Game 12, Serie A
Sunday, November 24, 2024
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Stadio Olimpico, Rome
Lazio Bologna 3-0
Lazio score three in the second half against Bologna reduced to ten men
The team
Back from the international break and Lazio were forced to leave out Nuno Tavares. Fortunately, despite the Senegalese Federation having announced he had malaria, Boulaye Dia was OK and sat on the bench. Pedro was also fit despite having had intestinal flu during the week.
First half
There is very little to say about the first 45 minutes. Lazio tried attacking but their passing was not all that great and more often than not the Bologna defence easily interrupted any Biancoceleste initiatives. Bologna on the other hand did even less. It’s not that the teams did not try, but they just cancelled each other out.
The first sign of movement came in the 13th minute when Taty Castellanos from just over the half way line, seeing that Federico Ravaglia was a little too far forward, tried to surprise him with a shot. Good idea, bad execution. In the 21st minute Manuel Lazzari on the right put in an interesting low cross, Castellanos tried a back heel shot but to no effect.
Bologna did try a couple of times to get Ivan Provedel to do some work but both Riccardo Orsolini in the 19th minute and Santiago Castro in the 28th sent their shots off target. In the 33rd minute Matias Vecino to Castellanos in the Lazio half, one-two between them, Taty advanced, saw Matteo Guendouzi running towards the Bologna box, ball to the Frenchman who had an empty freeway in front of him. Unfortunately, his second control of the ball was not good and the opportunity fizzled out.
The game changer came in the 34th minute. In the Lazio penalty area Provedel passed to Guendouzi who had Tommaso Pobega behind him. It was a dangerous pass but the Frenchman managed to avoid trouble kicking the ball to Mario Gila on the right. As he did so, Pobega made a desperate attempt to get to the ball but fouled the Lazio midfielder. Inevitable yellow card. But Pobega had already been booked in the 23rd minute. As a consequence, Bologna were down to ten men.
This, in theory, should have made things easier for the Biancocelesti but instead it became a problem as the Rossoblu set up a wall in front of the keeper and Lazio had trouble building something that could effectively break it down. In the final seconds of the first half, Guendouzi to Vecino in the box on the right, the Uruguayan managed to turn around and pass centrally, Castellanos tried another back heel, Luca Pellegrini was anticipated at the last possible second by Orsolini.
Second half
A few changes in the interval. Vincenzo Italiano took out Orsolini and Jesper Karlsson, in came Nikola Moro and Kacper Urbanski. Alessio Romagnoli took a knock on the ankle during the first half so out he went and in came Samuel Gigot.
The Biancocelesti continued where they left off. In the 56th minute a massive chance. Gigot started the play, ball to Pellegrini on the left who passed to Mattia Zaccagni. The Lazio skipper saw what Vecino was about to do and ball to him in the box. The Uruguayan turned around and crossed, Ravaglia was in no man’s land, Castellanos tried a header with an open goal, but it went wide. Taty should have scored this one.
Baroni at this point changed the team. In came Dia and Gustav Isaksen, out went Vecino and Pedro. The Biancocelesti back to the 4-2-3-1 formation. Dia scored almost immediately but it was ruled offside. In the 68th minute Zaccagni took a corner, Castro tried to clear, ball towards the far post, in came Gigot who dived and headed in and Lazio went ahead. First goal for Lazio for the French giant.
In the 72nd minute Pellegrini ran down the left and passed to Zaccagni who moved centrally and once inside the box let go a clinical shot that beat Ravaglia. Lazio one-two, Bologna knocked out.
The game was over. Baroni sent in Loum Tchaouna and Fisayo Dele-Bashiru for Zaccagni and Castellanos, Bologna threw in Giovanni Fabbian, Thijs Dallinga and Emil Holm for Remo Freuler, Jens Odgaard and Castro.
In injury time there was a free kick for Bologna in the Lazio half on the left. Moro crossed into the box, Gigot cleared, Tchaouna made a long pass to Lazzari on the left, ball to Isaksen in the middle who tried to dribble past the Bologna keeper but was fouled. Everybody stopped, waiting for the referee to indicate the penalty spot, particularly Urbanski who however did not notice that Dele-Bashiru had followed the entire move and was behind him. The Lazio midfielder took advantage of the pause and slotted the ball in for his first goal in Serie A.
Good win for the Biancocelesti. Patience was needed and patience is what got them the three points.
Who played for Lazio
Provedel, Lazzari, Gila, Romagnoli (46' Gigot), Pellegrini, Vecino (60' Dia), Rovella, Guendouzi, Pedro (60' Isaksen), Castellanos (85' Dele-Bashiru), Zaccagni (74' Tchaouna)
Substitutes: Mandas, Furlanetto, Patric, Noslin, Marusic
Manager: Baroni
Who played for Bologna
Ravaglia, De Silvestri, Beukema, Lucumì, Miranda, Freuler (74' Fabbian), Pobega; Orsolini (46' Urbanski), Odgaard (74' Dallinga), Karlsson (46' Moro), Castro (81' Holm)
Substitutes: Bagnolini, Pessina, Posch, Erlic, Iling-Junior, Corazza, Ferguson, Lykogiannis, Dominguez
Manager: Italiano
Referee: Rapuano
Goals: 68’ Gigot, 72’ Zaccagni, 90+3’ Dele-Bashiru
Booked: Pobega (B), Gigot (L), Tchaouna (L), Holm (B), Pellegrini (L)
Red card (double yellow): Pobega (B)
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