Torino vs. Fiorentina 2015: Final score 3-1

Fiorentina were undone in the space of nine second half minutes at the Stadio Olimpico di Torino tonight.

The first half started brightly for the viola, when Borja Valero crossed from deep to Nikola Kalinić. The Croatian headed his shot downwards into the path of Torino 'keeper Danielli Padelli, who could only parry into the path of Marcos Alonso who scored with his right foot on the rebound. His celebration courted controversy as he imitated a matador in front of the Torino fans, unsurprisingly angering our fratelli granata who saw this as an insult to the bull that they are so synonymous with. The gesture was presumably in support of his friend Joaquín's quest to return home to Real Betis, but nevertheless Alonso was ferociously booed for the rest of the game.

A strange penalty incident followed when the referee pointed to the spot for a foul on Kalinić. After some discussion he incredibly seemed to reverse the decision, awarding a goal kick to the granata. Aside from a header from Fabio Quagliarella that was well saved by Ciprian Tătăruşanu, Torino were happy to let Fiorentina have the lion's share of possession and were reluctant to press even when the viola were casually passing the ball across the back three.

Although in the lead, Fiorentina were not at their best and their attempt to sit deep and protect their one goal cushion was ruthlessly punished in the space of half an hour. The first goal came when Emiliano Moretti met an outswinging corner on the half volley from 10 yards sending it back across goal and into the roof of the net leaving Tătăruşanu very little chance. Less than a minute later Torino were in front when Quagliarella ran clear, latching onto a perfectly weighted through ball and lifted the finish over the onrushing Tătă. The rout was completed in the 77th minute when Danielle Baselli unleashed a stunning right foot strike from distance, emphasizing why Fiorentina have courted his signature for so long.

Coach Paulo Sousa attempted to rescue something from the game with the additions of Federico Bernardeschi and Giuseppe Rossi, but there was to be no reprieve. The omission of Milan Badelj after a strong performance against Milan proved telling, and there were some poor performances from Josip Iličić and Suárez in particular. With a man at the helm and several departures from the club, there were always going to be some early setbacks. Sousa's job now is to pick the players up and learn from tonight's mistakes.