Lazio wasted the opportunity of closing the gap on the European places, as they allowed their hosts Udinese to score an equalizer with the last kick of the match.Lazio Starting LineupThe big surprise ...
Lazio wasted the opportunity of closing the gap on the European places, as they allowed their hosts Udinese to score an equalizer with the last kick of the match.
Lazio Starting Lineup
The big surprise in the Biancocelesti lineup was the exclusion of Taty Castellanos, whose future appears further away from Rome. Tijjani Noslin replaced the Argentine, spearheading the lineup, with Mattia Zaccagni and Matteo Cancellieri on the flanks.
Despite the midfield emergency, Maurizio Sarri kept his 4-3-3 formation, fielding Reda Belahyane alongside Danilo Caltadi and Matias Vecino. The backline remained unchanged, with Addam Marusic, Mario Gila, Alessio Romagnoli, and Luca Pellegrini starting ahead of Ivan Provedel.
Lukewarm First Half
The first half was a forgettable affair, with very little to report. Noslin was the author of the first real chance of the match. After receiving a through ball from Cataldi, the Dutchman worked himself into a shooting angle, and tried his luck from long range, but his attempt whistled past the post. Nicolo Zanilo then responded with a similar attempt that went just wide.
In the final minute of added time, a sublime team play from Lazio culminated with another clever through ball from Cataldi to Noslin, who did well to break the offside trap. The striker raced towards the goal, but his shot was blocked by Thomas Kristensen, who arrived in the nick of time.
Ivan Provedel Denies Keinan Davis
The tempo hardly picked up in the second half. Cancellieri drove the ball forward from the right wing and cut to the middle, but his shot curled off target. In the 75th minute, Gila allowed Hassane Kamara to pick his pocket inside his own box, but Keinan Davis’ shot was stopped by the resolute Provedel.
Matias Vecino’s Deflected Shot Put Lazio Ahead
Five minutes later, Cancellieri set up a long-range shot for Vecino. Oumar Solet tried to block the ball, but he inadvertently wrong-footed Diego Padelli, giving the Biancocelesti a precious lead.
Isaksen’s Miss & Davis’ Equalizer
Unfortunately for Lazio, added time delivered a couple of unpleasant twists. Gustav Isaksen should have killed the game after latching on to a loose ball, but he couldn’t beat Padelli in the one-on-one attempt.
On the other end of the pitch, Davis was allowed to turn and strike a low shot into the far corner with the last kick of the match. The visitors urged the VAR to intervene, as the ball had hit Matteo Palma’s hand in the build-up, but the check ended with the goal being confirmed. Hence, Lazio ended a turbulent year in fitting fashion, dropping two precious points at the death.
Category: General Sports
