In a game desperately calling out for a touch of quality, it looked as if Torino had found a breakthrough midway into the first half, when Valentino Lazaro lashed the ball into the roof of the net from close range. However, celebrations would be cut short for the hosts, as a VAR check concluded the Torino attacker had strayed offside in the build-up to the goal.
With the match trundling towards a goalless first half, Torino goalkeeper Vanja Milinković-Savić would be called into action on the brink of HT. Scrambling across to clear Davide Frattesi’s instinctive effort off the line, the Serbian required treatment following the save, but his reactions to deny Sassuolo an opener ensured parity at the interval.
Unfortunately for those inside the Olympic Grande Torino Stadium, the quality didn’t improve after the break. It even got markedly worse in some areas, and a mutual wastefulness in front of goal would prevent any side from taking the lead, with defender Koffi Djidji scuffing a gilt-edge chance into the goalkeeper’s arms, at a time when it appeared harder to miss.
When all hope looked lost, a winner arrived in the very depths of stoppage time. Guiding a delicate header into the top corner, Agustín Álvarez’s last-minute goal may have arrived out of nothing, but it ensured the visitors put an end to their longest Serie A winless streak. Meanwhile, Torino miss the opportunity to leapfrog city rivals Juventus in the table.
Flashscore Man of the Match: Agustín Álvarez (Sassuolo)