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Torino coach Ivan Juric found the failed penalty call ‘inexplicable’ in the 1-1 draw with Inter, but also confessed they are ‘light years away’ from where he wants to be.
The Granata had gone in front through Gleison Bremer on a corner, but were pegged back deep into stoppages by an Alexis Sanchez strike.
“The first half was played very well, Berisha did well on two chances, but we scored, should’ve had a penalty and there were more opportunities too,” Juric told DAZN.
“We fell away a bit in the second half, as many of my lads had the flu this week and were struggling to fully recover.
“We got a second wind towards the end with the substitutions, but unfortunately we were unable to kill off the game and we conceded at the end, as we often have done this season.”
The game would also have changed in the first half when Andrea Belotti was clearly fouled by Andrea Ranocchia, but the referee and above all VAR waved play on.
“It’s the latest situation of many when we were penalised. This one is completely inexplicable. It was a clear penalty and nobody understands why it wasn’t awarded. I am sure they will try to explain it, but they can’t.
“It completely ruined the game, as we would’ve been 2-0 up.”
A huge moment in both the game and the Serie A title race!
Torino felt they should have had a penalty when Andrea Belotti was brought down in the box
Did Andrea Ranocchia get the tiniest of touches on the ball?
pic.twitter.com/9fSIgDsYYw
— Football on BT Sport (@btsportfootball) March 13, 2022
Tommaso Pobega again played in a more advanced role behind striker Andrea Belotti, so is this now becoming his place in the team?
“We’ve missed a player who connects the midfield with the attack. Dennis Praet is more of a forward, while Pobega isn’t entirely suited to it either, but he is doing very well. We are working on it in training and he is continuing to improve.”
Juric was visibly livid just 10 seconds before the Inter goal, throwing a water bottle to the ground after Antonio Sanabria gave the ball away cheaply in midfield.
“We made two mistakes on that situation. The first was to restart play too quickly, the second was to keep the ball at the by-line or try to put it out of play, just don’t lose possession.”
There were six players under 25 years of age in the starting XI this evening, so Juric was asked how long it will take for Torino to build a project and be on the same level as Lazio or Atalanta?
“We are light years away, in terms of organisation, the transfer market and other elements. I also get the sensation we worked hard, getting an identity and improving, but I still feel we wasted so much. We gifted so many points, weren’t smart enough and didn’t close games out.”
