Will Lazio ever learn from their mistakes?
Updated: 3 days ago
Game 17, Serie A
Sunday, January 8, 2023
Rome, Stadio Olimpico
Lazio Empoli 2-2
Lazio throw away a victory against Empoli and continue to make the same mistakes over and over
The match
Maurizio Sarri changedtwo players compared to the dismal performance at Lecce and in came both Luis Alberto and Felipe Anderson in place of Toma Basic and Pedro.
And the two immediately had a massive impact on the game. In the 2nd minute, a Luis Alberto corner was headed first by Felipe Anderson and then by Francesco Caputo and ended up in the back of the net. 1-0 for Lazio.
In the first 20 minutes Lazio were very aggressive and Empoli had difficulty in getting over their half way line. In the 9th minute Ciro Immobile had a chance in the penalty box but his shot was too high.
In the 19th minute Lazio almost made it 2-0. Felipe Anderson on the counter attack on the right, once he was near the penalty box, ball to the other side for Mattia Zaccagni. The Lazio forward’s shot was just wide.
And that iswas it for the first half apart from a possible penalty on Immobile ignored by the ref in the 34th minute. Lazio then reduced speed and aggressiveness and let Empoli come forward. The Tuscans however did very little and Lazio were in complete control, though with less quality than in the first 20 minutes, and basically no important chances were created.
Manuel Lazzari was booked towards the end of the first half and would miss the next game.
Second half
Lazio put their foot on the accelerator in the second half and pressed like mad to try to get a second goal which they did in the 54th minute. Felipe Anderson on the right attempted a shot just inside the box, there was a deflection and the ball reached Zaccagni on the left. Great control and chip over the Empoli goalkeeper. 2-0 for Lazio.
Empoli substituted two players in 56th minute. In came Nicolò Cambiaghi and Filippo Bandinelli, out went Tommaso Baldanzi and Alberto Grassi. Lazio seemed to be content with the result and slowed down, allowing Empoli to come forward, just like what happened in the first half.
Empoli had their first real chance of the game in the 60th minute. Jacopo Fazzini crossed in from the right, Caputo was exactly between Nicolò Casale and Alessio Romagnoli but his header was wide. A minute later Pedro came in for Zaccagni. Big mistake. One could see immediately that the Spaniard was in physical difficulty and this made Empoli more dangerous on his side.
In the 63rd minute Sergej Milinkovic-Savic got the ball in the Empoli half and shot from 30 metres, Guglielmo Vicario managed to get a hand to the ball and pushed it onto the post.
Five more substitutions. Marko Pjaca, Tyronne Ebuehi and Nedim Bajrami for Martin Satriano, Petar Stojanovic and Fazzini for Empoli, Eliseid Hysaj and Mattias Vecino for Lazzari and Danilo Cataldi for the Biancocelesti.
In the 82nd minute, Bandinelli, who was booked earlier in the second half, commited another bookable offence but the ref was lenient.
In the 84th minute Empoli reduced the deficit. Immobile received the ball in the Empoli box off a corner but lost it. Quick counterattack by the Tuscans with Bajrami who lobbed the ball over the limited Lazio defence for Cambiaghi who all alone ran along the right wing and once in Lazio’s half saw Caputo unmarked in the centre. Ball to the new Empoli forward who scored. Game open.
In the 86th minute Basic substituted Luis Alberto. Empoli put even more pressure on the Lazio defence who were pushed back. In the second minute of injury time, Vecino was booked and Empoli were awarded a free kick, despite the fact that there was no foul. The free kick generated a corner which was quickly taken. Bajrami dribbled past Pedro with ease and sent the ball in the centre. Felipe Anderson cleared but Razvan Marin from outside the box had a comfortable shot which he slotted behind Ivan Provedel.
Lazio throw away a certain victory. Will we ever learn from our mistakes? Mind you, if the ref had sent Bandinelli off, things may have been different.
Who played for Lazio
Provedel; Lazzari (70' Hysaj), Casale, Romagnoli, Marusic; Milinkovic-Savic, Cataldi (70' Vecino), Luis Alberto (87' Basic); Felipe Anderson, Immobile, Zaccagni (60' Pedro)
Substitutes: Maximiano, Adamonis, Patric, Marcos Antonio, Cancellieri, Romero, Radu, Bertini
Manager: Sarri
Who played for Empoli
Vicario; Stojanovic (68' Ebuehi), Ismaili, Luperto, Parisi; Grassi (56' Bandinelli), Marin, Fazzini (76' Bajrami); Baldanzi (56' Cambiaghi); Caputo, Satriano (68' Pjaca)
Substitutes: Perisan, Ujkani, Cacace, Walukiewicz, De Winter, Henderson, Ekong, Degli Innocenti, Guarino
Manager: Zanetti
Referee: Pezzuto
Goals: 2’ Felipe Anderson, 54’ Zaccagni, 83’ Caputo, 94’ Marin
Bookings: Lazzari, Romagnoli, Pedro, Bandinelli, Vecino
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