Soccer-Ilicic free kick revives Fiorentina campaign

MILAN, Jan 24 (Reuters) - Fiorentina revived their Serie A campaign on Sunday with Josip Ilicic curling in a majestic free kick to send them on the way to a 2-0 win over Torino. Fiorentina badly needed a win to stay in touch with the leaders after losing their last two games and had a huge let off early on when Davide Zappacosta headed over from close range after a miscued clearance by Gonzalo Rodriguez. The hosts also squandered chances as Davide Astori headed wide from a good position and Ilicic shot wide with only goalkeeper Salvador Ichazo to beat after winning possession. The Slovenia midfielder quickly atoned for the miss in the 24th minute when he curled an exquisite left-foot free kick into the net from the edge of the area. Fiorentina's lack of strength in depth has been a worry all season and they brought on new signings Tino Costa in midfield and Mauro Zarate in attack for their debuts in the second half. It was Rodriguez who settled the match, however, with the Argentine defender scoring from a header which went in off the crossbar following a corner in the 83rd minute. The win moved Fiorentina, who started the weekend in fourth place, onto 41 points from 21 games, three behind leaders Napoli who were away to Sampdoria in an afternoon game (1400 GMT). (Writing by Brian Homewood in Berne, editing by Alan Baldwin)