In the wake of their memorable midweek Coppa Italia triumph against AC Milan, Torino sought to end a run of three league games without victory against lowly Spezia to boost their hopes of securing European football for the 2023/24 campaign. Ivan Jurić’s men, seemingly teeming with confidence following their cup heroics, began the game on the front foot, though they failed to test Bartłomiej Drągowski in the opening 20 minutes.

The visitors, who were six points clear of the drop zone ahead of kick-off, could only watch on as Torino attempted to carve out a breakthrough. However, after Emil Holm forced a fine save from Vanja Milinković-Savić, Spezia’s leading goalscorer Nzola slotted home from the spot after Koffi Djidji was adjudged to have handled the ball inside the area. Despite being dealt an untimely blow, II Toro continued to plug away, but they headed down the tunnel for half-time with plenty to think about after falling short in the final third.

Torino managed to register their first shot on target immediately after the interval, which saw Drągowski deny Nikola Vlašić’s audacious attempt from the edge of the area. From there, the home side maintained their relentless pursuit of a goal. Yet, it was Spezia who looked the more likely to double their advantage when Emanuel Gyasi rattled the crossbar before Milinković-Savić kept out Nzola’s close-range strike.

Milinković-Savić was on hand again to deny a dangerous free-kick from Kelvin Amian in the 77th minute. Despite dominating possession throughout, Torino were unable to find a leveller, leaving Jurić’s men frustrated at the final whistle as their Serie A four-game unbeaten run came to a disappointing end.

Flashscore Man of the Match: M'Bala Nzola (Spezia Calcio)