Decent point but complicates direct CL

Dag Jenkins
May 3, 2024
3 min read

Season 2014-15

Game 34, Serie A

Sunday, May 3, 2015

Stadio Atleti Azzurri d'Italia, Bergamo

Atalanta-Lazio 1-1

Lazio snatch point with Parolo but are overtaken by Roma for second place

The Biancocelesti were in 2nd place on 62 points (2nd straight into CL, the 3rd to preliminary). A week earlier Lazio had defeated Parma 4-0 at home.

Atalanta were currently 17th, on 32 points (+8 on Cagliari on last relegation slot) and virtually safe. Since Reja took over they had won 1, drawn 6 (including Roma and Napoli both 1-1 away and recent 2-2 at Cesena) and lost 1.

Not an easy game today for Lazio. The Nerazzurri were in decent form (unbeaten in four) and it was always tough in Bergamo.

The match

An overcast but dry day in Bergamo and a classic Sunday 3 p.m kick off brought just under 15,000 spectators to the stadium originally called the Mario Brumana.

Lazio were without defender Stefan de Vrij, midfielders Lucas Biglia and forward Miro Klose while Cristian Ledesma was on the bench but not fully match fit.

Atalanta were missing defenders Yohan Benalouane and Guglielmo Stendardo, midfielder Daniele Baselli and forward Germán Denis.

Lazio started with confidence and hit a post with a Keita Balde curling shot but Atalanta soon took control of the proceedings. Edy Reja, who had been at Lazio until recently, knew his former players inside out and tactically set the hosts up well to confront the Romans. One tactic was to man-mark Stefano Mauri with Giulio Migliaccio and another was to block the wings.

Atalanta played fast, one-touch football and Lazio were in difficulty. It was Federico Marchetti who helped Lazio survive with at least three excellent saves, on Migliaccio, Giuseppe Biava and Papu Gomez.

Lazio had problems constructing moves without Biglia and Ledesma in midfield and de Vrij at the back. The Biancocelesti played with long balls, easy pray for the Atalanta defence. Half time: Atalanta 0 Lazio 0 but the Bergamaschi were well on top.

The hosts' superiority was rewarded soon after the break. In the 48th minute Gomez hit the post with a powerful shot and then Lazio conceded a corner. Gomez took it and Biava outjumped a hesitant Mauricio and headed in, 1-0. The classic "gol dell'ex" (goal by a former player).

At this point Lazio finally stirred and began to play better. Felipe Anderson woke up and put Keita in front of Marco Sportiello but the Spanish-Senegalese wasted the chance as he did with a header some minutes later.

In the 64th minute came the first change as striker Filip Djordjevic came on for midfielder Mauri.

After five minutes of reflection came a flurry of substitutions. In the 69th minute Atalanta made two and Lazio one: Davide Zappacosta and Rolando Bianchi for Marco D'Alessandro and Mauricio Pinilla plus Edson Braafheid for Stefan Radu for Lazio. A more defensive move by Atalanta while Lazio needed fresh legs.

Atalanta tired after their energetic first half performance and Lazio gained ground. In the 76th minute they decided to reinforce their aerial power and brought on Brayan Perea (1.89 metres) for Keita.

In the 78th minute Lazio won a corner. Danilo Cataldi took it and Marco Parolo placed a brilliant half bicycle kick past Sportiello, 1-1.

Atalanta then tried to remedy by bringing on forward Maximiliano Moralez for injured midfielder Luca Cigarini. The Bergamaschi however had little left to give.

It was Lazio who looked more likely to score but Biava defended well on Djordjevic and his defence resisted the Biancocelesti's last aerial attacks. Final score: Atalanta 1 Lazio 1.

A fair result in the end. The Dea had won it tactically for at least an hour but then ran out of energy and Lazio had fought back to deserve a point.

A point probably more useful to Atalanta than Lazio but seeing as the game had gone the Romans could accept it without too many regrets.

Lazio now slipped down to 3rd place, overtaken by Roma who had beaten Genoa 2-0 at home. The table read; Juventus 79, Roma 64 , Lazio 63, Napoli 59, for three CL places. With three games to go it would almost certainly go down to the wire.

Atalanta were still 17th, on 33 points but now only +6 on Cagliari who had crushed Parma 4-0 at home. With only four games to go however the Dea could still be relatively relaxed.

Who played for Atalanta

Sportiello, Bellini, Biava, Masiello, Del Grosso, Cigarini (79' Moralez), Migliaccio, Carmona, D'Alessandro (69' Zappacosta), Pinilla (69' Bianchi), Gomez

Substitutes: Avramov, Frezzolini, Cherubin, Dramé, Scaloni, Emanuelson, Grassi, Boakye, Rossetti

Manager: Reja

Who played for Lazio

Marchetti, Basta, Mauricio, Ciani, Radu (69' Braafheid), Cataldi, Parolo, Candreva, Mauri (64' Djordjevic), F.Anderson, Keita (76' Perea)