Torino’s recent friendly match against Cremonese highlighted the return of Duvan Zapata, who scored his first goal of the season. The Colombian striker, now the team’s captain, equalized for Torino early in the second half after a solid display of power and precision. The match, played in Pinzolo, ended in a 2-1 victory for Cremonese, with an exquisite goal from the veteran “Mudo” Vazquez giving the Lombards an early lead and a header from Antov sealing the game late on.
The match was structured unusually, featuring four thirty-minute halves, a decision made by the coaches, Vanoli and Stroppa, to allow for greater player rotation and evaluation. Torino, having been in training since July 8, certainly showcased a different level of fitness compared to the freshly-started Cremonese side.
For the first sixty minutes, both teams fielded their likely starting lineups. Torino opted for a 3-5-2 formation featuring Milinkovic in goal and Zapata up front alongside Sanabria. In contrast, Cremonese employed a 4-2-3-1 setup led by Fulignati in goal. As the game progressed into the third and fourth halves, both managers utilized their bench players, including several young prospects from their academy teams.
Pre-season football can often be misleading in terms of results, but several takeaways can be drawn from Torino’s performance. Most notably, the budding partnership between Zapata and Sanabria stood out. Their interplay was pivotal in creating the equalizing goal, as the two forwards worked closely together to keep the team’s structure compact.
The match also marked the season debut for Bellanova and Ricci, the latter played in a playmaker role. Defensively, Coco’s performance was underwhelming, although Ilic showed promise in building play from the back. Tameze struggled to find his rhythm, and Bellanova appeared to be behind in fitness. Interestingly, the newly signed Adams did not participate in the game, as he focused on individualized training.
Overall, this was a less than satisfactory outing for Torino, who face a crucial test against Lyon on July 31. The current evaluations of the team are understandably provisional, given the demanding training schedule and the expectation of bolstering the squad with additional signings, particularly two defenders and a left winger, as announced by the club. The confidence from both the club and coach Vanoli in their preparations remains unwavering as they look ahead to the new season.
