Qatar Frustrate Lazio in Salzburg
- Simon Basten
- Jul 30, 2022
- 3 min read
Pre Season Friendly
Saturday, July 30, 2022
HCS Arena-Nonntal, Saltzburg
Lazio Qatar 0-0
Immobile's penalty strikes the post as Sarri's side are held to a goalless draw in their final pre-season test in Austria
Lazio were in the second phase of preseason training. They had been at Auronzo di Cadore from July 6-22 and in Grassau since July 26. Three days earlier they had been demolished by Genoa 4-1.
The match
Lazio failed to score against Qatar. However, the 0-0 draw at the SAK-Sportanlage Nonntal in Salzburg, which brought their German training camp in Grassau to a close, represented a performance that was clearly different from the lacklustre display against Genoa, which ended in a heavy 4-1 defeat that had left Maurizio Sarri deeply dissatisfied. This time, the defence held firm, although Felix Sánchez's team did not offer much going forward. Instead, Qatar built a genuine defensive wall that Lazio struggled in vain to break down. Sarri's side had several chances, particularly in the first half, with the best opportunity coming from Ciro Immobile's penalty, which struck the post.
Sarri made several changes to the team that had faced Genoa. Mario Gila came into the defence, a decision also made with the league opener in mind, when Nicolò Casale would be suspended. On the left flank, Adam Marusic replaced Elseid Hysaj. Pedro returned to the attack after recovering from a calf problem. Toma Basic was retained in the starting XI, while Luis Alberto began on the bench. Luis Maximiano started in goal, behind a defence of Manuel Lazzari, Gila, Alessio Romagnoli and Marusic. Sergej Milinković-Savić, Danilo Cataldi and Basic formed the midfield, with Felipe Anderson, Immobile and Pedro making up the front three.
The match immediately sprang to life and was played at a high tempo across the pitch. In the ninth minute, Immobile was unable to convert a penalty awarded after goalkeeper Yousof Hassan had fouled Felipe Anderson. His effort struck the post, marking the second penalty the Biancocelesti striker had missed during pre-season. Qatar's 5-3-2 formation forced Lazio to rely on constant passing in search of openings. In the 25th minute, the Qatari goalkeeper flew across his goal to keep out a well-struck free-kick from Milinković-Savić. Yousof then impressed again, coming off his line to deny Immobile before saving a deflected overhead kick from Pedro.
Lazio continued to increase the pressure, with the Qatar goalkeeper once again making an important save to keep out a dangerous effort from Pedro in the 33rd minute. As the minutes passed, Sánchez's side became increasingly entrenched in defence, and the teams went into half-time level at 0-0.
At the start of the second half, Sarri introduced Marcos Antônio, Luis Alberto and Mattia Zaccagni for Cataldi, Basic and Pedro respectively. Milinković-Savić came close with a touch of class, while a powerful effort from Immobile was turned behind for a corner. In the 62nd minute, Sarri made three more changes, with Stefan Radu, Hysaj and Casale replacing Marusic, Lazzari and Romagnoli. Five minutes later, Matteo Cancellieri and Luka Romero came on for Immobile and Felipe Anderson, while Dimitrije Kamenović replaced Gila in the 72nd minute.
Lazio continued to push forward, but Qatar's defence remained well organised and also closed down the flanks effectively. Milinković-Savić and Maximiano were subsequently replaced by Sofian Kiyine and Marius Adamonis. Luis Alberto almost took advantage of a misplaced pass by the opposition to shoot on goal, but his effort went over the bar. Marcos Antônio also tried his luck from distance, but Qatar's goal remained firmly locked.
Following the match in Austria, Lazio returned to Rome, with training set to resume at Formello.
Who played for Lazio
Maximiano (75' Adamonis), Lazzari (62' Radu), Gila (72' Kamenovic), Romagnoli (62' Casale), Marusic (62' Hysaj), Milinkovic-Savic (75' Kiyine), Cataldi (46' Marcos Antonio), Basic (46' Luis Alberto), Felipe Anderson (67' Romero), Immobile (67' Cancellieri), Pedro (46' Zaccagni)
Substitutes: Furlanetto, Patric, Bertini, Moro
Manager: Sarri
Who played for Qatar
Yousof, Correia (63' M. Mohammed), Tarek (46' Bassam), Boualem (73' Mohamed), Homam, Abdelkarim (73' Yusuf), Moustafa (63' Ismail), Boudiaf (46' Abdelrahman), Thaimn, Ali (73' Abdelaziz), Afif
Substitutes: H. Ahmed, A. Mohammed, Musaab, Ab. Ahmed, Jassem, Al. Ahmed, Osamah, Meshaal, Salah, Assim
Manager: Sanchez
Referee: Gruber
Sources
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