news-engine

Burnley 0-1 Torino: Clarets end pre-season winless after falling to narrow defeat Burnley fall to narrow defeat in final pre-season friendly Burnley went down to a narrow defeat to Torino in their final friendly of the summer - leaving the Clarets without a win in pre-season. Ali Dembele’s close-range first-half strike proved to be enough to separate the two sides in this even encounter at Turf Moor, a week out from Burnley’s first competitive outing of the 2026/27 season. Nicky Hayen’s side squandered some good chances to score, with Zian Flemming side footing wide before their Italian opponents had opened the scoring. But they struggled to find a way past a stubborn and well-organised Serie A outfit, leaving them without a win in six pre-season games. There were still some good bits to reflect on, but there’s also some things that need to be worked on and tightened up before the competitive action gets underway in six days’ time - with the visit of Notts County in the first round of the Carabao Cup. Burnley made three changes to the side that performed well in midweek during the 2-2 draw against Espanyol, as Hjalmar Ekdal, Lucas Pires and Josh Laurent came into the starting XI. Oliver Sonne, Joe Worrall and Aaron Ramsey were the three to make way, as Kyle Walker moved over from centre back to right back. Injury absentees Connor Roberts and Jaydon Banel missed out again, while Florentino Luis - linked with a move away this summer - was absent for a third game running. Zeki Amdouni, Andreas Hountondji, Ashley Barnes and Armando Broja didn’t feature in Burnley’s squad either. Jordan Beyer and Josh Cullen both remain sidelined. The Clarets made a bright start to proceedings, applying instant pressure to the Torino backline - with Zian Flemming lofting a dangerous cross into the centre, only for his delivery to just miss the head of the stretching Hjalmar Ekdal. The Dutchman ought to have given the home side the lead in the fifth minute as Burnley caused Torino all sorts of early problems, pressing high up the pitch. One such occasion led to Hannibal dispossessing a Torino player deep in their own territory, allowing Jacob Bruun Larsen who instantly fed Flemming, who could only sidefoot disappointingly wide after taking a touch to create some space and a better angle. Torino had looked decidedly shaky early on, but they wasted a golden chance of their own minutes later when Giovanni Simeone - the son of Diego - was thwarted by an excellent Max Weiss save after the Argentinian had been sent through on goal. As the game settled down into a steady rhythm, Torino steadily took over and looked the more threatening side - and they subsequently took the lead in the 19th minute. Ali Dembele was the man to get it, tapping home from inside the six-yard box after the ball had been played across goal by Eybi Njie. It was a poor goal to concede from Burnley’s perspective, with Bashir Humphreys outmuscled far too easily during the build up. Subscribe now for HALF PRICE and catch every minute of our Clarets coverage this season - from pre-season to the final whistle. Click here The Clarets looked to fight their way back into proceedings but were generally kept at arm’s length by a tidy Torino outfit. While clear-cut chances were few and far between, Marcus Edwards did have a shot well blocked following a cleverly-worked short corner routine. Kyle Walker then met Hannibal’s deep corner and headed past the goalkeeper and towards goal, but a Torino defender was there to clear off the line - although in truth, the header never looked to have enough power on it. The experienced defender was then forced to immediately sprint back and deny Alessio Cacciamani as Torino broke at speed, but Walker did well to make an important last-ditch block. As quiet as Torino had been in an attacking sense since the goal, they came close to a second on the stroke of half time when Simeone flashed a shot narrowly over following some lovely interchange in the final third. Unusually for a friendly, Burnley made no changes at the interval, although Torino switched three of their players from the first half. The second half began just as the first ended, with Simeone coming close again - although this time Weiss came to Burnley’s aid with his second big save of the game. The stopper stood tall to save with his legs after the visitors had forced their way into a dangerous position far too easily once again. The start to the second period was otherwise a fairly sanguine affair, aside from referee Bobby Madley having to hold Hannibal back after the midfielder had lost his cool with Torino defender Pietro Comuzzo, following a blatant push in the back on the Burnley man. The Clarets threatened for the first time in the half in the 57th minute as Edwards delivered an excellent cross in from the left which Flemming headed down into the turf and up and over the Torino bar. We had to wait until the 67th minute for Burnley’s first changes of the game, as Oliver Sonne, Aaron Ramsey and Mike Tresor all entered the fray. Joe Worrall, Shurandy Sambo and Lyle Foster followed shortly afterwards. Flemming was handed another headed opportunity from another Edwards cross, but on this occasion he was unable to get enough power on his effort and it was a comfortable save for the goalkeeper. While Torino were now offering little in the way of a goalward threat, they came close to bagging a second on the break as Zak Aboukhlal dragged a shot wide after surging in behind. Cesare Casadei then flashed a shot inches wide of the upright, with an effort that looked destined to hit the back of the Burnley net. The more Burnley pushed forward to grab a late equaliser, the more dangerous Torino looked on the break as Casadei forced Weiss into another solid, albeit comfortable save. The hosts almost levelled matters four minutes from time when Sonne, playing at left back, was denied by a smart save at the near post after being picked out by Sambo’s deep cross. The full-back then arrowed a shot well over with Burnley’s final chance of the game, as they went down to a narrow defeat in their final friendly of the summer - with the real stuff getting underway next weekend. TEAMS Burnley: Weiss, Walker (Sambo), Ekdal (Worrall), Humphreys, Pires (Sonne), Raghouber (Brierley), Laurent (Ramsey), Hannibal (Clark), M. Edwards (Castell), Bruun Larsen (Tresor), Flemming (Foster) Subs: C. Edwards, Cooney, Torino: Paleari, Coco, Comuzzo, Comert, Dembele, Gineitis, Luongo, Cacciamani, Vlasic, Njie, Simeone