Game 25, Serie A
Saturday, February 15, 2025
Stadio Olimpico
Lazio Napoli 2-2
An unlucky Lazio draw with leaders Napoli in a game that could have gone another way
The team
Marco Baroni decided to put Pedro and go for the 4-2-3-1 line-up instead of the more conservative 4-3-3 that had given Napoli quite a number of headaches this year as they had lost both the Coppa Italia tie as well as the league match in Naples.
First half
Lazio started strongly. In the 6th minute Ivan Provedel kicked the ball towards the Napoli half, Amir Rrahmani headed it away but it was a pass to Gustav Isaksen who ran down the pitch and close to the edge of the penalty area sent a surface to air missile into the back of the net. Biancocelesti ahead.
Lazio in complete control but they threw their advantage away. Provedel instead of passing to a teammate literally gave the ball to Scott McTominay who gave it to Giacomo Raspadori, one-two with Romelu Lukaku, shot under Provedel’s legs and it was 1-1.
The Biancocelesti were in shock and took some time to recover. In the meantime they lost Taty Castellanos through injury in the 27th minute. He was replaced by Tijani Noslin. Double big blow.
Nothing much happened for the rest of the half with the exception of a Nicolò Rovella shot that Alex Meret parried into corner.
Second half
Lazio much better in the second half but it was Napoli with the first chance in the 52nd minute when Lukaku called Provedel to a save. Sixty seconds later the Biancocelesti should have gone ahead. Nuno Tavares raced down the left wing and put a low ball into the box, in came Isaksen who tried a curling shot which went high by a whisker. A splendid shot but perhaps he tried something too ambitious.
In the 61st minute Matteo Politano came in for Alessandro Buongiorno. In the 64th minute Napoli went ahead in one of the most casual goals I have ever seen. Politano crossed into the box from close to the byline, Raspadori tried some type of pass that hit Mario Gila who was on the ground. Adam Marusic found the ball on his left foot and it flicked up , wrongfooting Provedel and ending up in the net. Very, very unlucky.
The psychological blow was tremendous. Would Lazio be able to get back into the game? Baroni changed Pedro, Nuno Tavares and Isaksen, throwing in Boulaye Dia, Manuel Lazzari and Loum Tchaouna.
After a Mattia Zaccagni acrobatic goal was not given due to an off side, the Biancocelesti attacked confusingly, as they usually do in these circumstances, but in the 87th minute they managed to equalise. Dia down the right wing passed centrally to Noslin who left it to Zaccagni, ball back to Dia who with a clinical low left footer put the ball into the far corner.
Lazio tried for a winner but Napoli controlled the rest of the game. An unlucky Lazio who would have deserved the three points.
Who played for Lazio
Provedel, Marusic, Gila, Romagnoli, Nuno Tavares (82’ Lazzari), Rovella, Guendouzi, Isaksen (82’ Tchaouna), Pedro (73’ Dia), Castellanos (27’ Noslin)
Substitutes: Mandas, Furlanetto, Gigot, Dele-Bashiru, Belahyane, Provstgaard, Basic, Ibrahimovic
Manager: Baroni
Who played for Napoli
Meret, Rrahmani, Buongiorno (61' Politano), Juan Jesus, Di Lorenzo, McTominay, Lobotka, Anguissa, Mazzocchi (85' Marin), Raspadori, Lukaku
Substitutes: Contini, Scuffet, Gilmour, Okafor, Billing, Simeone, Ngonge, Hasa.
Manager: Conte
Referee: Massa
Goals: 6’ Isaksen, 13’ Raspadori, 65’ Marusic (og), 87’ Dia
Booked: Anguissa (N), Juan Jesus (N), Zaccagni (L), Rovella (L)
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