Algerian full-back Rafik Belghali scored his first goal in a Torino shirt in the 3-2 win over Monza in Serie A, before being named player of the match.
Rafik Belghali waited until matchday 8 of Serie A to break his duck in a Torino shirt. The Algerian right-back scored on Friday 23 October 2026 against Monza at the Stadio Olimpico Grande Torino, in a 3-2 win for his side.
The 24-year-old’s display was not limited to that goal: it earned him a rating of 8.1 from Sofascore and All Football, and the player of the match award handed out by Fennec News.
A strike from another planet
It was in the 61st minute that the Louvain-born, Belgium-raised player made the difference. Played in down the right by Gvidas Gineitis, he advanced to the edge of the box before unleashing a right-footed shot from outside the area, according to Football Écologie France. The goal restored Torino’s lead at 2-1, after Gustavo Varela had equalised for Monza in the 47th minute.
Nikola Vlasic then made it 3-1 in the 71st minute. Monza pulled one back through a Patterson own goal at 90+4, but could not stop Torino from winning. Belghali, for his part, left the pitch in the 84th minute, Fennec News reports.
His statistics for the evening show one goal, two shots on target and three tackles, according to Sofascore. Torino also dominated the attacking play with 17 shots to Monza’s 7, again according to the same source.
One goal, three assists
The goal is Belghali’s first of the season, after he had already provided three assists, Rotowire notes. Having joined Torino on 1 September 2026 from Hellas Verona, according to Wikipedia, the full-back has quickly established himself in the squad.
“I’m very happy to have scored my first goal,” the player told Torino’s official website, in comments relayed by Fennec News. They come after an evening rated 8.1 by Sofascore and All Football.
On the collective front, Torino have 13 points and sit 8th in Serie A after this victory, according to Africa Foot.
Algeria in his sights
An Algeria international, Belghali has 17 caps and 2 goals for the Fennecs, according to Wikipedia. The 24-year-old right-back was notably included by Vladimir Petković in Algeria’s 26-man squad for the 2026 World Cup, again according to Wikipedia.
A busy spell lies ahead for the Fennecs, with the next gathering for the 2027 AFCON qualifiers against Togo, the date of which is not specified in the sources consulted. Torino, for their part, do not yet have a confirmed date for their next Serie A match in the available information.