Torino beat Lecce 2-0 thanks to goals from Raoul Bellanova in the 50th and Duván Zapata in the 81st. Lecce started with great intensity, but as time passed the Granata pressure increased and the Giallorossi were forced to close in on defence.
In the second half the goal that broke the deadlock, scored by the former Inter defender, always on point and close to scoring on at least one other occasion. In the 70th minute Pongracic was sent off for a second yellow card, then Zapata doubled the scoring. Okereke scored in injury time but the referee disallowed it.
Torino rises to 36 and joins Napoli in ninth place. Lecce remains stuck on 24 points and is 13th, with only four points ahead of Sassuolo and Verona, third from last on the threshold of the relegation zone.
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Torino FC v US Lecce – Serie A, Raoul Bellanova goal
The first half
After just two minutes Bellanova infiltrates the loose shirts of Lecce’s defense and goes away all alone on the counterattack, at the last moment he has a hesitation and a Giallorossi defender manages to close him down. At the 13th corner kick for Lecce from the left, Oudin takes it, Milinković-Savić is on the trajectory but is disturbed by Ilic and doesn’t control, Piccoli’s kick and Masina saves with a header almost on the line.
In the 29th, a collective action by Torino with a series of passes between Vlasic, Bellanova and Ilic, Zapata was served in the area but his shot was weak and Falcone saved without problems. At the 41st pressing by Torino, with Lecce’s defense hermetically closed, Vlasic takes possession of the ball and goes to the conclusion, shooting close to the post and deflecting Falcone into the corner.
Teams in the locker rooms at 0-0. In the first 25 minutes of the game, Lecce attacked the most. In the last 20 minutes Torino raises the pressure and makes itself felt, but the Giallorossi defense manages to withstand the grenade’s attack. The data on corner kicks is significant: one to three for the Salento team in the first half, two to one for Torino in the second.
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Torino FC v US Lecce – Serie A, Raoul Bellanova goal
The second half
In the second half, in the 50th minute, a deep low shot starts Torino’s counterattack, Bellanova talks to Pellegri who returns the ball to him, the number 19 launches a right-footed shot from the edge of the area which goes into the corner, piercing Falcone: it’s the Granata lead .
Shortly after, Torino came close to doubling their lead: a cross from the left to Masina who, at the far post, arrived a fraction of a second late and was anticipated by the Giallorossi defence. In the 58th minute, Ramadani from Lecce shoots towards goal from outside the area, Milinković-Savić is well placed and saves in two stages.
At the 70th foul by Pongracic on Ricci, the referee sends off the player from D’Aversa’s team for a double yellow card. Shortly after Bellanova serves Lazaro, cross for Sanabria only in front of Falcone, header and great reflex from the Salento goalkeeper.
Only a minute passes and an assist from Ilic finds Sanabria all alone in the area, the number 9 lacks contact with the ball. In the 81st corner for Torino from the left, Vojvoda beats it, Zapata in elevation deflects the ball into Falcone’s left corner and scores: it’s Torino’s second.
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Torino FC in US Lecce – Serie A TIM
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Torino FC in US Lecce – Serie A