Lithuanian international Gvidas Gineitis marked the start of the new Serie A season with an assist, but Torino were beaten 1-2 at home by AC Milan despite a late push in Sunday’s opener.
The 22-year-old midfielder was named in Torino’s starting line-up against Ruben Amorim’s AC Milan and played the full 90 minutes.
The opening half offered little in the way of clear-cut opportunities, with both sides struggling to create meaningful chances in a tightly contested affair. The match came to life after the interval, however, as the visitors gradually took control.
Following a series of substitutions early in the second half, Milan broke the deadlock through Alphadjo Cisse. Just two minutes later, the Rossoneri doubled their advantage when Adrien Rabiot escaped the attention of his marker Gineitis to finish at the far post following a cross into the penalty area.
Torino pulled a goal back deep into stoppage time, with Gineitis playing a key role. The Lithuanian delivered an excellent set-piece from the left into the penalty area, where Che Adams produced a superb improvised finish, flicking the ball into the net with his back to goal to reduce the deficit.
The late goal, however, came too late to spark a comeback, as Torino opened their Serie A campaign with a narrow defeat.
Alongside his assist, Gineitis also won the only yellow card of the match after being brought down by Ruben Loftus-Cheek.
Torino will look to bounce back next Saturday when they travel to face Sassuolo in the second round of the Serie A season.
