Jean-Francois Gillet performed heroics as Torino made their European return with a 0-0 draw at Club Brugge.
Copenhagen beat HJK Helsinki 2-0 this evening in Group B.
Jean-Francois Gillet performed heroics as Torino made their European return with a 0-0 draw at Club Brugge.
Copenhagen beat HJK Helsinki 2-0 this evening in Group B.
The Granata were back in Europe after 22 years since their last outing in the Intertoto Cup, while it was 66-year-old Coach Giampiero Ventura’s continental debut. Amauri and Fabio Quagliarella started for the first time together, but Paulo Barreto and Salvatore Masiello were injured with numerous changes elsewhere. Club Brugge missed Tom De Sutter and Lior Refaelov. Belgian goalkeeper Gillet returned after a 13-month ban for match-fixing from his time at Bari.
Within five minutes 35-year-old Gillet was forced into a desperate rush off his line to smother from Felipe Gedoz, while Matteo Darmian and a Sanchez Mino free kick forced corners.
Marco Benassi’s first touch let him down when sent clear on goal by Sanchez Mino, but Gillet again came to the rescue on an Oscar Duarte header from a corner.
Victor Vazquez wasted a couple of promising opportunities for Brugge, the second by firing at Gillet’s legs, while Jose Izquierdo’s stunning curler skimmed the top corner of the net following a Gaston Silva error.
Sanchez Mino had a great chance after the restart, firing just wide of the upright, but there was another huge scare from Felipe Gedoz charged down by an Alessandro Gazzi sliding tackle.
Club Brugge stepped up the pressure and put Toro under siege, Gillet needing another fantastic save on Nikola Storm’s free header.
Amauri just failed to get his head to a Darmian cross and the Italians could’ve won it in the final moments, but Josef Martinez hesitated and eventually saw his shot charged down.
Club Brugge 0-0 Torino
Club Brugge: Ryan; Meunier, Duarte, Mechele, Bolingoli-Mbombo (De Bock 80); Simons, Silva, Fernando (Vormer 66); Vazquez (Storm 66), Gedoz; Sobota
Torino: Gillet; Maksimovic, Jansson, Gaston Silva; Darmian, Gazzi, Sanchez Mino (Nocerino 84), Benassi (El Kaddouri 65), Molinaro; Amauri, Quagliarella (Martinez 70)
Ref: Ozkahya (TUR)