Torino 0-0 Hellas Verona: Granata and Mastini play out stalemate

Published on: 31 January 2016

It was a day of poor finishing at the Stadio Olimpico, as Torino and Hellas Verona played out a goalless draw in Serie A.

Despite the match featuring some popular attacking names from the sphere of Italian football, neither side were clinical enough to seize the goalscoring initiative.

The first real chance of the game fell to the away side after four minutes when Artur Ionita gathered possession just outside the box and fired a powerful effort that was palmed away from the top corner by goalkeeper Daniele Padelli.

Torino’s first effort came in the 16th minute when an Andrea Belotti volley finished over the bar, after Marco Benassi played him through with a quality ball over the top of the defence.

Belotti then saw another effort kicked away by keeper’ Pielguigi Gollini. The 20-year-old shot-stopper then did well to swat aside a Benassi dipper.

At the hour mark Luca Toni chested the ball down to teammate Giampaolo Pazzini, but the Italian’s strike lacked the power to beat Padelli at the far post.

In the 75th minute Ionita went on a darting run deep into the Torino half and played square to Toni, but Filip Helander made a crucial sliding tackle to deny last year’s joint Capocannoniere.

Seconds later a cross from the right found Toni on the edge of the six-yard box but the big man couldn’t direct his backwards header onto goal, which surely would have been the stranded Padelli.

Immobile was the next forward to try his luck, although he ballooned his off-balance effort from just five yards.

In the dying seconds Josef Martinez did well to dink the keeper, but astonishingly could not convert his sliding effort in front of a wide open goal leaving the Olimpico in a state of bewilderment.

The result brings Torino into 11th place while it does precious little for Verona who still find themselves propping up the table, 12 points from safety and still without a victory this season.

Source: forzaitalianfootball.com

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