Roma have defeated Torino 2-0 at home in Serie A to bounce back from their Rome derby defeat to Lazio last weekend in style.
Pablo Osvaldo broke the deadlock in the 71st minute from the penalty spot, and Miralem Pjanic wrapped up the points with a deflected effort with four minutes of normal time remaining at the Stadio Olimpico.
It was an exciting game of football, and here Sports Mole takes a closer look to see if the result was fair.
Match statistics:
Roma:
Shots 25
On target 9
Possession 63%
Corners 9
Fouls 8
Torino:
Shots 8
On target 4
Possession 37%
Corners 4
Fouls 17
Was the result fair?
Yes. Roma completely dominated Torino at the Stadio Olimpico and should have won by a bigger margin had Osvaldo not wasted a plethora of chances in the first half.
Roma's performance
Roma will be very pleased with how they bounced back from their defeat to Lazio, as they completely overpowered Torino for the entire 90 minutes.. However, their failure to take their chances in the first half will not go down well with coach Zdenek Zeman, as he will know that they will be punished against better oppositions if they are careless in front of goal.
Torino's performance
Torino defended well and credit must be given to their defenders for keeping the scoreline at 2-0. Despite conceding the penalty that led to the opening goal, Angelo Ogbonna was an important figure at the back for the Turin club, making a number of important challenges throughout the match.
Sports Mole's man of the match
Miralem Pjanic: The Bosnian midfielder was drafted into the starting lineup in place of the suspended Daniele De Rossi and he did not disappoint at all. Pjanic was at the heart of Roma's attacking moves right from the first minute, playing brilliant balls to Osvaldo and linking up well with Erik Lamela. The 22-year-old's goal in the 86th minute was a just reward for his excellent performance.
Referee's performance
Marco Guida was very much professional in his approach to the game and made all the correct decisions. However, the confusion over the penalty could have been awarded with better communication with his assistant. Having said that, it must be acknowledged that the decision itself was a right call.
What next?
Roma: Roma will aim to build on this win with a victory over Pescara away from home in Serie A next weekend.
Torino: Torino will be keen to return to winning ways against Fiorentina at home in the league next weekend.
Subhankar Mondal
