Pandev show
- Simon Basten
- Aug 8, 2023
- 2 min read
Pre Season Friendly
Wednesday, August 8, 2007
Stadio Flaminio, Rome
Lazio Panathinaikos 2-1
In the last match before the Champions League playoff a great performance from Pandev secures victory. Are Lazio ready?
Lazio were in preseason training at Kapfenburg in Austria, then they had quite a number of friendlies to prepare for the August Champions League qualification games against Dinamo București. They had beaten West Ham, Southampton, drawn with Stuttgart and lost against Arsenal and Atlético Madrid in the Amsterdam tournament. Today was the last big fixture.
The match
After having lost the last couple of games, in the Amsterdam tournament, even if they were against Atlético Madrid and Arsenal, Lazio were called to verify their state of fitness just five days before the Champions League playoff against Dinamo București.
The response was mixed. Tommaso Rocchi was not available so Delio Rossi put Simone Inzaghi at the centre of the attack alongside Goran Pandev. And it was the North Macedonian who opened the scoring in the 24th minute. Good cross from Luciano Zauri and Pandev headed the ball in. Prior to that Inzaghi had had a few chances plus a header well saved by Mario Galinovic, but the pace was slow on a very hot August night.
On the half hour the Greeks equalised. Dame N’Doye with a splendid free kick beat Marco Ballotta. The game got edgy and became not that friendly.
In the second half Dimitris Salpingidis was sent off in the 52nd minute for a very rough foul on Guglielmo Stendardo. In the 75th minute Lorenzo De Silvestri with a marvellous play on the right forced the keeper to save into corner. From the latter Cristian Ledesma sent a great ball into the box and Pandev volleyed it in for his brace.
How are Lazio? Some players such as Pandev, Stefano Mauri and Massimo Mutarelli seem to be in decent shape, along with Emilson Cribari and Stendardo look good too. Ledesma and Valon Behrami still have work to do. All in all, a good training match.
Who played for Lazio
Ballotta (84’ Berni), Scaloni (69’ De Silvestri), Stendardo, Cribari, Zauri (85’ Kolarov), Behrami (76’ Mudingayi), Ledesma (79’ Baronio), Mutarelli (88’ Manfredini), Mauri, Inzaghi (77’ Tare), Pandev (81’ Del Nero)
Manager: Rossi
Who played for Panathinaikos
Galinovic, Nilsson, Vintra, Goumas, Seric (17' Dimoutsos), Tziolis, Mattos, Leontiou (58' Enakarhire), Karagounis, N'Doye (46' Papadopulos), Salpingidis
Manager: Peseiro
Referee: Morganti
Goals: 24’ Pandev, 30’ N’Doye, 77’ Pandev
Sources
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