Game 23, Serie A
Thursday, February 7, 2019
Stadio Olimpico, Rome
Lazio Empoli 1-0
Despite missing Immobile and Luis Alberto, all Lazio need to win is a Caicedo penalty.
After a difficult start, with losses to Napoli and Juventus, Lazio had come back with a winning streak of four wins only to lose the derby in probably the worst game ever under Simone Inzaghi. Unable to come to terms with the bigger teams, Lazio occasionally struggled even with the smaller ones. The big players such as Luis Alberto and Sergej Milinkovic-Savic were not playing up to par and because of this Ciro Immobile was not scoring as much. At the end of the first half of the season Lazio were 4th, one point clear of Milan, but, as in the beginning of the tournament, they lost the next two games with Napoli and Juventus and struggled beating Frosinone away. Coming into this match Lazio were now fifth together with Atalanta and one point behind Milan.
The match
No Ciro Immobile nor Luis Alberto for Simone Inzaghi due to injury, so Lazio were in a bit of an emergency. It did not look like it though, since in the 3rd minute they already had a chance. A Romulo cross was cleared by Ivan Provedel only to reach Francesco Acerbi at the centre of the box. His shot however went wide. In the 7th minute Francesco Caputo had a good chance from a favourable position but Thomas Strakosha had no difficulty in saving the shot.
In the 29th minute Joaquin Correa slalomed through the Empoli defence and from the left of the penalty area tried a difficult shot. Provedel saved. Four minutes later Milinkovic-Savic headed the ball wide following a great Senad Lulic cross.
Wonderful play by Lazio in the 37th minute. Correa-Milinkovic-Savic-Correa-Caicedo-Milinkovic-Savic back to Correa all alone in front of the goalkeeper but the Lazio forward shot at the keeper.
In the 41st minute Provedel had the ball but lost control of it for a second. That second was enough for Felipe Caicedo to steal it and be fouled by the Empoli keeper. Penalty. Caicedone took it and put Lazio in the lead.
In the second half Acerbi had a great chance to make it two off a Valon Berisha free kick in the 57th minute but his header was miraculously saved by Provedel. Three minutes later Rade Krunic had an opportunity to equalise his shot went wide. In the 64th minute a great pass from Caicedo to Correa but the Argentine kicked the ball into the stands.
The last chance of the game came in the 78th minute. Free kick for Empoli from the left, Silvestre on the far post headed the ball across for any team mate ready to tap it in. But nobody got to it.
A difficult game for Lazio but a comfortable win.
Who played for Lazio
Strakosha, Bastos, Acerbi, Radu, Romulo, Milinkovic-Savic (58’ Cataldi), Leiva, Berisha (77’ Badelj), Lulic, Correa, Caicedo (84’ Neto).
Substitutes: Proto, Guerrieri, Luiz Felipe, Kalaj, Zitelli, Patric, Marusic, Jordao, Durmisi
Manager: S. Inzaghi
Who played for Empoli
Provedel, Veseli, Silvestre, Dell’Orco, Di Lorenzo, Krunic, Bennacer, Traore (69' Acquah), Pasqual (88' Mchedlidze), Farias (51' Oberlin), Caputo
Substitutes: Perucchini, Antonelli, Rasmussen, Diks, Maietta, Nikolaou, Pajac, Brighi, Ucan
Manager: Iachini
Referee: Chiffi
Goal: 42’ Caicedo (pen)
Sources
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