Game 11, Serie A
Sunday, November 3, 2019
Stadio Giuseppe Meazza, Milan
Milan Lazio 1-2
Lazio defeat Milan in the league at San Siro after a long thirty years with goals by Immobile and Correa
So far, in Serie A Lazio had played ten games and won 5, drawn 3 and lost 2. They came from two consecutive victories while in the game before those they had made an epic comeback at home to Atalanta from 0-3 to 3-3, a hopefully turning point moment in their season.
Lazio were currently joint 5th with Napoli and Cagliari on 18 points.
This evening however, was Serie A but it was no ordinary league game, it was away to Milan. It was a fixture which had been jinxed for thirty years, since Lazio last won there in 1989. There had been mediocre Milan teams, the Sergio Cragnotti years and many good performances but for one reason or another never a win. There had been a few cup wins, but a league win had eluded them since that Paolo Maldini own goal all those years ago. Every year the Laziali went up with hope but every year the wait continued.
The beginning of the season was a nightmare for Milan. The Rossoneri lost 4 out of the first 6 games (including derby 0-2). They then won 2, drew 1 and lost 1. They were currently in joint 7th position with Parma on 13 points.
Lazio had been in this situation many times before in the last thirty years. Going up to Milan in a position of advantage against a team in difficulty but time and time again had failed to end the curse. Thirtieth time lucky?
The match
The 40,000 crowd was the sign Milan were not going through their best period.
The hosts had everyone available apart from Suso while Lazio had no absences.
The first chance was for Lazio and it was a huge one. Luis Alberto waltzed through the Milan defence and after a one-two with Joaquín Correa he put a magical low ball behind the Milan defence on the left where Ciro Immobile pounced and curled a shot which came back off the crossbar.
Milan responded with a low long range shot by Samu Castillejo which Thomas Strakosha palmed into corner before it went inside the near post.
In the 25th minute Lazio took the lead. Luis Alberto sent Manuel Lazzari down the right flank where he put a rare but perfect cross which Immobile headed into the far corner. Milan 0 Lazio 1. It was also Immobile's 100th goal for the Biancocelesti.
Lazio were not given long to fantasise about ending curses and jinks as three minutes later the "diavolo" equalised. Theo Hernandez chipped a ball into the area from the left and Krzysztof Piontek stuck a foot up to it and it then came off Bastos' chest and gave Strakosha no chance. A fair dose of luck but there was a reason Lazio had not won here for three decades. Milan 1 Lazio 1.
In the 35th minute Milan lost Castillejo through injury and brought on Ante Rebic. Lazio had two chances with Correa but the "Tucu" was not lucid in front of goal. The first 45 minutes finished with the score still on 1-1.
There were no changes for the second half.
Milan had a chance early on with a Hakan Calhanoglu free kick, it was powerful but central and Strakosha slapped it away with both his hands together.
In the 53rd minute Leăo came on for Paquetá.
Lazio then had a double chance when, from a Luis Alberto corner, after a moment of confusion the ball fell to Francesco Acerbi who turned and shot but Gianluigi Donnarumma parried up into the air and then tipped it over the bar before Marco Parolo could head it over the goal line.
In the 60th minute Lazio made two substitutions, one was forced with an injured Immobile being replaced by Felipe Caicedo and the other was tactical with Marco Parolo coming on for Sergej Milinkovic-Savic.
The game was balanced with neither side getting the upper hand and it would take an episode or a moment of quality for it to change.
Fortunately, that moment came in the 83rd minute, a minute after Caicedo too had gone off injured and replaced by Danilo Cataldi, and it came for Lazio. Bastos hoofed the ball out of his area over the half way line where Léo Duarte beat Correa with the header but the ball fell to the "Mago" Luis Alberto and suddenly Milan were unbalanced, he ran forward and looked to his left but then with the outside of his boot he slid the ball through on the right to Correa who surged into the area and blasted thirty years of hurt past Donnarumma. Milan 1 Lazio 2.
Lazio then managed to fend off Milan's more desperate than dangerous attempts to rescue a point. Finally, after 30 years Lazio had beaten Milan in the league at San Siro or Giuseppe Meazza.
The game had been even and Lazio had played far better over the last winless 30 years but it felt good. The table also started to look healthier with Lazio up to joint 4th place with Atalanta and Cagliari on 21 points and in the Champions League zone.
On a personal note I was 21 when Lazio last won at San Siro against Milan and now I was 52. In 1989 the Berlin Wall was just coming down. At the time I was living in Istanbul and I only discovered the score in the morning from the colourful Turkish newspapers while now I watched it live on TV. I have a habit when Lazio win and that is to have a Norwegian aquavit after dinner. I think I might have had two that evening, you never know it might be another 30 years…
Who played for Milan
G. Donnarumma, Calabria, Duarte, Romagnoli, T. Hernandez, Paquetá (53' Leão), Bennacer, Krunic (85' Bonaventura), Castillejo (35' Rebic), Piatek, Calhanoglu
Substitutes: A. Donnarumma, Caldara, Gabbia, Conti, Rodriguez, Biglia, Kessié, Borini
Manager: Pioli
Who played for Lazio
Strakosha, Bastos, Acerbi, Radu, Lazzari, Milinkovic-Savic (60' Parolo), Leiva, Luis Alberto, Lulic, Correa, Immobile (60' Caicedo, 82' Cataldi)
Manager: S. Inzaghi
Referee: Calvarese
Goals: 25' Immobile, 28' Bastos (og), 83' Correa
Sources
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