2022-23 Season
Europa League Group Stage
Group F, Game 2
September 15, 2022
Herning, Arena Herning
Midtjylland Lazio 5-1
Awful, awful, awful, awful, awful
The teams
Maurizio Sarri on the one hand decided for a little more turnover and on the other was also forced by injuries to change things a bit in the starting line-up for this second Europa League game. Midtjylland needed to win to keep up their hopes of going through to the next round since they had lost their first match.
Lazio absent
Last year Lazio had several blackouts – matches where nothing worked, where even the most basic things became impossible and where the opposition created problems far too easily. It had not happened so far this season so one would have thought and hoped the problem had been resolved. This game however showed it is still very much there.
Lazio begin the game at a slow pace thinking it would not take too much to beat the struggling Danish team. This is exactly what Midtjylland want. One could see a mile off that the Danes would be dangerous on the counter attack. Lazio were just too slow.
In the 27th minute Gustav Isaksen enters the penalty box and faces Danilo Cataldi, dribbles past him and shoots, the ball hits the crossbar and bounces back into play where Anders Dreyer picks it up and crosses in to Evander who passes it to Paulinho. The Brazilian is given far too much space by his marker Mario Gila, so has the time to turn and score.
Three minutes later Midtjylland make it two. Dreyer passes the ball to Isaksen in the penalty box but he is too far forward. Gila slips, the ball reaches Kaba who has no difficulty in scoring.
In the 33rd minute corner for the Danes. Henrik Dalsgaard gets a header in but Ivan Provedel saves. Four minutes later Lazio finally have a goal scoring chance. Matias Vecino just outside the penalty box, dead centre, has the chance to shoot but instead he passes it to the right for Pedro whose shot is well saved by Jonas Lossi.
From bad to worse
In the 49th minute Luis Alberto takes a corner. The ball hits the base of the post and the Midtjylland defence pick up the ball and start a counter attack. Isaksen beats both Stefan Radu and Cataldi and charges into the penalty box from the right. Cataldi tugs his jersey, Isaksen collapses to the ground as if hit by a meteorite and it’s a penalty.
My dear Danilo... Has past experience not told you never, never, never, grab your opponent’s jersey in the penalty box in European games? If you do, it will always be a penalty. Ask Lucas Leiva (against Cluj in 2019) and Patric (against Bruges in 2020) for details.
Evander makes it 3-0.
Two minutes later Sarri decides it’s time for some changes. Out go Radu, Vecino and Pedro and in come Adam Marusic, Sergej Milinkovic-Savic, and Matteo Cancellieri.
Lazio wake up and score. In the 57th minute Ciro Immobile passes the ball to Milinkovic-Savic outside the penalty box but in a central position. The Serb shoots, Lossi misjudges it and the ball goes in.
Is a Lazio comeback possible? Marusic makes sure it does not happen. In the 67th minute Isaksen, who else, enters the penalty box and Adam trips him up. Another penalty. Evander’s shot is saved but Isaksen taps in the rebound.
At this point in comes Marco Antonio and out goes Cataldi who struggled right from the start and should have been substituted a lot earlier. But in the 72nd minute it's 5-1. Cross from the right that travels across the entire penalty box and while all the Lazio defence are busy looking at the stars, Erik Sviatchenko scores.
Sarri gives Immobile twenty minutes rest and in comes Luka Romero in the 76th minute.
At the end of the game Lazio have a couple of chances but first Cancellieri’s attempt is deflected into a corner and later a Felipe Anderson shot goes wide.
Better forget this game ever took place.
Who played for Midtjylland
Lossl, Thychosen, Sviatchenko, Dalsgaard, Paulinho, Olsson, Martinez (62' Charles), Evander, Isaksen (76' Chilufya), Kaba (87' Byskov), Dreyer (62' Sisto).
Substitutes: Olafsson, Ugboh, Gartenmann, J. Andersson, Kouakou, A. Hansen, Sorensen, Juninho.
Manager: Capellas.
Who played for Lazio
Provedel, Hysaj, Gila, Romagnoli, Radu (53' Marusic), Vecino (53' Milinkovic-Savic), Cataldi (69' Marcos Antonio), Luis Alberto, Felipe Anderson, Immobile (76' Romero), Pedro (52' Cancellieri).
Substitutes: Maximiano, Magro, Casale, Patric, Basic, Bertini.
Manager: Sarri
Referee: Dabanović (Montenegro)
Goals: 27' Paulinho, 30' Kaba, 51' Evander (pen), 57' Milinkovic-Savic, 67' Isaksen, 72' Sviatchenko
Bookings: Paulinho, Lossl, Romagnoli
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