Inter ran out comfortable 3-1 winners in Turin, thanks largely to two goals in quick succession on the half hour mark. Goal.com analyses the individual performances...
Torino
Sereni – 6.0: Surprisingly didn’t have to make too many saves today, and thus had a fairly quiet match. There was certainly nothing he could have done to prevent the own any of the goals, and so he was never at fault today.
Di Loreto– 5.5: Gave his all throughout, but struggled against the likes of Mancini and Adriano in particular, in the first half. He was one of many that lifted when his side began to play better, and offered more in attack in the closing stages of the match.
Pratali – 5.0: Was careless early on and almost gifted Mancini a goal after 23 minutes in the opening half. Was not switched on early, but got better as the match wore on.
Pisano – 6.0: The best of the Torino back four today, without a doubt. He worked hard at both ends of the park, providing another option going forward, as well as performing solidly at the back for the most of the day. Was cool under pressure, and looked to be the only confident Torino defender in the first half.
P.Zanetti – 5.0: Gave away a few clumsy free kicks, and didn’t provide much throughout his 66 minutes on the field. Similar to Di Loreto, he struggled up against the forward trident of Inter, as they made life difficult for him all day long.
Diana – 6.5: Definitely his side’s best player in the first half, the former Sampdoria man played with a positive mindset, and did well to attack the right flank throughout the majority of the match.
Corini – 5.5: Took the captain’s arm band, following the withdrawal of Rosina, however despite initiating a few impressive attacking movements, he was taken off himself, in place of Simone Barone.
(Barone – 5.0): Failed to impose himself in the contest in any major way, despite having 45 minutes to do so. Looked a shadow of the man who made it to Germany in 2006 to win the World Cup with his country.
Samuel – 7.0: Great performance by Samuel, who did take his time to have an impact on proceedings. The Austrian international’s second half was solid, as he worked hard on the left to send in a countless amount of glorious balls into his side’s area, including the perfect ball to set up Abbruscato for Toro’s only goal for the match.
Rosina – 5.5: Was withdrawn from the field after just 29 minutes due to injury. He started brightly, but obviously was unable to have an impact, and was replaced by Abbruscato as a result.
(Abbruscato – 6.5): Worked hard from the minute he entered the field of play, and despite not having much of the ball throughout, he certainly deserved his goal after 76 minutes. Was unlucky to be denied by the cross bar with just five minutes left to play.
Amoruso – 6.0: Another positive performance from a Toro player, who deserved more from this match. He initiated several attacking plays, but so often lacked support forward, and simply lost the ball as a result.
Bianchi – 6.5: The former Manchester City man gave it his all, but due to some poor service, in the first half in particular, his opportunities were limited. He was twice denied by Julio Cesar at the death, and certainly deserved a goal for his performance.
Subs: Abbruscato 6.5, Barone 5.0, Ogbonna 5.5
Inter
Julio Cesar – 6.5: Wasn’t called upon all that often this match, however in the final 10-15 minutes, he pulled off a whole host of world class saves to deny the home side of a miracle come back.
Maicon – 7.0: Another great performance from the Brazilian right back, as he continued his stellar form this season. Scored an absolute wonder goal, following an impressive Inter build-up, and did well to work hard as per usual at both ends of the park.
Burdisso – 6.0: Fairly solid performance today by one half of the Inter centre-back partnership. He was not required all that much, however he did struggle a little towards the end of the match, when Toro surged forward in numbers. Did extremely well in the first half to minimize the impact of the Torino attackers.
Materazzi – 6.0: Very similar to his defensive partner, it was a solid outing for Matrix today. Did what he had to, when called upon, and didn’t really put a foot wrong, or make any howling mistakes.
Zanetti – 5.5: A relatively quiet performance today from the Inter captain, however similar to many of his team mates, he failed to put a foot wrong, and did his job. It was a professional performance from Zanetti today, who worked hard and did all he could to ensure that his team were successful on the day.
Chivu – 5.0: In his first match back from injury, the Romanian failed to have any major impact on proceedings. He certainly looks to be lacking in match fitness, although it still was a positive return to top-flight football nonetheless. Could have done more to prevent the Torino goal.
Vieira – 6.0: When the game was in the balance, the Frenchman was the man to control the midfield early on. He completely minimized the impact that the Torino midfielders had in the opening forty-five minutes, and should be commended on a solid performance.
Cambiasso – 6.0: Similar to his captain, Cambiasso went about his business quietly today, and failed to put a foot wrong all match. He worked hard at both ends of the field, and was reliable all match.
Mancini – 7.5: Another scintillating performance from the Brazilian winger, who continues to improve under Mourinho. Formed one-third of the attacking trident today, and was responsible for setting up the own-goal, and the Ibrahimovic goal, following a glorious chip into the Swede’s path.
Ibrahimovic – 6.5: Took a while to impose himself in this match, but when he did, the Nerazzurri lifted a notch. He worked hard for no results in the first half, but was awarded with a goal in the second, confidently slotting it past Sereni who had no chance.
Adriano – 7.0: His Champions League performance last week was rewarded with a spot in the starting eleven today, and he certainly took full advantage of that. He fought hard all match, showing that he still has a desire to succeed at the highest level. He also managed to set up the Maicon goal, with a superb through ball.
