Catania and Torino have flown to Malta to fine-tune their preparations for the second part of the Italian football season. Both clubs were probably hoping to conduct their winter training camps in warm weather but this has not been the case so far.

Indeed, the adverse weather posed an added challenge to Catania and Torino as, true to expectations, the two met in the final 45-minute match of the first Trofeo Portomasolive after beating local sides Hibs and Qormi respectively.

Catania, who landed in Malta on Thursday night, justified their Serie A status as they gained a deserved 2-0 win over Torino to win this friendly tournament, much to the delight of a few hard-core fans who were at the National Stadium yesterday.

Argentine striker Maxi Lopez, who is being persistently linked with a big-money move in January, was included in Catania’s starting XI as coach Vincenzo Montella made some changes from the team that downed Hibs 2-0 in the second match.

Torino coach Giampiero Ventura reshuffled his formation for the ‘decider’, unleashing his big guns, the likes of captain Rolando Bianchi, Angelo Ogbonna and Alen Stevanovic.

Seven minutes into the game, Mirco Antenucci, scorer of a brace in Torino’s 3-1 win over Qormi, summoned a rising shot that ended high.

Scoring chances were rare as the two teams cancelled each other out but Catania threatened to go ahead on 12 minutes.

Latching on to Giovanni Marchese’s pass, Andrea Catellani turned before hitting a low drive that rolled against the base of the far post. Mariano Izco blasted wide after Catellani guided a pass to the midfielder from a free-kick.

Catania were now in ascendancy and duly took the lead on 17 minutes. Lopez showed why he is coveted by a host of top clubs as the Argentine glided past a host of Torino defenders and dinked his shot past Davide Morello.

The erstwhile low-key Torino rallied as the game progressed but they never threatened Andrea Campagnolo in Catania’s goal.

The Sicilian outfit should have sealed their win when the influential Catellani drifted into the box from the left only to rifle his shot over the bar. Catania secured their win two minutes from time when Izco’s close-range screamer gave Morello no chance. Malta FA CEO Bjorn Vassallo presented the winning trophy to Catania official Pippo Franchina.

Antenucci brace

The curtain-raiser between Qormi and Torino was preceded by a rainstorm which will have done little to persuade the undecided fans to make their way to Ta’ Qali.

With coach Stephen Azzopardi on a family vacation in the United States, Edward Micallef, the head coach of Qormi’s nursery, was in charge of the team.

Torino took only seven minutes to open the scoring, Antenucci stroking the ball past goalkeeper Matthew Farrugia after receiving from Simone Verdi.

Antenucci, who joined Torino from Catania last January, unsettled the Qormi defence with a powerful incursion though the middle before releasing the advancing Verdi. The 19-year-old Torino forward cut in from the left only to curl the ball wide of the far post.

Qormi fashioned their first chance after 12 minutes. Abubakar Bello-Osagie laid the ball to Jorge who had time and space to take aim but his low shot was too central to trouble Ferdinando Coppola in Torino’s goal.

The woodwork denied Qormi an equaliser on 17 minutes as Matthew Bartolo’s thunderbolt from outside the box swerved beyond Coppola but crashed against the post.

From the possibility of drawing level, Qormi found themselves two down, Antenucci poking home from close range after his initial shot had been repelled by Farrugia.

The Qormi goalkeeper then stopped a close-range effort from Nnamdi Odamadi, one of the four roaming forwards in Ventura’s adventurous 4-2-4 formation which had Migjen Basha and Giuseppe de Feudis anchoring the midfield.

Torino sealed their place in the final on 23 minutes when Verdi made it 3-0 with an angled strike.

Two minutes later, Qormi reduced the arrears when Bello-Osagie fired home from the penalty spot after referee Kevin Azzopardi ruled that the Nigerian had been nudged off the ball as he burst into Torino’s box.

Torino were angered by Azzopardi’s decision but two minutes later, the boot was on the other foot as the Granata were awarded a penalty after Farrugia was adjudged to have floored Giulio Ebagua inside the box. Farrugia denied Antenucci his hat-trick as he pushed away his low spot-kick.

Shortly afterwards, Ebagua found himself unmarked in the Qormi box but his chip landed on the roof of the net.

Subs impact

Vincenzo Montella’s team selection for the game against Hibs featured some established players like Alessandro Potenza, Nicola Legrottaglie, Davide Lanzafame and Ciro Capuano.

Hibs had a guest player in their line-up, Torino goalkeeper Lys Gomis who deputised for the unavailable Mario Muscat.

Andrew Cohen’s intelligent through-pass to Edison ‘Tarabai’ caught the Catania’s defence on the wrong foot but the Brazilian hit wide after skipping past two players.

On 11 minutes, Cohen’s swerving free-kick from the edge of the box, given for a handsball which may have occurred inside the box, sailed just over the crossbar as Hibs showed no signs of being intimated by their opponents’ reputation.

In the stands, the few Catania supporters were doing their best to make themselves heard.

Tarabai, the main striker in Hibs’ 4-1-4-1 formation, tested Tomas Kosicky with a swerving effort but the Slovakian goalkeeper saved with relative ease.

Catania began to impose themselves on the game around the 16th minute mark. Their first noteworthy move almost yielded an opener as Lanzafame’s pinpoint cross sailed towards Gonzalo Bergessio whose flick from routine distance flashed wide of the far post.

At the other end, Clayton Failla’s free-kick was high and wide. Alejandro Gomez had only been on the pitch for not more than a minute when he accelerated into the box from the left and lifted his shot past the diving Gomis.

This came on 32 minutes. Two minutes later, Alfredo Donnarumma, another substitute, scored with a perfect drive from outside the box after good work by Keko.

In the final stages, Mark Miller brought on striker Alex Pedrosa, who is having a trial with Hibs, for Edward Herrera.

Consolation

Hibs were the brighter side in the early stages of the third place game against Qormi.

Fallia’s dangerous shot was deflected away for a corner after the winger had been teed up by Dias.

A meaningless game failed to ignite before the Paolites took the lead on 18 minutes when Bjorn Kristensen’s drive from outside the box took a deflection that wrong-footed Qormi goalkeeper Steve Sultana.

Another deluge descended on the National Stadium, making life uneasy for the players. Tarabai’s low free-kick came off the base of the post while Triston Caruana drove high from another set-piece as Hibs continued to dominate.

Hibs were awarded a penalty on 29 minutes after Gabriel Buttigieg brought down Peter Anizoba in the box. Failla made no mistake.

Summaries

Qormi 1
Bello-Osagie 26 Pen.
Torino 3
Antenucci 7, 18, Verdi 23

Hibernians 0
Catania 2
Gomez 32; Donnarumma 34

Hibs 2
Kristensen 18; Failla 30 Pen
Qormi 0

Torino 0
Catania 2
Lopez 17; Izco 43