Torino celebrated its first home victory under the guidance of Ignazio Abate, defeating Udinese 2-1 thanks to goals from Bragança and Kulenović. With this result the Piedmontese club positioned itself in seventh place in the standings, interrupting a period of disappointing results. The match, played at the Olympic stadium, showed a team that, although physically pushed by the opponent, managed to recover the match thanks to decisive interventions from the bench.
In the first half Abate's team seemed a little isolated, with the strikers struggling to find space compared to the rest of the group. The coach explained that the choice to give the place to Oristanio from the first minute was motivated by his recent improvement in training: "Oristanio has worked hard and deserves this opportunity", he declared. In the second half, however, the team showed a more fluid and less haphazard approach, with Kulenović and Vlašić making the necessary contribution to transform the match in Torino's favour.
Abate highlighted the importance of the victory in front of the local public, underlining that the team remained "always within the match" despite the physicality of the opponent. He also recognized the need to improve the attack, aiming to make better use of the space beyond the defense line. “We need to get better at creating spaces in attack,” he added, referring to the lack of creativity that characterized some moments of the match.
As regards tactics, the coach confirmed that the 3-5-2 remains the main structure, but left open the possibility of variations based on the needs of the moment. He also commented on the presence of numerous new players in the starting line-up, explaining that the main challenge is to make them coexist in a group that has already proven to handle the ball well, albeit with a bit of sterility. “I believe that in the end the formations are made by the players,” he said, indicating the need to find a balance between structure and creativity.
With the victory, Torino achieved a solid increase in points, strengthening its position in the league table and proving that it can compete against physically strong teams. The coach expressed satisfaction with the performance and indicated that the team will continue to work to consolidate their form, aiming to maintain the pace shown in the second part of the match. The club's next match remains an opportunity to see if the solid tactical base and motivation of the players can translate into consistent results in the next matches.