The right key

Season 2025-26

Game 28, Serie A

Monday, March 9, 2026

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Stadio Olimpico, Rome

Lazio Sassuolo 2-1

Lazio in great difficulty for an hour manage to find the right key to unlock the Sassuolo defence in injury time

Official SS Lazio photo

The team

Ivan Provedel out injured for the rest of the season so Maurizio Sarri was forced to play with Edoardo Motta who had arrived in January in place of Christos Mandas. It was Motta’s first Serie A game. The rest of the first eleven was the best possible in this moment in time.

First half

Wonderful first 15 minutes from Lazio. After 90 seconds they were already ahead. Mario Gila to Gustav Isaksen on the left who went off in style, moved centrally, entered the box and tried a shot which was deflected by Jay Idzes as Arijanet Murić came out of the goal. It became a perfect pass for Daniel Maldini who dribbled past Woyo Coulibaly and scored his first goal with the Biancoceleste jersey.

Isaksen shot again in the 12th minute but it went wide. He tried a header four minutes later off a Mattia Zaccagni corner, again wide, only just.

At this point Sassuolo took control of the game. A little bit like the game against Como, Lazio were completely outplayed. But despite the long periods of possession they were hardly ever dangerous. Motta was had to make his first save in the 27th minute off a M’Bala Nzola shot. However, a splendid one-two between Armand Laurienté and Kristian Thorstvedt, allowed the Frenchman to equalise in the 35^th minute.

To make matters worse, Danilo Cataldi got injured. Sarri did not have any midfielders available to take his place with the exception of Reda Belahyane, but he surprisingly decided to put Patric as playmaker. A decision which seemed very weird at the time, but the manager was right.

Second half

In the interval Lazio were forced to substitute Alessio Romagnoli and in came Oliver Provstgaard. Sassuolo sent in former Roma Nemanja Matić for Luca Lipani.

Sassuolo continued to dominate possession as Lazio found it hard to find the right key to regain control of the match. But slowly the Biancocelesti took over and in the 78th minute they should have been ahead. Marvellous ball from Gila to Isaksen who in front of the keeper tried a lob which went over the crossbar. Massive chance wasted by the Dane.

More substitutions: Sebastian Walukiewicz, Josh Doig, Luca Moro and later Darryl Bakola for Coulibaly, Ulisses Garcia, Nzola and Ismael Koné for Sassuolo; Boulaye Dia, Pedro and Matteo Cancellieri for Maldini, Zaccagni and Isaksen for Lazio.

Sassuolo tested Motta’s reflexes in the 80th minute with a Laurienté shot that the young keeper managed to save. Kristian Thorstvedt tried a tap in but Motta was excellent in denying him the goal. Cancellieri tried with a shot from outside the box in the 83rd minute well saved by Murić.

Finally in the second minute of added time Lazio scored. Cancellieri crossed from the right, Murić was way outside his goal and Adam Marusic managed to head the ball in.

A win at last.

Who played for Lazio

Motta, Marusic, Gila, Romagnoli (46' Provstgaard), Nuno Tavares, Dele-Bashiru, Cataldi (38' Patric), Taylor, Isaksen (79' Cancellieri), Maldini (65' Dia), Zaccagni (79' Pedro)

Substitutes: Furlanetto, Giacomone, Lazzari, Pellegrini, Hysaj, Belahyane, Przyborek, Noslin, Ratkov

Manager: Sarri

Who played for Sassuolo

Muric, Coulibaly (68' Walukiewicz), Idzes, Muharemovic, Garcia (68' Doig), Koné (83' Bakola), Lipani (46' Matic), Thorstvedt, Berardi, Nzola (68' Moro), Laurienté

Substitutes: Satalino, Turati, Zacchi, Volpato, Romagna, Vranckx, Iannoni, Felipe

Manager: Grosso.

Referee: Arena

Goals: 2’ Maldini, 35' Laurienté, 90+2’ Marusic

Booked: Lipani (S), Coulibaly (S), Laurienté (S), Walukiewicz (S)