Déjà vu

Simon Basten

Aug 20, 2023

3 min read

2023-24 Season

Game 1, Serie A

Sunday, August 20, 2023

Stadio Via del Mare, Lecce

Lecce Lazio 2-1

Next Match

Two goals in two minutes give Lecce the win.

The team

Maurizio Sarri decided that Daichi Kamada was ready to start and that Patric might be in better form than Nicolò Casale who was on the bench. The only injured player was Jean-Daniel Akpa-Akpro.

First half

Lecce had already played an official match in Coppa Italia, but for Lazio it was the first game of the season. It was very hot and humid but for some unknown reason the referee decided against the cooling break.

The Biancocelesti tried to gain control of the game right from the start but Lecce were dangerous on the counter attack. In the 11th minute Hamza Rafia had the ball in the box on the right, he turned around and found Gabriel Strefezza whose shot was only just wide. A minute later Lameck Banda also had a chance but his attempt was safely saved by Ivan Provedel. The Zambian was a continuous thorn in Lazio's right side and Manuel Lazzari had to be helped out by Felipe Anderson.

In the 26th minute Lazio scored.The Biancocelesti had never really been dangerous up to that point, but Alessio Romagnoli, just before the half way line, saw the gap Luis Alberto was about to move into and passed. The Spaniard ran towards the ball and just outside the box put in a splendid assist for Ciro Immobile. The King did not fail and it’s 1-0 for Lazio. It was the sixth consecutive year that Ciro scored in the first match of the season.

Lecce switched off and Lazio controlled the game with ease. In the 44th minute Immobile to Lazzari who gallopped towards the box and once in shot. Wladimiro Falcone saved. The right back could have put the ball in the middle for Mattia Zaccagni who was in a better scoring position.

Second half

In the second half Lecce came back on with a more aggressive attitude and Lazio fell asleep. Yber Ramdani and Strefezza attempted shots that did not worry Provedel but one could see that the Biancocelesti were starting to have some physical difficulty.

However in the 54th minute Lazio should have made it two. Immobile to Felipe Anderson who found the gap and ran unmarked up to the goalkeeper. Once in the box he shot but he angled the shot too much and it went out.

That was enough for Sarri who immediately after substituted the Brazilian with Gustav Isaksen and Kamada with Matias Vecino.

Lecce continued to push but were only slightly dangerous and the prime example was Banda’s shot in the 67th minute which was safely saved by Provedel.

The Giallorossi in the 65th minute made their first substitutions. Out went Patrick Dorgu, Valentin Gendrey and Rafia, in came Antonio Gallo, Alexis Blin and Mohamed Kaba. In the 72nd minute Lazzari and Zaccagni were replaced by Luca Pellegrini and Pedro. Three minutes later Banda left the pitch and in came Federico Di Francesco.

Lazio had another incredible chance in the 82nd minute to make it two. Luis Alberto to Pedro who controlled the ball in the box and passed to Immobile who shos. Falcone managed to parry with his foot and the ball hit the crossbar. Colossal chance but great save.

Lecce then scored two goals in two minutes. In the 85th minute, Pontus Almqvist to Gallo on the left. The Italian crossed the ball back to the Swede who was outside the box but dead central. His volley beat Provedel for Lecce’s equaliser. Two minutes later Gallo pus the ball in the box again from the left, the Biancocelesti could not clear the area, Di Francesco volleyed the ball in.

Sarri substituted Danilo Cataldi with Taty Castellanos but the game was finished.

A bad defeat, very similar to that of the prevous yeat year. Were Lazio already missing Sergej Milinkovic-Savic?

Who played for Lecce

Falcone, Gendrey (65' Blin), Pongracic, Baschirotto, Dorgu (65' Gallo); Rafia (65' Kaba), Ramadani, Gonzalez (83' Burnete), Almqvist, Strefezza (76' Di Francesco), Banda

Substitutes: Brancolini, Borbei, Maleh, Helgason, Berisha, Corfitzen, Smajlovic, Voelkerling, Dermaku, Lemmens

Manager: D`Aversa

Who played for Lazio

Provedel, Lazzari (71' Pellegrini), Patric, Romagnoli, Marusic, Kamada (54' Vecino), Cataldi (88' Castellanos), Luis Alberto, Felipe Anderson (54' Isaksen), Immobile, Zaccagni (71' Pedro)