Torino-Fiorentina 0-1, Kean drags the Viola to second place

Turin, 3 November 2024 – The surprising run of the Fiorentina and achieves its fifth consecutive victory in the championship by beating Torino 1-0 at home, who are increasingly in a crisis of results (six defeats in the last seven outings for the Piedmontese) and temporarily catches up with Atalanta in second place in the standings. A success that Palladino's men achieved knowing how to suffer and thanks to Moise Kean's fifth league goal; a goal scored at the end of a first half that was overall decidedly lacking in great emotions. The second half was more lively, with the Granata – thanks also to the changes made by Vanoli – trying to come out of their shell and rebalance the match. The best chance fell to Pedersen in the 70th minute, who sent a ball received from Walukiewicz onto the post. Too little, however, to worry Fiorentina, who also hit the post on a free kick with the new arrival Mandragora and who managed to protect this precious success until the end, running very few real risks.

First half

It is Torino who tries to take control of the game right away, with Fiorentina waiting patiently and applying good pressure especially on the outside lanes in the non-possession phase. Despite the good initial start, however, the home team is unable to particularly worry the Viola rearguard: too timid, in fact, are the attempts of Vlasic and Adams who, right on his first run, gets a muscle problem that in the 17th minute forces Vanoli to redesign the Granata attack with the entry of the 2005-born Njie. A turning point in the match because with the exit of the Scottish striker, Toro begins to lower its center of gravity in the face of a Fiorentina that, with a dense phrasing, takes possession of the ball. The Viola, however, lack rhythm and concreteness in the goal area: the first half thus passes at a slow speed without further jolts until the 41st minute when, out of nowhere, the spark that unlocks the result arrives: on a seemingly harmless 80-meter throw by Ranieri, in fact, Maripan spectacularly fails to intervene at the end and lets himself be taken by Kean who, one on one with Milinkovic-Savic, deflects the ball into the net for the 1-0 Viola. An advantage that risks lasting just 2' because in the 43rd minute Maripan, following a free kick, tries to make amends by heading the equaliser into the net but he does so after starting from an obvious offside position and so Fiorentina can breathe a sigh of relief and take the advantage into the locker rooms.

Second half

-After the half-time break, Toro tries to restart with a much more aggressive attitude and between the 50th and 56th minute comes close to equalising with Tameze's plays from the edge and Sanabria in a semi-overturn, which however do not find the Viola goal. Evidently the change of pace of the Granata is not enough for Vanoli who with half an hour to go draws again from the bench by inserting Lazaro and Ilic in place of Tameze and Borna Sosa. Palladino's simultaneous response is even enclosed in a triple substitution: in comes Adlì, Ikoné and Kouamé for Richardson, Sottil and Colpani. Fresh forces that above all help Toro to come out of their shell more. The most active among the Granata is without a doubt Pedersen who in the 71st minute missed a great opportunity by taking advantage of a gap in the centre of the defence and sending the ball delivered to him by Walukiewicz into the post. Three minutes later it's time for Mandrake, who takes Beltran's place He enters the match by hitting the post directly from a free kick with a poisonous left-footed shot. Danger averted for Vanoli's men who decide to go all out by throwing Karamoh and Linetty into the fray and effectively switching to an ultra-offensive 4-2-4. In the final part of the match, the Granata try to push and close Fiorentina in their own half of the pitch, but the Viola stronghold holds out without particular worries until La Penna's triple whistle which seals the second place of the Tuscans together with Atalanta.

The little table

Turin (3-5-2): Milinkovic-Savic; Walukiewicz, Maripan, Coco; Pedersen, Tameze (from 63' Ilic), Ricci (from 78' Linetty), Vlasic (from 78' Karamoh), Borna Sosa (from 63' Lazaro); Adams (from 17' Njie), Sanabria. Coach Vanoli.

Fiorentina (4-2-3-1): De Gea; Dodò, Comuzzo, Ranieri, Gosens; Bove, Richardson (from 63' Adlì); Colpani (from 63' Kouamé), Beltran (from 74' Mandragora), Sottil (from 63' Ikoné), Kean (from 85' Biraghi). Coach Palladino.

Scorers: Kean (41')

Note - Yellow cards: Ilic, Ricci, Bove, Kean, Biraghi