Serie A Roundup: Goalies shine in two goalless draws
Torino - Lazio 0-0
Under manager Ivan Jurić, Torino have looked much improved and found their way to a top-ten finish last season after consecutive seasons placing in the bottom half. However, the side from northern Italy have been through a whopping five managers since they last beat Lazio and they struggled for opportunities in a limp display.
In a sweltering Stadio Olimpico Grande Torino, Lazio were having little goalmouth action themselves, and Ciro Immobile cut an isolated figure as the hosts dominated the ball. A slow-burning first half eventually saw some action through the driving runs of Nemanja Radonjić, but he lacked composure on numerous occasions, and it was surprisingly Torino’s ‘keeper Vanja Milinković-Savić who had made the only save of the contest as the referee signalled for HT.
Both sides found wins from their opening Serie A fixtures, with Maurizio Sarri’s men showing determination to triumph despite going a goal down with just ten men on the pitch. In fact, only Inter Milan turned zero points into all three more times than Lazio since Sarri’s arrival, but perhaps the energy expended in that contest impacted them here with a rather blunt-looking Lazio attack continuing to struggle.
Some sloppy play nearly opened up the contest, as Torino surrendered possession which allowed Immobile to charge into space, but the Italian forward was superbly denied by Milinković-Savić. Further chances arrived and Nikola Vlašić saw his header float narrowly wide on his home debut before Immobile ought to have scored when he created space for himself in the box, but defender Koffi Djidji saved the day with a vital block. Lazio continued to grow in the closing stages, but a stubborn Torino outfit refused to budge, with a rather bemused-looking Sarri clearly disappointed with the result at FT.
Despite maintaining an unbeaten start, Lazio will know a massive improvement in performance is required if they are to overcome fellow top-four chasers Inter Milan next Friday. Meanwhile, Torino broke a run of two-straight SA home defeats with the result but also failed to score for the third consecutive home league encounter.
Flashscore Man of the Match: Vanja Milinković-Savić (Torino)
Udinese - Salernitana 0-0
After giving a good account of themselves in the first half of an opening weekend defeat to champions AC Milan, Udinese took the game straight to Salernitana from the first whistle, visibly determined to notch a first winning start to a home league campaign since 2019. That positive approach nearly paid off immediately, when the Bianconeri were awarded a penalty, as referee Gianluca Aureliano penalised Dylan Bronn for handling in the area. But any celebrations were short-lived, as a quick VAR check was enough for the official to overturn his initial decision.
Buoyed by a first-ever win over Udinese in this fixture last season, Salernitana grew into the contest, and Bronn’s knockdown from a corner set up Federico Fazio with a tap-in from close range, but Marco Silvestri reacted quickly to clear palm the shot away. Udinese duly sought to regain control, but with the match edging towards HT, Nehuén Pérez lunged in with a dangerous tackle to stop a Salernitana counter-attack and the defender was sent off.
Despite being a player down, Udinese remained positive and Walace Souza Silva had an early half-chance after the break, firing over from the edge of the box. Eventually though, Salernitana started to make the extra man advantage count, and Antonio Candreva’s long-range effort forced Silvestri into an acrobatic save, before the goalkeeper tipped Federico Bonazzoli’s header over the crossbar.
Following Nehuén Pérez’s sending off, Udinese were always going to struggle, and Andrea Sottil will hope his side can build after notching their first point of the season. Even with the additional player, Salernitana rarely threatened, and Davide Nicola is likely to see this as two points dropped as his side recorded a third consecutive Serie A away draw.
Flashscore Man of the Match: Marco Silvestri (Udinese)