Torino 5-3 Pescara
Away from all the betting tips on a sixth straight Scudetto for Juventus and the unlikely, yet tempting, betting odds on any of the bottom three escaping the drop zone, there were plenty of stories to keep sports betting fans in Serie A entertained.
While many of the column inches highlighted Edin Dzeko’s penalty woes, Lazio’s wastefulness, Milan’s lack of depth and Juventus maintaining their seven-point lead and a record 28 consecutive home victories, there wasn’t too much focus on the most exciting contest of the weekend.
That came at the Stadio Olimpico where in a goal fest, Torino took a commanding 5-0 lead over Pescara only to decide to have a late nap as the rock-bottom club hit back to restore some pride, if not badly-needed points.
The fact that the visitors had gone AWOL from virtually the first whistle meant Torino could afford their slumber.
The contest was over inside quarter of an hour.
That’s how long it took Iago Falque, Arlind Ajeti and Andrea Belotti – who had a hand in the first two goals – to find the net and render the game finished.
The embarrassment of Pescara even led to manager Massimo Oddo swapping a striker for a defender by the half-hour mark – damage limitation is what they call it!
Adem Ljajic and Belotti added to the misery with further goals by the hour; and although reports that Oddo has tendered his resignation have been denied by the club, no doubt the situation will continue to be watched in the days ahead.
Some respectability was ensured in 10 mad minutes towards the end which slightly took the gloss off a good day for the home side.
More hopeless defending contributed to an Ajeti own goal and an Ahmad Benali double.
Yet, one man who could not be blamed was the home goalkeeper Joe Hart.
You may remember him!
Jettisoned by Pep Guardiola at Man City, he has shone for what is effectively a mid-table club in Italy while his replacement, Claudio Bravo, has the most harrowing statistics in the English Premier League.
For here is a player that Torino coach Sinisa Mihajlovic may struggle to keep hold off once his loan deal expires at the end of the campaign.
For even if Guardiola sticks to his guns with Bravo, a bigger club than Torino will surely want someone of Hart’s ability.
The Englishman had a lousy Euro 2016 and has been far from immaculate in Serie A, but he remains superior to many goalkeepers – he certainly is no ordinary Joe.
His devotion to learning the language in his new home shows his desire to succeed, and he is fast becoming a cult favourite in his new surroundings.
That popularity was evident when Hart was selected, alongside Belotti, as the two players to promote an advert for the club’s new television channel.
This latest chapter showed why his Italian adventure will only go so far as Torino are unlikely to threaten any of the established big boys anytime soon, but Hart would strengthen most teams and surely deserves another chance.
This weekend’s developments merely proved that again.
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