Floro Flores scores late goal as Sasoulo make Torino pay their miss 1-0

Torino 0-1 Sassuolo: Floro Flores Floors Misfiring Granata

Torino were made to pay for a missed first half penalty when they fell to a late 1-0 loss at home to Sassuolo that sees the Neroverdi jump into the top half.

A terrible spot kick from Juan Sanchez Mino looked like it would only be punished with the home side dropping two points but a late header from substitute Antonio Floro Floresstunned the hosts.

The home side were bright in the early going but, being the second most goal-shy team in the division, struggled to create much in the way of significant openings with their first chance not arriving until the 15-minute mark.

It was down to the intelligence of the outstanding Matteo Darmian, a constant thorn in the side of Sassuolo down the left, cut the ball back for Omar El Kaddouri whose stinging drive was a little too close to Andrea Consigli and he punched clear.

However, for a team who struggle to hit the back of the net, they were given the perfect opportunity to do so on 28 minutes. Bruno Peres drove into the area and down to the byline before cutting the ball back for Fabio Quagliarella who was dragged to the ground by Fabio Cannavaro as he looked to make something happen and Nicola Rizzoli pointed to the penalty spot.

Sanchez Mino, yet to score since his summer arrival from Boca Juniors, looked to make himself a fan favourite when he stepped up to take it but he joined Marcelo Larrondo and El Kaddouri on the infamous list of players to have missed a penalty for the Granata this season when his tame effort was easily kept out by Consigli.

Quite why Quagliarella himself, having won the kick and scored twice from the spot in the Europa League this season, did not take the kick will be a question many fans inside the Olimpico will have been asking.

Domenico Berardi, after a quiet first half, blasted one at goal that Jean-Francois Gillet managed to keep out in a somewhat unconvincing manner as both sides probed for the goal that could potentially lift them out of the bottom half.

Simone Zaza was next to try with an ambitious long range effort moments later than the Belgian goalkeeper collected much more comfortably on this occasion.

The home side remained threatening sporadically as the half wore on and Peres was guilty of being too selfless when he raced in on goal and tried to square it for Quagliarella, allowing Sime Vrsaljko to get back and block.

With half an hour remaining, the Neroverdi missed the chance they had been waiting on as Toro once again lost possession, letting Berardi in on goal. His shot was cleared off the line by Nikola Maksimovic but only into the path of the incoming Zaza who snatched at his chance with no goalkeeper in sight and blasted wide.

Quagliarella was denied at the other end following a superb run and pass from El Kaddouri as the game began to open up while Gillet denied Nicola Sansone as you began to get the sense a goal was on the horizon.

That proved to be the case with four minutes of normal time left when Floro Flores rose highest in a crowded penalty box to thump home a header from a right flank cross as his side extended their unbeaten run to six games.

Ciro Immobile signs 5 year deal with Dortmund

Florenzi late goal put Roma past Torino 2-1

Bleacher Report

(Reuters) - A stoppage-time goal from substitute Alessandro Florenzi gave AS Roma a 2-1 win over Torino in Serie A on Tuesday after Ciro Immobile had scored with a stunning effort for the visitors.

Ivory Coast winger Gervinho set up both goals for second-placed Roma as they took another step towards making sure of direct qualification for next year's Champions League.

Roma, who have 67 points, moved nine clear of third-placed Napoli who visit Catania on Wednesday. Runaway leaders Juventus (78 points) host Parma, also on Wednesday.

Roma went ahead four minutes before halftime when Gervinho slipped the ball through the Torino backline and Mattia Destro stretched to prod home his ninth goal of the season.

Immobile, emerging as a late candidate for a place in Italy's World Cup squad, replied with a superb effort in the 52nd minute, meeting a long ball forward with a first-time volley into the far corner.

Immobile took his tally for the season to 17, making him the league's top scorer.

Torino looked set to take a point until they lost possession in midfield, Gervinho threaded another ball through the defence and Florenzi, who had only been on the field for eight minutes, placed his shot wide of Daniele Padelli.

(Reporting by Brian Homewood; Editing by Ken Ferris)

Gonzalo Higuain lifts Napoli over Torino in a controversial goal 1-0

Goal.com 

Immobile missed an open goal
after his shot went over the bar

Gonzalo Higuain scored a dramatic late winner as Napoli drew level on points with Roma in Serie A's battle for second place with a 1-0 victory at Torino on Monday evening.

In truth, a draw would have been a solid result for the Partenopei, with the hosts having twice struck the woodwork through Cesare Bovo and Riccardo Meggiorini and then seen a gilt-edged opportunity go begging when Ciro Immobile fired over while totally unmarked in the area.

However, they stole all three points right at the death when Higuain finished with aplomb after being released by Marek Hamsik.

Giampiero Ventura sprung a couple of surprises with his team selection, as the Torino boss opted to leave star men Alessio Cerci and Immobile on the bench, preferring instead to start with Meggiorini and Paulo Vitor Barreto up front.

Rafael Benitez, meanwhile, elected to recall Dries Mertens at the expense of Lorenzo Insigne, while Federico Fernandez, Gokhan Inler and Jorginho also returned after being left on the bench for the 1-0 Europa League loss to Porto.

Despite the changes, Napoli started sluggishly and it was Torino who had the first chance of the game 19 minutes in, Meggiorini doing well to control an Omar El Kaddouri pass with this head before unleashing a right-footed volley that drew a smart stop from Pepe Reina.

The Partenopei had an even luckier escape just before the half-hour when Bovo struck the woodwork with a thumping 30-metre drive.Napoli responded with a couple of long-range strikes from Hamsik and Inler, but there was no disguising the fact that the visitors had struggled dismally to impose themselves on a first half that finished without them having managed a single shot on target.

Napoli finally showed some signs of life moments later when Higuain tested Daniele Padelli for the first time with a low strike that the goalkeeper got down well to deal with.

However, Torino should have been in front in the 53rd minute but they were again denied by the woodwork, with Meggiorini striking the base of the left post after being slipped in on goal by Barreto.  Reina then pulled off a spectacular save from Matteo Darmian's shot from the edge of the area as Torino ramped up the pressure on the Partenopei.

Higuain was presented with a decent chance to open the scoring when Mertens was felled right on the edge of the area but the Argentine lost his footing just as he was taking the resulting free kick, and the ball flew wide. By this stage, Torino had sent on top scorer Immobile and he should have broken the deadlock with just 17 minutes remaining but he fired horribly over the bar after being teed up by Jasmin Kurtic, who had stripped Valon Behrami of possession.

Benitez threw on Insigne for the closing stages and his introduction undoubtedly lifted Napoli, with Mertens going close with just over a minute of normal time remaining. The Belgian was denied by a brilliant save from Padelli but there was to no stopping Higuain, who produced a fine finish to win the game after latching onto a Hamsik pass.