Spezia - Atalanta 2-2
Spezia began the contest with a spring in their step, and their early intent paid dividends in the eighth minute, as Emmanuel Gyasi tapped the ball home from M'Bala Nzola's low cross to open his account for the season. After scoring the first goal in a SA game for just the third time this term, the hosts were dealt a blow when goalkeeper Jeroen Zoet, who was deputising for the injured Bartlomiej Dragowski, was forced off following a collision with Duvan Zapata.
Zoet’s replacement Petar Zovko was called into action in the 23rd minute, palming away Zapata’s glancing header. That proved to be one of Zapata’s final acts of the game, with the effects from the Colombian’s earlier clash with Zoet appearing to be the reason for his early withdrawal. Atalanta suffered another setback just moments later when Spezia doubled their advantage through Nzola, who calmly slotted the ball between the legs of Marco Sportiello after latching onto Mehdi Bourabia’s defence-splitting pass.
With Atalanta trailing by a two-goal deficit at the break, Gian Piero Gasperini gave his side 12 second-half minutes before he attempted to instigate a fightback by introducing Pasalic, Luis Muriel and Davide Zappacosta. The three substitutes had barely settled into the contest when Ethan Ampadu appeared to have added a third for Spezia, but his thunderous effort was disallowed for an offside infringement in the build-up.
With less than 15 minutes remaining, Rasmus Hojlund set up a grandstand finish as he displayed nimble footwork to create the space to fire past Zovko. The visitors continued to surge forward and their late pressure yielded a dramatic equaliser, with Pasalic poking the ball home from close range in stoppage time to end Atalanta’s run of three SA defeats. Spezia’s three-game unbeaten run will likely do little to ease their disappointment.
Flashscore Man of the Match: M'Bala Nzola (Spezia)
Torino - Hellas Verona 1-1
The home fans were intrigued to see what impact the World Cup break had on their team, after winning three of their five matches prior to the tournament. Verona appeared to be the ideal opponents to help Ivan Juric’s side pick up where they left off, with the Gialloblu having lost their last five away matches in Serie A. As expected, Torino were in control for much of the first half, however they lacked an attacking threat against the team with the worst defence in the league this season.
Despite dominating possession in the first 45 minutes, the hosts actually began to look less dangerous going forward as the half wore on, with Hellas Verona’s organisation and defensive shape keeping them at bay. Then, with half-time approaching, the Torino supporters were stunned into silence when, from Darko Lazovic’s corner, striker Milan Djuric headed home to score his first goal for the club and hand the visitors a shock lead at the interval.
Torino’s pedestrian attacking play continued into the second half, and it looked increasingly likely that they were going to need something special to draw themselves level. Thanks to Aleksei Miranchuk, they found exactly that when the Russian collected the ball 25 yards from goal and unleashed an unstoppable effort, finding the top left corner to make it 1-1 and set up a grandstand finish. As the drama continued, Lazovic should have restored the visitors’ lead a matter of moments later, but he headed wide at the back post with the goal at his mercy.
Both teams tried their best to find a third and decisive goal in the closing stages, but in truth the lack of attacking quality meant this was always unlikely. The result is a dent to Torino’s European hopes, as they stay ninth, while Hellas Verona remain at the foot of the table despite this surprise point on the road.
Flashscore Man of the Match: Milan Djuric (Hellas Verona)