Action packed draw

Dag Jenkins
Apr 15, 2024
5 min read

Season 2016-17

Game 32, Serie A

Saturday, April 15, 2017

Stadio Luigi Ferraris, Genoa

Genoa-Lazio 2-2

Lazio come back twice and equalise late but are also denied three penalties

Lazio's Serie A season had started with a 4-3 away win at Atalanta followed by a 0-1 home defeat by Juventus and a 1-1 away draw at Chievo Verona. Since then Lazio had done well: winning 17 (including Genoa 3-1), drawing 5 and losing 6 (including derby 0-2). The Biancocelesti however came from a bruising 0-3 home defeat to Napoli and were currently 4th on 60 points (one ahead of Atalanta, three Milan and five Inter). Third place and a Champions League slot was out of reach and held by Napoli on 67 points.

Genoa were currently in 16th place on 29 points. A poor position but with a nine-point cushion on 18th placed Crotone. The Rossoblu had won 7 (including first 3 plus Milan 3-0 and Juventus 3-1 at home), drawn 8 and lost 16 (including both derbies, 1-2 and 0-1). Since November 27 Genoa had only won one game, 2-0 at Empoli on March 5. This explains the tampering of managers.

A difficult game to predict today. Lazio were obviously superior but came from a bad defeat while Genoa were struggling but had Juric back and were realistically not in danger of relegation so could play without excessive pressure.

The match

A slightly hazy but dry day gathered just under 20,000 spectators at the ground previously known as Marassi.

Lazio had no real absences while Genoa were missing goalkeeper Mattia Perin, defender Armando Izzo and forward Mauricio Pinilla.

The Rossoblu had a few Lazio connections in the squad: former players Santiago Gentiletti (2014-16) and Goran Pandev (2004-10) plus Danilo Cataldi who was currently on loan from Lazio. They also had Giovanni "Cholito" Simeone, the son of unforgotten Lazio Scudetto winner Diego Pablo Simeone.

After ten minutes of the two sides studying each other, Genoa took the lead. Raffaele Palladino crossed from the left and the ball went over both Stefan de Vrij and Lucas Biglia and reached Simeone who bent down slightly and headed low to Thomas Strakosha's right, 1-0. It was his first but would by no means be his last against his father's former club.

Lazio responded with Keita Balde who, despite slipping, got in a low, left-footed strike but Eugenio Lamanna stretched out and palmed it behind for a corner.

Lazio were not dominant but attacked more and Ciro immobile had a shot deflected into corner. Lazio also had two penalty appeals for fouls by Nicolas Burdisso first on Marco Parolo and then on Keita, the potential punishment on the former would also have meant a red card for the Argentine defender.

Then not much else happened until added time. In the 46th minute a powerful Felipe Anderson shot from outside the box was blocked by Miguel Veloso with his hands for a penalty. Biglia hit a powerful, central, mid-height shot which the keeper, despite diving to his right, brilliantly got his left hand to but unfortunately for him the ball came back to the Argentine who lunged forward and poked it in, 1-1 at half time.

In the second half it was still Lazio who started on the front foot. Wesley Hoedt tried his luck from a considerable distance and hit it well but Lamanna dived low to his left and parried behind for a corner.

In the 61st minute former Lazio Goran Pandev came on for Veloso.

Genoa occasionally threatened as with Palladino who wonderfully brought down a high cross, turned and shot immediately but Strakosha was well positioned on the front post.

At this point Juric was sent off for exaggerated shouts and protests.

In the 67th minute Lazio made their first substitution when they took off Felipe Anderson and put on Cristiano Lombardi. The young Roman had a huge chance almost straight away but played through by Keita on the counter attack and with only the keeper to beat he put it just wide.

More substitutions followed in the 73rd minute, one each, for Genoa Danilo Cataldi came on for Luca Rigoni while for Lazio Jordan Lukaku took Stefan Radu's place.

In the 78th minute the Grifone took the lead. On a long cross to the far post, Pandev twisted his body and headed back towards goal, surprising both de Vrij and Strakosha, 2-1. Headers were not exactly the Macedonian's speciality and he celebrated wildly, no doubt mainly against his old enemy Claudio Lotito whom he had fallen out with at Lazio (but then who hasn't…).

Inzaghi' s next move was to pull of Marco Parolo and introduce Luis Alberto.

Soon after there was another blatant trip inside the area by Laxalt on Keita but the referee ignored it. Now it was Simone Inzaghi's turn to be sent off for dissent.

Ciro Immobile then had a chance but the keeper dived at his feet and walled the ball away.

Lazio were pushing and in the 89th minute the hosts took precautions by hauling off forward Simeone and throwing on Swedish midfielder Oscar Hiljemark.

The move failed as in the 91st minute Lazio equalised. De Vrij hit a long ball forward, the defence cleared but only as far as Luis Alberto who picked it up, moved a couple metres forward and from the edge of the box drilled a surgical, low shot into the left-hand corner, 2-2.

With an exaggerated seven minutes of injury time there was still a last possibility each to steal it. For Lazio a Sergej Milinkovic-Savic header shaved the post while for Genoa Pandev had only Strakosha to beat but the Albanian pulled off a great save to deny the Macedonian getting his brace, however maybe not even Lotito deserved that. Final score 2-2.

A game Lazio could have lost but also won considering the three penalties not given and the red card to Burdisso which the first would have entailed. All in all, however it was a good point coming so late in the game and with Luis Alberto's first goal in a Lazio shirt. The "Mago" was materialising.

Lazio were still 4th on 61 points (5th placed Atalanta drew 1-1 away to Roma and 6th placed Milan drew the derby 2-2).

Genoa were 16th on 30 points. The Rossoblu kept their 9-point lead on Crotone (Torino 1-1 away).

Who played for Genoa

Lamanna, Muñoz, Burdisso, Gentiletti, Juan, Lazovic, Veloso, (61' Pandev), Ntcham, Laxalt, Rigoni (73' Cataldi), Simeone (89' Hiljemark)

Substitutes: Zima, Faccioli, Orban, Biraschi, Brivio, Morosini, Ninkovic, Pellegri

Manager: Juric

Who played for Lazio

Strakosha, Basta, de Vrij, Hoedt, Radu (73' Lukaku), Parolo (80' Luis Alberto), Biglia, Milinkovic-Savic, Felipe Anderson (67' Lombardi), Immobile, Keita