A victory against the odds
Game 3, Group Stage, Europa League
Thursday, October 22, 2015
Stadio Olimpico, Rome
Lazio Rosenborg 3-1
Reduced to ten men after only six minutes, Lazio overcame Rosenborg 3-1 at the Olimpico to maintain their perfect home record and move clear at the top of their Europa League group.
In Serie A Lazio were fourth on 15 points together with Napoli and Sassuolo.
In Europa League however things were looking good. The Biancocelesti had drawn their first game with Dnipro and beaten Saint Etienne. Today was match three.
The match
Lazio had made a promising start against Rosenborg, but within six minutes their evening had threatened to turn into a nightmare.
Stefano Pioli's side hit the woodwork twice inside the opening five minutes, with Wesley Hoedt and Stefano Mauri both coming close. Then came a moment of madness from Mauricio.
The Brazilian defender failed to control a seemingly harmless ball, allowed Alexander Søderlund's teammate to steal it and, with the Rosenborg attacker racing clear towards goal, brought him down. The referee had little choice but to show a straight red card.
Lazio were suddenly facing 84 minutes with ten men.
Pioli immediately reacted, sacrificing Eddy Onazi for Santiago Gentiletti and reorganising his team into a more cautious 4-4-1.
Lazio dropped deeper, allowing Rosenborg to take the initiative, but the numerical disadvantage also changed the game in an unexpected way. The Norwegians were forced to attack rather than sit back, while Lazio had space in which to exploit the pace of Antonio Candreva and Felipe Anderson.
It was from precisely that approach that Lazio took the lead.
Just before the half-hour mark, Candreva found Alessandro Matri with a superb pass into space. Matri raced through and calmly beat André Hansen to put Lazio 1-0 ahead.
Rosenborg now had even more possession, but Lazio were increasingly dangerous on the counter. Etrit Berisha was forced into an important save from Søderlund before the interval, while the visitors struggled to find a way through Lazio's two compact defensive lines.
Lazio then produced one of their best moves of the evening early in the second half. Matri turned provider this time, finding Felipe Anderson, who finished to make it 2-0 in the 54th minute. Playing with ten men, Lazio were suddenly two goals ahead.
But the game was far from over.
Rosenborg reduced the deficit in the 69th minute when Søderlund rose to head the ball beyond Berisha. The goal brought back memories of Lazio's defensive problems during these opening months of the season and suddenly the visitors sensed an opportunity.
Lazio survived a spell of pressure, helped by Berisha and the woodwork, before restoring their two-goal advantage ten minutes from time.
Candreva was awarded a penalty and saw his effort saved by Hansen. The ball, however, fell straight back to him and the Lazio winger made no mistake with the rebound. The 3-1 was finally on the scoreboard.
There was still time for one final twist.
Rosenborg were awarded a penalty in stoppage time after Konko brought down Konradsen. Søderlund stepped up, but Berisha produced another excellent save to preserve Lazio's two-goal lead.
The final whistle confirmed one of Lazio's most satisfying European victories of the season. They had played almost the entire match with ten men, yet had scored three times and remained unbeaten at home.
The victory took Lazio to seven points from three Group G matches, three points clear at the top. It was also their seventh consecutive home victory in all competitions at the start of the 2015-16 season.
Who played for Lazio
Berisha, Konko, Mauricio, Hoedt, Radu, Onazi (11' Gentiletti), Cataldi, Candreva, Mauri (74' Milinkovic Savic), Felipe Anderson (69' Lulic), Matri
Manager: Pioli
Who played for Rosenborg
An. Hansen, Svensson (76' Konradsen), Bjordal, Eyjólfsson, Dorsin (61' Mikkelsen), Jensen, Selnæs (89' Vulhjàlmsson), Midtsjo, De Lanlay, Søderlund, Skjelvic
Substitutes: Al. Hansen, Reginiussen, Pedersen, Stamnestrø
Manager: Ingebrigtsen
Referee: Gil
Goals: 28' Matri, 54' Felipe Anderson, 69' Soderlund, 79' Candreva
Sources
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