Torino, Atalanta draw to miss shot to close in on Europe
TURIN, Italy — Torino and Atalanta missed the chance to close in on the qualifying positions for European competition as they drew 1-1 in Serie A on Saturday.
They moved level with three other teams and six points below sixth-placed Sampdoria.
Most of the sides above them have played a match less, while fifth-placed Lazio and Samp have two matches in hand.
Torino defender Nicolas N’Koulou scored his first goal in Italian football on the stroke of halftime, heading in Adem Ljajic’s corner.
Josip Ilicic came off the bench for the second half and he had an immediate impact, firing in Andrea Petagna’s through-ball for the equalizer, nine minutes after the break.
Torino players wore a special green kit to mark the one-year anniversary of the plane crash that killed most of the Brazilian team Chapecoense.
Torino, which endured its own air disaster in 1949, normally plays in a maroon kit. A share of the profits from sales of the limited-edition kit will go to families of the victims of the air crash.
On Nov. 28 last year, a plane carrying Chapecoense to the final of the Copa Sudamericana crashed into a hillside near Medellin, Colombia, killing 71 people including 19 players and most of the club’s board and coaching staff.
In Italy, the 1949 Superga air disaster claimed 31 lives, including the "Grande Torino" side that had won five straight league titles.
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