Basic Instinct

Season 2025-26

Game 8, Serie A

Sunday, October 26, 2025

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Stadio Olimpico, Rome

Lazio Juventus 1-0

A goal from Toma Basic and a great defensive display allow Lazio to overcome difficulties and Juventus

Official SS Lazio photo

The team

The injury of the week was Nuno Tavares and with Luca Pellegrini not 100%, Maurizio Sarri decided to put Manuel Lazzari as right back and Adam Marusic on the left. Not much choice for the rest of the team also considering Matteo Cancellieri’s injury at Bergamo last week. Gustav Isaksen started for the first time this season.

Official SS Lazio photo

First half

In the first minutes there was a good intensity with both teams trying to figure out what to do to win the game. Then Lazio scored. In the 9th minute Mattia Perin cleared, Jonathan David, for unknown reasons, headed the ball to Danilo Cataldi who saw Toma Basic getting ready for the shot. Assist to him, big whack, deflection by Federico Gatti, Lazio 1 Juve 0. A well-deserved goal for the Croatian who despite being out of the squad had always given 100% in training.

This changed the game plan. The Biancocelesti defended low and organised, Juventus attacked, slowly and confusedlly. Not a lot happened in the remaining minutes. Andrea Cambiaso had a chance with a volley off a Francisco Conceição cross in the 21st minute which went wide. Lazio could have made it two in the 32nd. Manuel Locatelli in clearing the box passed the ball to Matteo Guendouzi who tried a shot that was saved in the proximity of the line by Gatti. In the 34th minute on a counterattack Cambiaso to David who in front of Ivan Provedel tried to chip him but the Lazio keeper was too close and he managed to parry into corner. Five minutes later another Conceição cross from the right found Dusan Vlahovic but his volley was weak and Provedel saved.

Second half

Igor Tudor made a substitution in the interval putting in Kenan Yildiz in place of Cambiaso. In the 54th minute Pellegrini took Lazzari’s place and Marusic switched wings.

Then there was the four-minute folly of referee Colombo. In the 56th minute Weston McKenny, just booked, blatantly fouled Guendouzi as he was running towards the penalty area on the right. A push from behind which should have translated into a second booking. The ref gestured to play on to the incredulity of the Biancocelesti. In the 60th Mario Gila in his own area passed to Cataldi just outside. It was a bad ball and intercepted, David in the centre of the box to Conceição who, slightly touched on the heel by Gila, collapsed to the ground. Penalty? We have seen worse and in all fairness, it should have been given but Colombo decided not to decide. A double mistake, two wrongs do not make a right.

In the 65th minute Boulaye Dia had a chance but his shot was saved by Perin. More substitutions: Matias Vecino for Basic, Filip Kostic and Képhren Thuram for David and Teun Koopmeiners.

In the 72nd minute great lobbed pass from Perre Kalulu to Yildiz in the box but he arrived a fraction of a second late and could not get a decent contact with the ball, Provedel saved. In the 75th minute Thuram with a header went close to scoring but again the Lazio keeper parried.

After Lois Openda substituted McKennie, in the 79th minute Isaksen went off on the right and once in the box tried a shot which missed the target by a matter of centimetres.

Tijani Noslin and Pedro came in for Dia and the Dane, and it was the Spanish champion who had the possibility to score in the 83rd minute but his shot was only slightly too high. Juventus’ final forcing, with Joao Mario in place of Gatti, produced little, and Lazio brought home the three points.

A gutsy performance by the Biancocelesti, perhaps not so effective on the counter attack in the first half, but much better in the second. Also to note was the exceptional defensive organisation. Disastrous referee, which however seems to be a constant in these first couple of months in Serie A.

Who played for Lazio

Provedel, Lazzari (54' Pellegrini), Gila, Romagnoli, Marusic, Guendouzi, Cataldi, Basic (68' Vecino), Isaksen (83' Pedro), Dia (82' Noslin), Zaccagni

Substitutes: Mandas, Furlanetto, Patric, Belahyane, Hysaj, Provstgaard

Manager: Sarri

Who played for Juventus

Perin, Kalulu, Gatti (86' Joao Mario), Kelly, Conceicao, McKennie (78' Openda), Locatelli, Koopmeiners (66' Thuram), Cambiaso (46' Yildiz), David (66' Kostic), Vlahovic

Substitutes: Di Gregorio, Fuscaldo, Zhegrova, Adzic, Miretti, Rugani, Pedro Felipe. A

Manager: Tudor

Referee: Colombo

Goal: 9’ Basic

Booked: Koopmeiners (J), Lazzari (L), Locatelli (J), McKennie (J), Kelly (J), Guendouzi (L)