Torino stall Sampdoria start

Sampdoria's 100 per cent record in Serie A was brought to an end by Torino, who earned a point at the Stadio Luigi Ferraris thanks to a 1-1 draw. It was a tale of two penalties in Genoa with Rolando Bianchi scoring first from the spot for Torino in the 69th minute before Nicola Pozzi replied five minutes from time. Torino goalkeeper Jean Francois Gillet then took centre stage to preserve a point for his side as the hosts surged forward in search of a winner which they could not find for the first time this season. Maxi Lopez stole the ball off Kamil Glik and made a beeline for Gillet's goal, but the former Bari 'keeper denied the Sampdoria attacker in the 19th minute. The home side continued to enjoy the better of the game, going close to opening the scoring in the 37th minute when both the woodwork and a linesman's flag denied them. Enzo Maresca curled his free-kick against the underside of the crossbar with Gillet beaten, before Lopez drifted into an offside position to divert Gaetano Berardi's shot across the line from close range. Four minutes later, Marcelo Estigarribia capitalised on a mistake by Matteo Darmian, but he was unable to get enough power behind his shot to cause Gillet any problems. The heavens opened during the interval, making the pitch increasingly slippery for the second 45 minutes. That may be an excuse used by Roberto Soriano to justify his ill-timed intervention on Alessio Cerci inside the penalty area which gave Torino the chance to take the lead in the 69th minute. Penalties at either end Bianchi stepped up to the penalty spot and fired the ball straight down the middle and high into the roof of the net to give the visitors the lead. Sampdoria sent Eder on as an extra striker and he made an immediate impact, earning a penalty after being scythed down by Glik. Pozzi took the responsibility for Sampdoria's penalty and, although Gillet got his hand to the ball, he was unable to keep it out as the home side levelled in the 84th minute. The hosts regained the initiative and Gillet made three vital saves to safeguard a point for Torino and deny Sampdoria a fourth consecutive win this season.