The Granata are now unbeaten in five games, claiming back-to-back victories for the first time this season. The Delfini on the other hand go back to looking over their shoulders, following a second consecutive loss.
Pescara vs Torino, Final Score 0-2: Dolphins sink without a trace
First half goals from Mario Santana and Alessio Cerci gave Torino a 2-0 victory over ten man Pescara at the Stadio Adriatico, after Vladimir Weiss saw red late on.
A minute's applause was held before the game for former Pescara President Pietro Scibilia, who sadly passed away this morning aged 83.
Pescara's Juan Fernando Quintero was still away on international duty, with Christian Terlizzi, Damiano Zenon and Gianluca Caprari also unavailable. Argentine defender Nicolas Bianchi Arce was given his first taste of Serie A action after joining from San Lorenzo.
Torino handed Paulo Vitor Barreto a debut following his move from Udinese. Top scorer Rolando Bianchi was suspended, but Kamil Glik, Salvatore Masiello and Alessandro Gazzi all returned to the starting lineup after their bans.
Santana was left all alone in the box to open the scoring on four minutes. He chested down Cerci’s cross and fired home from four yards. Pescara appealed for offside, but replays showed Santana was level when the ball was played.
Torino continued to dominate. Mattia Perin had to run out to smother the ball from Danilo D'Ambrosio after Barreto threaded him through. On 17 minutes, Riccardo Meggiorini had a shot deflected wide after D'Ambrosio pulled the ball back from the byline.
It took almost half an hour for Pescara to venture forward and take a shot. No-one closed Weiss down as he stretched his legs and fired wide from distance.
Cerci doubled the lead four minutes before the break. The winger played a neat one-two with Meggiorini and stayed onside to slot past Perin into the bottom left corner.
Cristiano Bergodi rung the changes at half time. Emmanuel Cascione headed over in the box and Birkir Bjarnason fired a shot which was a bit too high.
Jean-Francois Gillet saved on the line from Bjarnason, before Eugenio Romulo Togni blazed over a rebound then wasted a Weiss layoff from a free kick.
As time ticked away, Elvis Abbruscato collected Cascione's pass and cleverly turned to shoot just wide of the post. Gillet then flew to catch the frontman's header in mid-air.
Pescara threw away any chance of a comeback nine minutes from time, when Weiss was dismissed for his second act of simulation in a short space of time.
Meggiorini almost rubbed salt in the wounds, but his 90th minute curler clipped the post and went wide.
Pescara: Perin, Balzano, Capuano, Modesto, Nicolas Arce, Togni, (Vukusic 75) Bjarnason, Nielsen, (Cascione 46) Weiss, Celik, Jonathas (Abbruscato 46)
Torino: Gillet, Rodriguez, Glik, Masiello, D’Ambrosio, Gazzi, Cerci, (Vives 84) Brighi, Santana, (Birsa 83) Meggiorini, Barreto (Sansone 76)
Goals: Santana 4 (T) Cerci 41 (T)
See More:
