Good in attack, bad in defence

Simon Basten
Aug 2, 2022
2 min read

Season 2019-20

Pre Season Friendly

Friday, August 2, 2019

Vitality Stadium, Bournemouth

Bournemouth Lazio 3-4

Lazio won in Bournemouth playing well in attack, but not so well in defence.

The Biancocelesti had spent their usual few weeks pre-season training at Auronzo di Cadore where they had won five games scoring an impressive 44 goals. Today they were in Bournemouth for their first international test.

The match

Bournemouth started well and after just eight minutes had a chance to open the score with Jordan Ibe who on the counter attack flew towards the Lazio box in a potential three against one but instead of crossing towards the middle for his teammates he tried a shot which shaved the post. The Biancocelesti then took control and in the 14th minute scored. A Joaquin Correa-Ciro Immobile one-two in the box and the Argentinian from an impossible angle managed to make it 1-0.

The hosts did not take long to equalise. In the 20th minute Andrew Surman to Jefferson Lerma in a central position outside the penalty area, not met with much opposition, put the ball behind Thomas Strakosha with a clinical shot.

In the 22nd minute a wonderful pass from Milan Badelj for Immobile but the King could not do better than shoot at the keeper. In the 31st minute Bournemouth scored again. Ryan Fraser crossed into the box, Stefan Radu and Senad Lulic just stood and watched while Dominic Solanke had no trouble in making it 2-1.

Lazio thought they had equalised immediately with Immobile but the referee did not give the goal due to a dubious handball by Marco Parolo. In the 41st minute a beautiful ball from Parolo to Immobile who in front of the keeper tried a shot that fortuitously hit Mark Travers and landed on the crossbar.

In the 48th minute Jack Stacey inadvertently passed the ball to Luis Alberto just outside the box. A gift which the Spaniard gladly accepted. 2-2.

Six minutes later Radu crossed from the left and Parolo headed the ball into the net in almost complete solitude. Having gone ahead the Biancocelesti did not stop. In the 75th minute Parolo to Correa who produced an incredible piece of magic, literally going through two defenders to make it 4-2. Seven minutes later Ibe went down the right and once inside the box gave a splendid ball to Stacey who closed the score on 4-3.

Good training match for Lazio, though a lot more work was still needed in defence.

Who played for Bournemouth

Travers (46' Begovic), Simpson, Mepham, Butcher (77' Surridge), Stacey, Surman (65' Dobre), Lerma, Daniels (79' Jordan), Ibe, Solanke, Fraser

Substitutes: Ofoborh, Dennis, Sherring, Zemura

Manager: Howe

Who played for Lazio

Strakosha, Vavro (69’ Patric), Acerbi, Radu (69’ Wallace), Lazzari, Parolo, Badelj (77’ Cataldi), Luis Alberto (80’ Andre Anderson), Lulic (76’ Jony), Correa (76’ Adekanye), Immobile