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Lazio continued to soar among the top spots with this crushing victory and Mauro Zarate's brace, though Toro ended the match with nine men.
The Biancocelesti were flying high and just one point shy of leaders Inter, prompting talk of a new era for the club and Scudetto ambitions. They thrashed Fiorentina 3-0 midweek, but were missing Simone Del Nero and Francelino Matuzalem. Toro had more pressing problems, as Aimo Diana was suspended and Alessandro Rosina injured. Although they had lost only once to Inter, the Granata hadn't won since the opening weekend.
It was a special game for Rolando Bianchi and Matteo Sereni, who both left Lazio in bitter circumstances.
Toro had the first chance, as Ignazio Abate trapped a chipped Eugenio Corini free kick and placed it back across the face of goal, where Bianchi was just a few inches off a tap-in.
Goran Pandev didn't make the most of a Pasquale Foggia counter, but Emilson Cribari needed treatment after an accidental elbow in the face from Elvis Abbruscato. It caused a suspected fracture to the browbone and he was replaced by Rozenhal.
Lazio took the lad on the half-hour mark. Mauro Zarate deserves much of the credit, as he went on a slalom in the box and drew three defenders, leaving Pandev free to side-foot home from seven yards when the ball ricocheted into his path.
Toro fought back immediately and rattled the crossbar with Abbruscato's shot on the bounce from just inside the area. Before half-time an Abate cross found Saumel totally unmarked at the back post only for the Austrian to balloon over the bar.
Marco Di Loreto's glancing header on a Corini free kick bounced inches wide of the upright, but Zarate did very well to chest down and spin just past the post.
Lazio had a great chance on the hour mark, as Stefano Mauri was one-on-one with Sereni only to hit the woodwork! Mauri had intended to thread through for Zarate, but a deflection sent him clear and his angled drive clipped the base of the upright.
Less than a minute later, Torino went very close, as Abbruscato's taut cross was nodded over from six yards by substitute Nicola Amoruso.
The goal was in the air and it was scored by Zarate in spectacular fashion. The Argentine smashed an unstoppable right-foot rocket from 25 metres that swerved into the top corner where Sereni couldn't reach.
Foggia went on a mazy run through the Torino defence, dummying a pass only to run round the Granata shirt, and the finish with the outside of his foot was blocked by Sereni.
Moments later a free kick was touched on for Foggia and the fierce strike fingertipped over the bar.
There was chaos on 82 minutes, as Sereni parried a Zarate counter, Cristian Brocchi's follow-up was twice charged down and Pandev eventually fired off target. The referee spotted that Brocchi's second attempt was blocked by Sereni grabbing his leg, so it was a straight red card and penalty. Sereni was livid and, as the substitutions had been completed, Nicola Ventola went in goal without gloves and went nowhere near Zarate's spot-kick.
Torino let the tension get to them and Francesco Pratali, who had been booked for dissent in the penalty incident, received a second yellow card for a crunching tackle on Zarate.
Despite playing with nine men and no real goalkeeper, Torino still received a penalty in stoppages for Lichtsteiner's clumsy shoulder-charge on Dzemaili. There was still anger and Coach Gianni De Biasi was sent off, then Nicola Amoruso converted the penalty only for the referee to order it retaken. He put it back in the same corner to at least make the scoreline less disappointing for Torino.
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