Belotti late show means Wolves will have to tread carefully in a week’s time

Torino 2 Wolverhampton Wanderers 3

Scorers: Bremer (og, 43’), Jota (59’), De Silvestri (61’), Jiménez (72’), Belotti (pen 89’)

Stadio Olimpico Grande Torino, 9pm kick-off.

Wolves will take three away goals and a one-goal lead to Molineux in a week’s time but may still end up wondering what might have been after failing to see out the game for a more emphatic win in Turin.

A magnificent solo effort from Raúl Jiménez had left the hosts a mountain to climb at 3-1 down but, with the Alps looming over the city, Andrea Belotti won and converted a penalty in the 89th minute and almost scored a stunning leveller to fire a warning Wolves are not in the group stages yet.

The Black Country side’s fast-tracked return to European competition after a 38-year absence has created a real conundrum for manager Nuno Espirito Santo. The Portuguese can walk on water as far as the locals are concerned so he would be forgiven for taking the Europa League too lightly.

And yet, the rocking full houses seen at Molineux for qualifying round home games against the minnows of Crusaders and Pyunik demonstrated all too clearly what a special place European competition holds for the Old Gold and black hordes. After all, as any Wolves fan will tell you, the European Cup/Champions League only came into being to test the claims made by Stan Cullis’ side of being the best in the world after beating the mighty Honved in 1954.

In the event Nuno fielded a strong side. He tinkered with his midfield by making three changes but, as if to emphasise his managerial alchemy it was two of the supporting cast that provided the visitors’ most dangerous moments early on.

Right wing back Adama Traore gave Cristian Ansaldi a tough time and set up Diogo Jota, whose shot was stopped by one of Salvatore Sirigu’s feet in the 13th minute and Romain Saiss brilliantly broke up a home attack to send Traore raiding down the right again two minutes later.

Torino gave notice of their own threat in the 20th minute when defender Armando Izzo recovered a deep free-kick in acres of space to the right of goal and teed up a thumping header from central defensive partner Nicolas Nkoulou which rattled Rui Patricio’s bar.

Talk of a typically cagey European affair was proving well wide of the mark and Wolves should have been ahead after 23 minutes when João Moutinho brilliantly picked out Leander Dendoncker unmarked at the left-hand post from a free-kick on the right but the midfielder somehow contrived to head wide of a gaping net.

At the other end, Belotti roared down the left after Saiss had been floored downfield and cut inside to batter a shot wide, but it was Wolves who were ahead two minutes before the break.

When Daniele Baselli conceded a free-kick to the left of goal there was much oh-so-Italian hand shaking and well there might be, as Moutinho dropped in another dangerous cross that flew past Sirigu at the far post. Saiss was credited with the strike but it looked very much like a player in a granata shirt that had the final touch, with Brazilian defender Bremer the likely culprit.

Wolves must have thought they had a foot in the group stages when the home defence unaccountably froze in the 59th minute as Traore, to the right of goal, pulled the ball back for an unmarked Jota to rifle joyfully home. But Il Toro were back in it within two minutes, left wing back Ansaldi dropping in a perfect cross for opposite number Lorenzo De Silvestre, charging in, to bury an unstoppable header.

Another Hollywood pass from Moutinho almost set Jota free before Bremer recovered to block and Wolves restored their two-goal advantage in the 72nd minute with a brilliant solo effort from Jiménez, the striker slaloming effortlessly between a chasing pack of four wine red shirts before firing between Sirigu and his near post.

That should have been that but, less than two minutes from time, Belotti tumbled over the outstretched leg of Rúben Vinagre – one of those Nuno changes from the Premier League XI – as he ran away from goal and the official pointed to the spot. The big forward fired the penalty under Patricio and Belotti almost had a sensational equaliser in the first minute of added time, a long-distance effort having the Portuguese keeper scrambling across his line to desperately claw the ball wide at the foot of his left-hand post.

If Belotti and striker partner Simone Zaza are in tandem again in Wolverhampton next week, the hosts will still have work to do.

Line-ups:

Torino (3-5-2) – Sirigu; Izzo, N’koulou, Bremer; De Silvestri, Meité (OFF 64’), Baselli, Berenguer (OFF 58’), Ansaldi (OFF 70’); Zaza, Belotti.

Subs used – Lukić (58’ ON), Rincón (64’ ON), Aina (70’ ON).

Unused subs – Rosati, Bonifazi, Millico, Djidji.

Wolves (3-5-2) – Patricio; Vallejo, Coady, Boly; Traore (OFF 64’), Dendoncker, Moutinho, Saiss, Vinagre; Jimenéz (OFF 76’), Jota (OFF 69’).

Subs used – Jonny (64’ ON), Neto (69’ ON), Cutrone (76’ ON)

Unused subs – Ruddy, Bennett, Neves, Gibbs-White

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