December 8, 2020: Lazio Club Brugge 2-2, Champions League
- Simon Basten
- Dec 8, 2025
- 14 min read
Suffered qualification
Lazio almost lost the match but secured qualification to the Champions League knock out phase
Season 2020-21
The season so far
The previous season Lazio had come fourth securing a Champions League qualification for the first time since 2007. At one point there were even scudetto hopes, but the outbreak of the COVID 19 pandemic and the forced stoppage took away the exceptional state of form Lazio were in, so they had to settle for fourth.
This season there were high hopes to maintain the position acquired last year and to do well in CL. In the summer transfer window new players arrived: Pepe Reina (free agent), Jean-Daniel Akpa Akpro (Salernitana), Gonzalo Escalante (free agent), Mohamed Fares (Spal), Andreas Pereira (on loan from Manchester United), Vedat Muriqi (Fenerbahçe) and the return of Wesley Hoedt on loan from Southampton. Leaving Lazio were Jordan Lukaku (loan to Antwerp), André Anderson (loan to Salernitana), Jony (loan to Osasuna), Bobby Adekanye (loan to Cadiz), Valon Berisha (Stade Reims), Riccardo Kishna and Ivan Vargic who had not renewed their contracts.
The summer was characterised by the possible arrival of David Silva, splendid Spanish midfielder who had not renewed his contract with Manchester City. The first contacts between the player's agent, his brother Nandez Jimenez, started on July 27. The first offer arrived on August 4: three-year contract, 10 billion euros gross, apartment in central Rome, use of private jet. Jimenez arrived in Rome on August 7 to fine tune the details and all was decided. David Silva would be playing for Lazio.
Slight problem. He had not signed the contract. Lazio sent the documentation and waited. The agent literally disappeared and Silva continued to train with Man City. Sporting director Igli Tare tried to reach out to the player and his entourage but to no avail. The club decided to issue an ultimatum for August 16. Still no news. On the 17th Jimenez contacted Lazio to say that the deal was off and a few hours later Silva signed for Real Sociedad.
What happened? David Silva’s agent used Lazio to get a deal with Real Sociedad. As a consequence, with the fans fuming with anger at Tare for not having closed the deal, the club got anxious and signed Muriqi paying him way too much. But Igli needed to send a sign to calm things down. A big mistake.
In Serie A things were not going too well. Lazio were sixth together with Juventus. They had won five games but suffered some bad losses against Atalanta, Sampdoria and Udinese.
In Champions League things had gone well so far. After beating Borussia Dortmund in their first game, they had then drawn away to Club Brugge, drawn and beaten Zenith Saint Petersburg, and drawn away at Dortmund where only a post denied them victory. They needed just one point to reach the knock stage in second place.
The match: Tuesday, December 8, 2020, Stadio Olimpico, Rome
For a night that was meant to mark the return of Champions League stability, Lazio instead delivered a performance that veered between control, anxiety and outright chaos. By the final whistle, the Romans had secured the point they needed — a 2–2 draw with Club Brugge — but only after surviving a stoppage-time scare that left the Stadio Olimpico holding its breath.
What should have been a routine evening became a reminder of how fragile progress can feel on Europe’s biggest stage. Twenty years had passed since Lazio last reached the knockout phase. They arrived at this decisive group match unbeaten, with home advantage and facing opponents reduced to ten men before half-time. Yet qualification was nearly snatched from their grasp.
The early stages seemed to reflect a side eager to seize control of its destiny. Lazio pressed high, moved the ball quickly and were rewarded with a 12th-minute opener. One-two Luis Alberto-Joaquín Correa, the Spaniard’s shot was parried by the keeper, but the Argentinian reacted sharply to turn in a rebound. It was precisely the sort of assertive start manager Simone Inzaghi had demanded after a campaign punctuated by injuries, absences and pandemic-related disruptions.
But if Lazio’s supporters have learned anything over recent seasons, it is that their team rarely does things the easy way. Only three minutes after Correa’s strike, uncertainty crept in. Noa Lang tried a shot, Pepe Reina fumbled and Ruud Vormer capitalised to level the score — a reminder that Brugge, despite needing a win to progress, were not intimidated by reputation or circumstance. Demonstrated also by the shot only slightly wide attempted by Charles De Ketelaere in the 19th minute.
Ciro Immobile restored the lead from the penalty spot in the 27th minute drawing and converting a foul with typical conviction. Yet even at 2–1, the Italians looked unsettled, their midfield alternating between controlled possession and careless turnovers.
When Eduard Sobol received a second yellow card in the 39th minute, the evening appeared to tilt decisively in Lazio’s favour. A man up, on home soil, with attackers capable of punishing stretched defences, Inzaghi’s side had an ideal platform to play with intelligence and maturity.
Instead, they drifted.
Passes grew slower, distances between players widened and Brugge — admirably disciplined under pressure — sensed opportunity rather than defeat. With Vormer orchestrating transitions and Hans Vanaken making lung-bursting late runs, the Belgian champions began to impose themselves despite the numerical disadvantage.
The Biancocelesti did have their chances. Correa had a big opportunity to score in the 49th minute but his shot on a Sergej Milinkovic-Savic assist shaved the post. In the 73rd Immobile missed a sitter on a counterattack orchestrated by Luis Alberto. But when a powerful Vanaken header 14 minutes from time gave the Belgians the equaliser, it felt less like a surprise and more like the logical outcome of Lazio’s retreat.
From that moment, tension dominated. The Biancocelesti no longer appeared a side protecting a lead; they looked a side protecting an idea — that this season would be the one in which they rejoined Europe’s elite.
Brugge, liberated by the simplicity of their task — score or go home — pushed forward with admirable boldness. De Ketelaere, still early in his career but already radiating confidence, nearly delivered a stunning twist. Deep into stoppage time, he latched onto a loose ball inside the area and sent a rising effort past the outstretched Reina. The crossbar, rather than any defender, came to Lazio’s rescue.
It was the kind of moment that defines Champions League group campaigns: inches from disaster, inches from triumph.
Who played for Lazio
Reina, Luiz Felipe, Hoedt (46’ Radu), Acerbi, Lazzari, Milinkovic-Savic, Leiva (75’ Escalante), Luis Alberto (75’ Akpa Akpro), Marusic, Correa (86’ Andreas Pereira), Immobile (75’ Caicedo)
Manager: Inzaghi
Who played for Club Brugge
Mignolet, Clinton Mata (84' Van Der Brempt), Kossounou, Ricca, Sobol, Vormer, Vanaken, Balanta (77' Rits), De Ketelaere, Diatta (84' Okereke), Lang (42' Deli)
Substitutes: Horvath, Mechele, Badji, Schrijvers, Bonaventura
Manager: Clement
Referee: Çakır
Goals: 12’ Correa, 15’ Vormer, 27 Immobile (pen), 76’ Vanaken
What happened next
The season was characterised by great games, on a par with the previous season, and matches where Lazio were completely absent. So often the team would make three steps forward one week and two back the week after. And these steps back were often against “weaker teams”.
Why were there problems? There were probably four reasons.
Lazio, for the first time in many many years, were in the Champions League. This sapped some of the strength out of the team.
The second problem was that the players purchased in the summer were not doing well and the much-needed reinforcements came in areas where there was no need (€20 million for Vedat Muriqi) instead of where they were desperately needed (defence).
Simone Inzaghi was making many mistakes. He chose Mohamed Fares and the return of Wesley Hoedt in the transfer window and they were just not good enough; he kept on insisting to play Joaquin Correa who was the shadow of the previous season; kept Luis Alberto on the pitch for 90 minutes on his off days and substituted him early in the second half on his good days; had problems in reading the games and therefore often blundered substitutions. The management of Thomas Strakosha was also terrible and ruined not only the player but also his relationship with the club.
The last problem was Covid. Since the outbreak of the pandemic, Lazio had lost themselves. Before Covid they were on top of their game, since, they were struggling.
In the Champions League the Biancocelesti were eliminated by Bayern Munich. In Coppa Italia they reached the quarter finals but were defeated by Atalanta.
At the end of the first half of the season they were sixth with Napoli and had four consecutive victories, including a 3-0 in the derby. The wins on the trot (including beating Atalanta in Bergamo) became six before falling to Inter. However, an unjustifiable loss at Bologna in February took them back to where they started. Another five consecutive wins allowed the Biancocelesti to fight for 4th place before being hammered 5-2 by Napoli. There was still hope after beating Milan at home for 3-0 but another black out against Fiorentina and a dismal performance against Roma were the nail in the coffin as far as a Champions League qualification went. At least Lazio qualified for the Europa League.
The player with most appearances this season was Marusic with 46 games, and the top scorer was obviously Immobile with 25 goals.
What happened in Serie A 2020-21
The 2019-20 scudetto had been won by Juventus ahead of Inter, Atalanta and Lazio. The season had been marred by the outbreak of the Covid pandemic which had forced a stop to the campionato for over three and half months.
There was a before Covid and an after. Prior to lockdown, three substitutions, spectators and a normal calendar. After, five subs, empty stadiums and a match every three days. Before the stop Juventus were top of the table with a single point lead over Lazio and six more than Inter. The Biancocelesti had been the protagonists of the season so far winning 11 consecutive games, the Supercoppa and beating both Inter and Juventus. But once Serie A returned, Lazio did not keep up and slipped behind. Too many games and reduced possibility of turnover compared to the Bianconeri who had no problem in securing their 36th title.
In the 2020 summer transfer window not a lot happened as the clubs had little time to get things organised. Juventus did however say goodbye to Maurizio Sarri and chose Andrea Pirlo as new head coach, his first real experience as manager. A surprise move. Their most important signing was Federico Chiesa from Fiorentina. Inter also changed manager and chose Antonio Conte paying him a huge salary despite the club was in dire financial trouble. Napoli made their most expensive signing by securing Victor Osimhen from Lille.
Favourites where again Juventus though one could raise doubts on whether Pirlo had the experience to guide a team that had won nine consecutive titles. It was worth following how Conte could mould Inter and whether Atalanta could be an outsider.
September
The teams that had played in the European competitions had finished the season much later than the others, so the Italian Federation had granted them an extra week before starting the new season. All games were played behind closed doors due to the Covid pandemic.
In the first matches, Roma and Juventus drew, Atalanta crushed Lazio 4-1 in Rome continuing the fine form showed at the end of the previous season.
In the second qualifying round of Europa League, Milan eliminated Shamrock Rovers winning 2-0 in Ireland. In the third they beat Bodo/Glimt 3-2 at home and qualified for the playoff round where they would play Rio Ave away.
Napoli 6, Atalanta 6, Inter 6, Milan 6, Verona 6, Sassuolo 4, Juventus 4, Bologna 3, Fiorentina 3, Lazio 3, Spezia 3, Benevento 3, Genoa 3, Cagliari 1, Roma 1, Torino 0, Udinese 0, Sampdoria 0, Parma 0, Crotone 0
October
Milan raced to first place even if Napoli, second, still had a game in hand. The Partenopei had crushed Atalanta 4-1 at home, Milan won the derby but drew at home with Roma, Lazio-Inter ended in a draw.
In Champions League Inter drew at home with Borussia Mönchengladbach and away with Shakthar Donetsk, Atalanta beat Midtjylland away and drew at home with Ajax, Lazio beat Borussia Dortmund at home and drew away with Club Brugge, Juventus won away with Dynamo Kyiv but lost at home with Barcelona.
Milan managed to qualify for the Europa League group stage after a 2-2 draw at Rio Ave with a last second penalty in extra time. The penalty shoot-out needed 12 spot kicks to determine who would go through and it was the Rossoneri who won.
Later on in the month, Roma won away to Young Boys and drew at home with CSKA Sofia, Napoli lost at home with AZ but won away with Real Sociedad, Milan won both their games with Celtic away and at home with Sparta Prague.
Milan 13, Napoli 12*, Sassuolo 11, Inter 10, Atalanta 9, Sampdoria 9, Verona 8, Roma 8, Fiorentina 7, Cagliari 7, Lazio 7, Juventus 6*, Benevento 6, Spezia 5, Torino 4, Parma 4, Genoa 4, Bologna 3, Udinese 3, Crotone 1
* one game in hand
November
Milan took a good lead as the other clubs struggled. Lazio continued to score in the dying seconds with Felipe Caicedo both with Torino, a win for the Biancocelesti, and at home with Juventus, a draw. Atalanta looked as if they had run out of steam, Lazio were not finding the form that had characterised them pre-Covid. The Genoa derby ended in a draw.
In Champions League Inter lost both games against Real Madrid and needed to win the last two games to qualify. Atalanta were thrashed at home by Liverpool 5-0 but surprisingly won at Anfield. They were on 7 points together with Ajax with Liverpool on 9. Lazio drew away with Zenit St. Petersburg and won at home and were on 8 points. Dortmund had 9 and Brugge 4. Juventus won both games against Ferencvaros and were on 9 points, three behind Barcelona. The other two were far behind.
In Europa League Roma beat CFR Cluj both at home and away and were already qualified for the knockout stage. Napoli also won both of their games against Rijeka and were leading their group. Milan lost at home with Lille and drew away and were one point behind the French.
After the preliminary rounds of Coppa Italia, Cagliari, Parma, Empoli, Spezia, Fiorentina, Torino, Spal and Genoa qualified for the round of 16 where they would meet Roma, Atalanta, Sassuolo, Inter, Milan, Juventus, Lazio and Napoli in January.
Milan 23, Inter 18, Napoli 18*, Sassuolo 18, Roma 17, Verona 15, Juventus 14*, Atalanta 14, Lazio 14, Bologna 12, Cagliari 11, Sampdoria 11, Udinese 10, Spezia 10, Benevento 10, Parma 9, Fiorentina 8, Torino 6, Genoa 5, Crotone 2
* one game in hand
December
Milan continued to lead but Inter were just a point away due to the Rossoneri drawing with Parma at home and with Genoa away. Roma were third despite losing heavily against Atalanta, Lazio beat Napoli 2-0 at home. Behind Torino were surprisingly last, also losing the derby.
In the Champions League Inter managed to win away at Borussia Mönchengladbach but did not go further than a goalless draw at home with Shakhtar Donetsk and arrived last in their group, hence European football was over for them. Atalanta drew at home with Midtjylland but won in Amsterdam qualifying second. Lazio drew both their last games and also qualified second. Juventus won their last two, including a 3-0 win in Barcelona and qualified first.
Roma qualified top in their Europa League group beating Young Boys at home but losing away to CSKA Sofia. Napoli also won their group after two draws with AZ and Real Sociedad as well as Milan who beat Celtic and Sparta Prague taking advantage of Lille losing to the Scots.
Milan 34, Inter 33, Roma 27, Sassuolo 26, Napoli 25*, Juventus 24*, Atalanta 22*, Lazio 21, Verona 20, Benevento 18, Sampdoria 17, Udinese 15*, Bologna 15, Fiorentina 14, Cagliari 14, Parma 12, Spezia 11, Genoa 10, Crotone 9, Torino 8
* one game in hand
January
Many games in January as Serie A tried to recover the late start. Juventus crept up behind the Milanese thanks also to a win against Milan away, but they lost against Inter. The Rossoneri crumbled at home against Atalanta who in turn lost at home with Lazio. The Biancocelesti crushed Roma 3-0 in the derby. Behind, Torino moved up a little.
In Coppa Italia Milan (on penalties), Inter (after extra time), Napoli, Juventus (after extra time), Spal (at Sassuolo), Atalanta, Spezia (away to Roma) and Lazio qualified for the quarter finals. Inter, Atalanta, Juventus and Napoli then qualified for the semifinals.
In the Super Coppa Juventus beat Napoli 2-0 in Reggio Emilia.
Milan 46, Inter 44, Juventus 42*, Roma 40, Napoli 37*, Lazio 37, Atalanta 36, Sassuolo 31, Verona 30, Sampdoria 26, Fiorentina 22, Benevento 22, Udinese 21, Genoa 21, Bologna 20, Spezia 18, Cagliari 15, Torino 15, Parma 13, Crotone 12
* one game in hand
February
In the 22nd fixture Inter went top after beating Lazio and Milan surprisingly losing at La Spezia. The Rossoneri could have recovered in the next game since it was the derby, but they collapsed 3-0 and the Nerozzurri raced off with a four-point lead. Torino back in safer waters.
In Champions League Lazio lost 4-1 at home against Bayern Munich in the first leg of the Round of 16 and were virtually out of the competition. Juventus lost 2-1 in Porto and Atalanta 1-0 at home with Real Madrid.
In Europa League, Roma and Milan qualified for the round of 16 eliminating Braga and Red Star Belgrade on away goals. Napoli were eliminated by Grenada 3-2 on aggregate.
The final of Coppa Italia would be between Juventus, who eliminated Inter 2-1 on aggregate, and Atalanta, who beat Napoli 3-1 on aggregate. The final would take place at Reggio Emilia in May.
Inter 56, Milan 52, Juventus 49*, Atalanta 46, Roma 44, Napoli 43*, Lazio 43, Sassuolo 35*, Verona 35, Sampdoria 30, Udinese 28, Bologna 28, Genoa 26, Fiorentina 25, Spezia 25, Benevento 25, Torino 20*, Cagliari 18, Parma 15, Crotone 12
* one game in hand
March
In the 27th fixture Inter extended their lead to +7 when they won away to Torino and Milan lost at home with Napoli. The battle for the remaining two Champions League places was wide open considering that Juventus, Napoli and Lazio still had a game in hand. The Genoa derby ended in a draw.
In Champions League Juventus, Lazio and Atalanta were eliminated by Porto (on away goals) Bayern Munich and Real Madrid. A debacle for Italian football.
In Europa League, Roma qualified for the quarter finals comfortably beating Shakhtar Donetsk 5-1 on aggregate while Milan were eliminated by Manchester United 2-1.
Inter 65*, Milan 59, Juventus 55*, Atalanta 55, Napoli 53*, Roma 50, Lazio 49*, Sassuolo 39*, Verona 38, Sampdoria 35, Bologna 34, Udinese 33, Genoa 31, Fiorentina 29, Spezia 29, Benevento 29, Torino 23*, Cagliari 22, Parma 19, Crotone 15
* one game in hand
April
Inter were virtually champion as Milan collapsed even further during the course of April, risking even their Champions League qualification. There were four teams in two points with potentially Lazio also joining since they were on 62 points with one game in hand. Behind, Benevento was sucked into the battle to avoid Serie B, and one could not really say that Fiorentina and Spezia were all that safe. But there was only one space available since both Parma and Crotone were to be considered relegated. The Turin derby ended in a draw.
Roma qualified for the semifinals of the Europa League eliminating Ajax 3-2 on aggregate. They then were disintegrated in the first leg of the semifinal 6-2 by Manchester United.
Inter 79, Atalanta 68, Milan 66, Juventus 66, Napoli 66, Lazio 62*, Roma 55, Sassuolo 52, Sampdoria 42, Verona 38, Udinese 39, Bologna 38, Genoa 36, Fiorentina 34, Spezia 33, Torino 31*, Cagliari 31, Benevento 31, Parma 20, Crotone 18
* one game in hand
May
The five May games decided who would go into champions league the following season and who would be the last team to be relegated. Inter secured the scudetto with four games to go. Lazio gradually fell back losing even the derby and had to be content with a Europa League qualification. With one game left the table read Atalanta 78 points, Milan and Napoli 76, Juventus 75. But in the last match Napoli were stopped at home by Verona, Juve won in Bologna and Atalanta were beaten at home by Milan. Therefore, it was Napoli to miss out on Champions League.
In the relegation fight it was all over with one game to go. Benevento, free falling, was unable to beat a ten-man Crotone and were relegated. Just ten points in the last 18 matches liquidated all the positive things of the first half of the season.
Roma did not make it to the final of the Europa League despite winning 3-2 against Man United. The 6-2 defeat in Manchester closed any possible door.
Juventus won the Coppa Italia beating Atalanta 2-1.
Inter, Milan, Atalanta and Juventus hence qualified for the Champions League, Napoli, Lazio and Roma for the Europa League. Empoli, Salernitana and Venezia were promoted to Serie A, Cristiano Ronaldo (Juventus) was top scorer with 29 goals.
Inter 91, Milan 79, Atalanta 78, Juventus 78, Napoli 77, Lazio 68, Roma 62, Sassuolo 62, Sampdoria 52, Verona 45, Genoa 42, Bologna 41, Fiorentina 40, Udinese 40, Spezia 39, Cagliari 37, Torino 37, Benevento 33, Crotone 23, Parma 20
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