Another draw for Toro

di Andrea Rosselli

 

Another disappointment for the Granata fans. Toro collected their fifth draw of the season, a 1-1 against Messina on the Olimpico pitch, at the end of a performance that was definitely in...

di Andrea Rosselli

Another disappointment for the Granata fans. Toro collected their fifth draw of the season, a 1-1 against Messina on the Olimpico pitch, at the end of a performance that was definitely in line with the previous ones.

For the eight time in ten matches Zaccheroni’s men were forced to trail their opponents, as Messina took the lead in the 36th minute with a superb shot from outside the box by Chilean midfielder Cordova. Roberto Stellone, once again the best Granata on the pitch, levelled the score around the hour mark but in the last minutes it was Messina that almost scored the 2-1, missing at least three great chances despite playing in 10 against 11.

The start of the match was very promising for the Granata, who dominated the first 10 minutes and were unlucky to say the least when they hit the bar with Fiore and the post with Stellone. Soon, however, Toro’s pressure decreased and Messina took control of the midfield, defending Storari’s net without any problem against the hosts’ usual slow and predictable play and even taking the lead with the above-mentioned masterpiece by Cordova: no blame for Abbiati.

Japanese striker Oguro, who replaced Muzzi in the starting eleven, didn’t play a good match and was substituted by the veteran striker during the break. Things, however, didn’t improve at all for Toro, and it was Messina that played better in the first 15 minutes of the second half.

All of a sudden, in the 59th minute, the Granata found room inside the opponents’ box and forced Storari to make a couple of great saves on straight shots by Muzzi: on the following corner kick, however, Stellone didn’t miss the target and netted the 1-1 with a perfect short-range left footer.

Five minutes later Rosina replaced Fiore: with the contribution of the diminutive forward Toro dominated, but their pressure was very confused and the Granata didn’t manage to create any real scoring chance. On the contrary, it was Messina that went close to the lead with Minetti, who missed an incredible opportunity in front of the empty net.

With ten minutes to go, Messina defender Zanchi was ejected following a foul on Muzzi. Toro kept on pressing their opponents, but their lone chance came with a shot by Rosina that finished just wide. Despite being one man down, the guests were much more dangerous and almost took the lead when Minetti missed another easy chance in front of Abbiati following a 50-metres solitary counterattack, while in the injury time Serie A topscorer Riganò barely missed the target.