth place in their sights, now only two points away after Udinese's defeat in Friuli against Verona. The granata beat Empoli 1-0 in a more delicate challenge than expected, resolved by Nikola Vlasic in the 70th minute, and which puts the Tuscans more and more in trouble: fourth-last place and the salvation zone is now 3 points away.

It was precisely Empoli that built the first chance of the match, with Gineitis saving everything on Grassi. Torino resisted the first Azzurri shockwave and then reacted, with Vlasic and Biraghi coming to Silvestri’s sides. Then è Coco wasted a great chance, but the guests were in the match: Sambia raised his aim too much after a great action on the Gyasi-Cacace axis. In the final half Silvestri saves everything on Che Adams, but after having long suffered the opponents.

Vanoli ran for cover early in the second half by immediately sending Masina into the fray, who not surprisingly built the first Granata chance of the second half after a handful of minutes. Empoli seemed more guarded, but after the hour of play they restarted in a big way with Kouamé and then wasted everything with Gyasi, who in front of the goal threw the ball over the crossbar.

Having disposed of the scare, Torino regrouped and went on to win the game. Credit to Vlasic, who gathers the ball and does it all by himself by recovering a dirty ball on the three-quarter line, resisting Marianucci’s return and mocking Silvestri with a venomous ball that slips into the low corner. Chiffi cancelled Masina’s double for offside, Cacace and Colombo engaged Milinkovic-Savic who però saved the result. And for Empoli è really late night.