Parma Triumphs 2-1 as Pellegrino Nets Twice
Parma took a significant step forward in their Serie A campaign by defeating Torino 2-1 in a fiery derby at the Ennio Tardini. The win gave the Ducali their first league victory under coach Cuesta and moved them past a Torino side that had shown bursts of quality but paid a heavy price for defensive lapses and an inconsistent start to the season. The goals came from Mateo Pellegrino, who struck twice, while the visitors struck back through a goal from Ngonge, keeping the contest alive until the final whistle.
First Half: A Contested Start and a Debatable Moment
A tense opening with high-intensity pressing
The match opened with Torino pressing high and giving Parma little time to build. The visitors aimed to control the tempo, squeezing the hosts and limiting service to Parma’s forwards. Asllani and Casadei stepped up to disrupt the ball flow, while Parma’s build-up play relied on shorter exchanges and quick switches from defense to attack. The pressure paid off in the 1st half when Parma won a penalty that Pellegrino converted, giving the Ducali the lead. It was a moment that underlined Parma’s willingness to take risks and exploit any opportunity to move ahead on a night when precision in the final third mattered more than volume of possession.
A controversial moment and a disallowed header
moments before the break, Parma appeared set to extend their lead when a header found the net, but the strike was ruled out due to a prior foul on Israel in the buildup. The decision underscored the precision required by officiating in a tightly contested derby and left Parma with a sense of unfinished business as they headed to the locker room with a one-goal cushion.
Second Half: Torino Responds, Parma Holds Firm
Ngonge’s equalizer and a renewed push
After the restart, Torino emerged with greater purpose. A dribble on the right, finished with a powerful shot from Ngonge, brought the visitors level and energized their supporters. The Belgian forward had already been lively in the opening period and carried the momentum into the second, testing Parma’s resolve with another burst of pace and a shot that found the corner of the net.
Pellegrino seals the win from a set-piece
As the game swung back Parma’s way, the decisive moment arrived from a corner delivered by Valeri. The Torino defense, deployed in a zone that hadn’t yielded dividends for Baroni’s men, failed to clear cleanly, allowing Pellegrino to pounce and fire home. The goal completed a brace for the forward, making him a pivotal figure in Parma’s breakthrough victory. It also underscored Parma’s growing efficiency in set-piece situations and their ability to capitalize on Torino’s defensive frailties at key moments.
Tactical Notes and Turning Points
Cuesta’s Parma lined up in a 3-4-2-1 shape, seeking more aggression high up the pitch and more compact compactness without the ball. The decision to leave Oristanio out later in the game and bring in Benedyczak was aimed at adding offensive bite and pressing intensity against Torino’s defense. Torino, meanwhile, shifted to a more offensive 4-4-2 after Adams’ introduction, with Ngonge and Vlasic stationed on the wings and Simeone leading the line in a bid to unlock Parma’s back line. Despite improved pressure, Baroni’s side paid for a late defensive lapse at a critical moment, a theme that has weighed on Torino through the early rounds of the season.
What It Means for the Season
The result offers Parma a morale-boosting win as they look to stabilize their campaign, with Cuesta earning his first Serie A victory at the helm. The victory also serves as a timely reminder of Parma’s potential when they are able to blend solid defensive organization with sharpness in attack, particularly on set-pieces. For Torino, the defeat is a reminder that, while they showed flashes of quality—especially in the pressing game and willingness to push forward—their lack of defensive consistency on balls from wide areas is a concern they will want to address quickly if they hope to climb the standings. The derby produced drama, quality moments, and a narrative of a team elevating its performance at home while another fights to translate their pressure into results, a theme that will likely continue as the Serie A season unfolds.
In the stands, Parma’s legacy figures watched on, while the club’s president and former stars offered a tangible signal that the club is aiming to reset and push upward in the table. For the watching fans, the match delivered a compelling blend of discipline, individual quality, and the kind of late twist that makes league football so unpredictable and exciting.
