Torino 3-2 Monza: Vlasic goal makes it three wins in a row before a nervy own-goal finish
Kian Fitz-Jim, Rafik Belghali and Nikola Vlasic scored for Torino, who led 3-1 before a stoppage-time Nathan Patterson own goal made it a tighter finish than it should have been in a 3-2 win over Monza at the Stadio Olimpico Grande Torino.
Torino led by two goals with 20 minutes to go and still had to survive a late own goal to see the game out. Kian Fitz-Jim opened the scoring just before half-time, Gustavo Varela levelled early in the second half, and Rafik Belghali and Nikola Vlasic restored and extended the lead inside a 12-minute spell either side of the hour. Monza got a goal back in the fourth minute of stoppage time, but it came off substitute Nathan Patterson's own boot rather than theirs, and Torino held on for a 3-2 win.
Match facts
- 34' — Adrian Ismajli (Torino) booked
- 39' — GOAL: Kian Fitz-Jim (Torino), assisted by Giovanni Simeone
- 47' — GOAL: Gustavo Varela (Monza)
- 61' — GOAL: Rafik Belghali (Torino), assisted by Gvidas Gineitis
- 72' — GOAL: Nikola Vlasic (Torino)
- 90'+4' — GOAL: own goal, Nathan Patterson (Torino) turns the ball into his own net
| Stat | Torino | Monza |
|---|---|---|
| Possession | 51% | 49% |
| Shots on target | 7 | 3 |
| Corners | 3 | 4 |
| Passes completed | 359 (79%) | 365 (83%) |
| Fouls | 8 | 4 |
| Offsides | 1 | 2 |
| Yellow cards | 1 | 0 |
Line-ups
- Torino (3-1-4-2): Lucas Perri, Adrian Ismajli, Pietro Comuzzo, Saúl Coco, Rolando Mandragora, Kian Fitz-Jim, Nikola Vlasic, Alessio Cacciamani, Rafik Belghali, Ché Adams, Giovanni Simeone. Came on: Daniel Bragança, Nathan Patterson, Gvidas Gineitis, Sandro Kulenovic, Zakaria Aboukhlal.
- Monza (3-4-2-1): Noel Törnqvist, Lorenzo Lucchesi, Andrea Carboni, Saba Goglichidze, Ebenezer Akinsanmiro, Manga Foe Ondoa, Ricardo Mangas, Samuele Birindelli, Gustavo Varela, Jay Robinson, Dany Mota. Came on: Eddy Kouadio, Patrick Cutrone, Cyril Ngonge, Mathis Mout, Michael Folorunsho.
A third straight win, built on a better defensive run
Torino's last five before this had read W L D W W, and a 3-0 away win at Parma on 19 October was their most recent result — this victory extends that run to three wins in a row, with eight goals scored and only five conceded across their last five matches. Monza arrived on the back of a 4-0 win over Cagliari, their best result of the season, but their underlying form had been patchy: D L W L W across the five matches before that, with as many losses as wins.
Dominant on target, light at the back for both sides
Torino out-shot Monza on target 7-3 despite a near-even possession split, but it was the final stat line that summed up the afternoon best: a substitute who had been on the pitch for barely a minute turning the ball past his own goalkeeper to make a comfortable scoreline look tighter than the performance deserved.
What's next
Torino move up to 8th on 13 points, level with Cagliari in 9th, and will be looking to carry their best run of the season into the next round. Monza drop to 15th on 7 points, still without the kind of back-to-back results that would ease the pressure building below them.
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