Strikers on target on Bay of Mecklenburg

Dag Jenkins
Jul 27, 2024
3 min read

Season 2024-25

Pre Season Friendly

Saturday, July 27, 2024

Ostseestadion, Rostock

Hansa Rostock-Lazio 0-3

Three goals by their forwards give Lazio comfortable win

Today was Lazio's 4th pre-season friendly; Auronzo 23-0, Trapani 3-1 and Triestina 1-1.

Hansa Rostock, founded in 1965, are from Rostock, a town of about 200,000 inhabitants in former East Germany. The town itself is situated on the River Warnow and spreads for about twenty kilometres up to the Baltic Sea (it is hence an important port).

Prior to unification they won one league title (1990-91) and one domestic cup (1990-91). They have since spent ten seasons in the Bundesliga 1 but not since 2007-08. Their best position was 6th twice, in 1996 and 1998. Their most famous player is possibly René Scneider who won the European Championship with Germany in 1996.

The "Hanseaten" were currently in 3. Liga. In the previous season they had finished 17th in Bundesliga 2 and were relegated.

On a curious note Hansa Rostock, according to a survey, are surprisingly the 4th most supported club in Germany with a fan-base of 3.8 million (after Bayern Munich, Borussia Dortmund and Schalke 04).

Lazio were obviously favourites today but the Germans would no doubt be fitter and sharper.

The match

The game was played at 3 p.m in front of a good sized crowd. There were few empty seats in the 29,000 capacity ground built in 1954 but last renovated in 2001. The venue was named Ostsee, literally the Baltic Sea.

Lazio were missing defenders Alessio Romagnoli and Mario Gila, midfielder Gaetano Castrovilli and forward Tijjani Noslin but fielded a strong line-up.

The hosts started strongly and were aggressive for at least 30 minutes. They were more physical than technical however and despite their energetic approach they created no real threats to Ivan Provedel. The only problems were self inflicted by the Romans and due to imprecisions while trying to play the ball out from the back.

Lazio absorbed the pressure and then struck just before halftime. In the 44th minute Matias Vecino fed Mattéo Guendouzi on the left wing , the Frenchman crossed to the far post where Taty Castellanos headed back across goal where Mattia Zaccagni bent low and nodded in from close range, 0-1.

For the second half Lazio took off Provedel, Adam Marusic and Vecino and brought on Christos Mandas, Luca Pellegrini and Danilo Cataldi.

Lazio doubled their lead soon after the break. In the 50th minute Nicolò Rovella sent a long ball forward to Gustav Isaksen on the right, the Dane passed to Guendouzi who put the ball into the box where Castellanos turned the ball low into the corner of the net, 0-2.

The Germans, having played their main cards in the first half were unable to cause Lazio too many problems. In the 56th minute the Hansa changed three players; off went Nils Fröling, Kevin Schumacher and Adrien Lebeau and on came Dario Gebuhr, David Kinsombi and Sveinn Aron Guđjohnsen.

Lazio controlled the game and five minutes later replaced Isaksen with Frenchman Loum Tchaouna and Zaccagni with Pedro. In the 68th minute the Biancocelesti also made changes in midfield and took off Guendouzi for Fisayo Dele-Bashiru and Rovella for Daniel Akpa Akpro.

Three minutes later, in the 71st, Lazio made it three. It was a good one-touch move involving Patric, Dele-Bashiru, a Tchaouna-Castellanos one-two and finished off by the French U-21 midfielder, 0-3. A quality move and what Baroni was looking for, fast and vertical one touch football.

More substitutions followed; three for the "Ostseestädter" and one for Lazio as in the 79th minute Matteo Cancellieri replaced Castellanos.

The game had said what it had to say but there was still time for young Greek keeper Mandas to make a good save on Alexander Rossipal. Final score 0-3.

A good training game albeit against a 3rd tier team. Lazio were showing signs of improvement and three goals by the forwards was always a good sign. Baroni's style of play was more vertical than the players had been used to but it seemed to be starting to take shape.

Lazio would now continue their preparation with games against Frosinone, Southampton and Cadiz.

For Rostock it was already time to start their league campaign.

Who played for Hansa Rostock

Uphoff, Rossbach, Neidhart, Harenbrock (74' Schuster), Fröling (56' Gebuhr), Schumacher (56' Kinsombi), Lebeau (56' Gudjohnsen), Gürleyen, Rossipal, Pfanne (74' Dietze), Krohn (81' Dirkner)

Substitutes: Hagemoser, Lang, Koster, Wagner, Zamzow

Manager: Hollerbach

Who played for Lazio

Provedel (46' Mandas), Lazzari, Casale, Patric, Marusic (46' Pellegrini), Vecino (46' Cataldi), Rovella (68' Akpa Akpro), Guendouzi (68' Dele-Bashiru), Isaksen (61' Tchaouna), Castellanos (79' Cancellieri), Zaccagni (61' Pedro)