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| Coppa: Toro knock Fiorentina out |
Wednesday 17 December, 2008 |
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Torino have knocked Fiorentina out of the Coppa Italia with a shock away victory thanks to Rolando Bianchi. They hadn't won here in over 30 years and progress to face Lazio in the quarter-finals.
The Granata were certainly the underdogs for this one-off battle for a place in the quarter-finals, especially as they had lost 4-1 when these teams met 10 days ago.
At the time Gianni De Biasi was on the bench, but Walter Novellino needed a boost after he was crushed 5-2 by Bologna on his debut.
Fiorentina were almost forced to field their strongest line-up, as Giampaolo Pazzini came down with gastroenteritis and Daniel Pablo Osvaldo was injured.
Toro took the lead after 19 minutes at the startled Stadio Franchi when Bianchi came sliding in on Francesco Vailatti's sweeping cross from the right. Marker Da Costa could perhaps have been more alert, as he was late to the ball.
Adrian Mutu went close to an equaliser, bringing a decisive challenge out of Cesare Natali, while Sergio Almiron skimmed the woodwork with a screamer from distance. Both Almiron and goalscorer Bianchi went off with fitness problems during the first half.
Alex Calderoni flew to palm a Zdravko Kuzmanovic free kick out from under the bar and Luciano Zauri drilled just over.
At the dawn of the second half Calderoni was called into an even better save on Alberto Gilardino's sudden right-foot snapshot under the bar and Kuzmanovic struck the side-netting, as Fiorentina turned up the pressure.
Gila was expected to equalise with a free header from six yards, but he nodded Kuzmanovic's cross off target! Calderoni smothered Manuel Pasqual's half-volley from outside the box.
Toro were suffering under the pressure and also lost Vailatti to injury, while Fiorentina threw on former Granata star Gianluca Comotto.
Torino's defence was a shambles when a free kick was whipped in, but fortunately for them three unmarked Viola players failed to get a clean contact on the ball from six yards, as Mutu, Gilardino and Santana all stumbled.
Stevan Jovetic was tripped on the very edge of the penalty area five minutes from time, but Mutu ballooned the free kick well over.
Fiorentina were dominating the second half, but Nicola Ventola almost put the result beyond doubt with an 88th-minute counter-attack, Marco Storari performing his only real save to parry Nicola Ventola's angled drive.
Pisano did just enough to prevent Gilardino's goal, as he got between the striker and goalkeeper to shepherd the ball.
There was a curious moment in stoppages, as Ventola went down under a clumsy challenge and the referee pointed to the penalty spot. However, within seconds he had changed his mind, as the linesman signalled the ball had gone out of play, but only after the challenge.
Fiorentina 0-1 Torino
Scorers: Bianchi 19 (T)
Fiorentina: Storari, Zauri (Comotto 72), Da Costa, Kroldrup, Pasqual, Donadel (Santana 58), Melo, Almiron (Kuzmanovic 37), Jovetic, Gilardino, Mutu
Torino: Calderoni, Colombo, Natali, Pisano, Rubin; Ogbonna, Dzemaili, Zanetti, Vailatti (Saumel 71); Amoruso (Ventola 46), Bianchi (Stellone 31)
Ref: Damato
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