You can’t always get what you want

Simon Basten

Mar 11, 2023

3 min read

2022-23 Season

Game 26, Serie A

Saturday, March 11, 2023

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Stadio Renato Dall’Ara, Bologna

Bologna Lazio 0-0

But at least you should try sometimes. A tired Lazio are unable to be dangerous against an excellent Bologna.

The team

Maurizio Sarri left out Danilo Cataldi, who had had a few problems during the week, and confirmed the midfield that played at Napoli. Adam Marusic was suspended so in came Manuel Lazzari on the right. With Inter having lost, a win would have given Lazio second place.

The game

After an innocuous shot by Musa Barrow in the 8th minute, Lazio had their biggest chance of the match in the 15th. Luis Alberto from the edge of the box on the left made a magnificent pass to Pedro in the centre. The Spaniard stopped the ball but slipped while shooting. Wide.

The game was played at a good rhythm. Bologna played mainly at the back to then surge forward once they had beaten the Biancoceleste pressing. In the 28th minute Stefan Posch from the right crossed into the box, the ball was cleared by Lazzari, Georgios Kyriakopoulos crossed again for the completely unmarked Lewis Ferguson but his header hit the post. In the 33rd minute Nikola Moro to Barrow who shot from just inside the box on the left, Ivan Provedel saved.

Two minutes later, the usual play by Mattia Zaccagni who left behind a couple of players and passed to Luis Alberto all alone in front of Lukasz Skorupski. The excellent timing of the Bologna goalkeeper did not allow the Spaniard to do anything much apart from trying to get the ball under his legs. The attempt failed, Skorupski saved but Felipe Anderson had a difficult volley from the edge of the box on the left, the Pole saved again.

Posch had an opportunity from a corner in the 39th minute but his header was wide.

In the first minute of injury time Matias Vecino pushed Ferguson and was booked. It was his fifth booking of the season in Serie A and would therefore be suspended for the Derby. This was the third consecutive time in which the referee had surgically booked a fundamental Lazio player on the verge of suspension before the Derby. Since Fabio Maresca had ignored repeated bookable fouls by Bologna (a déjà vu, the same thing had happened in the match at the Olimpico), the decision seemed harsh.

Second half

Bologna started the second half well. Posch ran down the right wing in the 47th minute, moved towards the centre and passed the ball to Kyriakopoulos on the left just inside the box. His shot was just wide.

In the 51st minute Lazio’s last chance of the match. Sergej Milinkovic-Savic to Felipe Anderson who dribbled past a couple of Bologna defenders and gave the ball to Zaccagni in the box on the left. The Italian winger shot very wide.

Bologna could have scored in the 82nd minute. Nicolò Casale lost the ball, Joshua Zirkzee to Barrow who tried a shot from outside the box for the umpteenth time but was again unsuccessful. The ball however was just fractionally wide.

Not a good Lazio, especially up front. But with Pedro, Milinkovic-Savic and Zaccagni in poor form and Lazzari too timid, this was the maximum Lazio could do.

Who played for Bologna

Skorupski, Posch, Soumaoro, Lucumì, Cambiaso, Moro (62' Pyythiä), Schouten (62' Medel); Aebischer (80' Soriano), Ferguson, Kyriakopoulos (57' Zirkzee), Barrow

Substitutes: Bardi, Ravaglia, Sosa, Bonifazi, Lykogiannis, De Silvestri, Sansone, Arnautovic

Manager: Thiago Motta