English midfielder Tino Anjorin made a memorable Serie A debut, starting for Empoli and setting up the opening goal in a convincing 2-0 victory over Cagliari on Friday. The win extends Empoli’s undefeated streak to five matches, marking their best start to a Serie A season. Anjorin, who joined Empoli from Chelsea in the summer, displayed his skill and composure, delivering a precise pass through the Cagliari defense that allowed Lorenzo Colombo to find the back of the net after 33 minutes. Sebastiano Esposito added a second goal for Empoli just three minutes into the second half, solidifying their dominance. Cagliari, on the other hand, struggled to find their scoring touch, failing to score in their last three games. They currently sit with a meager two points from their first five matches.
In a separate encounter, Torino climbed to the top of the Serie A table with a thrilling 3-2 victory against Verona. However, the match was marred by a controversial red card for Verona’s Pawel Dawidowicz in the 21st minute, forcing them to play most of the game with 10 men. Despite this setback, Verona managed to take the lead through a stunning strike from Grigoris Kastanos, who unleashed a powerful drive into the top corner from 20 meters out, just two minutes after Torino had taken the lead. The lead was initially secured by Antonio Sanabria, who capitalised on a defensive lapse to slot the ball past the Verona goalkeeper after just 10 minutes. Torino regained their advantage 12 minutes before half-time when Duvan Zapata headed home a trademark goal. Scottish striker Che Adams added a fourth goal for Torino, sealing the victory with a low drive from 25 meters out 12 minutes from time. Verona managed to pull one goal back in stoppage time through Daniel Mosquera, but it proved to be a mere consolation.
Torino now sits atop the Serie A table with a single point advantage over Udinese and two points ahead of Napoli, although both of these teams have a game in hand.
