Torino come from behind to beat Udinese 2-1

Torino went ahead through Daniel Bragança in the 36th minute, only for Jurgen Ekkelenkamp to level it for Udinese seven minutes later, sending the two sides in level at the break. The decisive moment came in the second half: substitute Sandro Kulenovic, on for less than half an hour, scored the winner in the 67th minute to give Torino a 2-1 win at the Stadio Olimpico Grande Torino.

Bragança, Ekkelenkamp, then Kulenovic off the bench

Bragança's opener came against the run of general territory, with Udinese holding the bulk of possession for most of the first half. Ekkelenkamp's response three minutes before the interval was enough to suggest Udinese would take something from the trip to Turin, but Torino's bench made the difference: Kulenovic, introduced midway through the second half, needed only a handful of minutes to put his side back in front, finishing the win with the only goal either side managed after the break.

Torino's bench changes went beyond Kulenovic — Nikola Vlasic, Emirhan Ilkhan, Adrian Ismajli and Gvidas Gineitis all came on as the home side protected the lead. Udinese replied by bringing on David Alaba, Nicolò Bertola and Keinan Davis, but could not force a second equaliser. Bertola was the only player booked all afternoon, cautioned in the 89th minute.

Both sides lined up in a 3-4-2-1. Torino started Giovanni Simeone and Ché Adams alongside Bragança in attack, while Udinese began with Unai Gómez and Giorgi Chakvetadze in support of Ekkelenkamp, before the changes reshaped both sides after the break.

Udinese had almost two-thirds of the ball and comfortably out-passed Torino, but seven offside flags against the home side's forwards were the clearest sign of how direct Torino were trying to play in behind, and it was Torino who made their four shots on target count for two goals, against Udinese's one converted from an equal share.

Form going into it

Torino had taken one win and one draw from their previous five league games — defeats to AC Milan and Sassuolo either side of the turn of September, a 2-1 win away at Fiorentina, a home defeat to Roma, and a draw away at Bologna in their most recent outing before this one. Udinese arrived on the back of three straight defeats — to Lazio, Inter and Cagliari — after an opening draw with Como and a win at Monza, so neither side came into this one in red-hot form. The two clubs have not met in any match Guriball has previously reported, so there is no archived head-to-head between them yet.

What it means in the table

The win lifts Torino to 12th in Serie A on 7 points from six games, their first victory in three matches. Udinese slip to 15th on 4 points, level with four other clubs on that tally but behind on goal difference after conceding a second-half goal they will feel they should have avoided. Torino's away form is the next question; Udinese need to arrest a losing run that has now reached four games in five.