September 23 2021: Torino-Lazio 1-1
- Dag Jenkins
- Sep 23, 2025
- 11 min read
Reina reigns supreme
A great performance by Lazio keeper and an injury time penalty gift Lazio a point
Also on this day:
The season so far
Lazio had finished 6th (Europa League) the previous season, in what would be Simone Inzaghi's last year as manager. Top scorer as usual was Ciro Immobile with 25 (20 in A). Lazio had also reached the last 16 of the Champions League but lost 2-6 on aggregate to Bayern Munich.
Initially it seemed Inzaghi would stay on but in the meantime, unknown to Lazio, he made an agreement with Inter and left unexpectedly. Therefore, this season Lazio had a new manager, Maurizio Sarri, with a new style of play.
The summer market had seen a few changes. Arriving were defender Elseid Hysaj (free agent), midfielders Toma Bašić (Bordeaux), Felipe Anderson (returning from West Ham), Luka Romero (Mallorca), Mattia Zaccagni (Verona) and forward Pedro (Roma…).
Leaving were defender Wesley Hoedt (Southampton, end of loan), Mohamed Fares (Genoa-on loan), midfielders Senad Lulic and Marco Parolo both retiring, Andreas Pereira (Manchester United-end of loan) plus forward Joaquín Correa (Inter).
So, a welcome return, that of Felipetto Anderson, but also some sad goodbyes, legendary Senad Lulic but also popular Marco Parolo.
In Serie A so far Lazio had played 4 league games. The Biancocelesti had won the first two (Empoli 3-1 away and Spezia 6-1 at home) but then lost 0-2 away to Milan and drew 2-2 at home to Cagliari. Lazio were currently 8th on 7 points.
Lazio had started their Europa League campaign on September 16 in Istanbul against Galatasaray. They had lost 0-1 thanks to an incredible Thomas Strakosha howler. The group also included Lokomotiv Moscow and Olympique Marseille.
Torino had finished 17th the previous season, first under Marco Giampaolo (1-18) and then Davide Nicola (19-38). They therefore narrowly escaped relegation. The Granata lost 3-4 at home to Lazio but drew 0-0 in Rome. Top scorer was Andrea Belotti with 13 league goals.
This season the manager was Ivan Jurić The main new players were; goalkeeper Etrit Berisha (SPAL), defenders Ola Aina (Fulham -end of loan), Koffi Djidji (Crotone -end of loan), David Zima (Slavia Prague), midfielder Dennis Praet (Leicester City -on loan) plus forwards Josip Brekalo (Wolfsburg -on loan) and Marko Pjaca (Juventus-on loan via Genoa).
Leaving were; goalkeeper Salvatore Sirigu (Genoa), defenders Lyanco (Southampton), Nicola Murru (Sampdoria-end of loan), Nicolas Nkoulou (Watford), midfielder Amer Gojak (Dinamo Zagabria-end of loan) plus forward Federico Bonazzoli (Sampdoria -end of loan then Salernitana).
So far Toro had 6 points and were 10th. They had lost the first two (Atalanta 1-2 at home and Fiorentina 1-2 away) but then won the following two (Salernitana 4-0 at home and Sassuolo 1-0 away).
Torino had also started their Coppa Italia campaign, on August 15, defeating Cremonese at home on penalties. Next up were Sampdoria away on December 16.
A game of uncertain outcome this evening between a home side seemingly improving and a visiting side fading after a promising start.
An interesting fact was that two Milinkovic-Savic brothers faced each other today; Vanja in goal for Torino and Sergej on the bench for Lazio.
The match: Thursday, September 23, 2021, Stadio Grande Torino, Turin
A Thursday evening 6.30 kick-off only attracted about 12,000 to the Grande Torino.
Torino had absences in midfielder Dennis Praet and forward Andrea Belotti while Lazio were without forward Mattia Zaccagni.
The first shot towards goal was by Antonio Sanabria after a defensive hesitation but his low cross goal effort was just wide of the far post.
In the 24th minute the Paraguayan then went even closer when his header was touched onto the crossbar by Pepe Reina after a good Ola Aina assist.
Lazio were poor in the first half and were never dangerous. Halftime 0-0 but Toro on top.
Maurizio Sarri made two changes during the break; Sergej Milinkovic-Savic came on for Luis Alberto and Pedro replaced young Raul Moro.
Juric on the other hand was satisfied and fielded the same XI.
Early in the second half there were finally some signs of life from Lazio. Ciro Immobile sent Felipe Anderson flying down the right where he put in a low ball across the goal mouth but Pedro diving in was slightly late.
Both sides made changes just after the hour mark. In the 62nd minute Torino brought on Cristian Ansaldi for Aina and Saša Lukić for Rolando Mandragora while Lazio replaced Adam Marusic with Manuel Lazzari.
Reina was then protagonist again when he brilliantly dived to his left and managed to get his left hand to deflect a powerful Ansaldi strike heading for the far post.
Torino continued to dominate and Sarri made another substitution in the 70th minute bringing on Lucas Leiva for Danilo Cataldi.
In the 73rd minute Juric responded by throwing on talented Croat Marko Pjaca for Josip Brekalo and Tomás Rincon for Karol Linetty.
The hosts' pressure and Juric's decision paid off in the 76th minute when they deservedly took the lead. Wilfred Singo went down the right and crossed into the middle where Pjaca got the better of Lazzari and headed into the left hand corner, 1-0.
After a few minutes of contemplation Sarri went for an all out attack and gave Vedat Muriqi a ten-minute chance in place of Jean-Daniel Akpa Akpro. Lazio were now playing with four forwards.
It was nevertheless Torino and Pjaca who almost scored again. Reina was again superb as he sprung to his left and parried a medium height, crisp shot by the former Juventus player, teed up by Lukic.
Lazio then attacked desperately in the last minutes winning a few corners and just before the 90th minute were finally dangerous but Immobile's header hit the crossbar.
It seemed all over but in the first minute out of the four of added time Reina hoofed a hopeful long ball forward which Milinkovic-Savic' header prolonged into the left side of the Toro box, Muriqi got there first and was naively tripped up by Koffi Djidji. The Kosovar forward looked to have touched the ball horizontally rather than towards the goal but the Ivorian defender's foul was clear and the referee was forced to point to the penalty spot. Immobile, a former Torino player himself, tucked the spotkick low to Vanja Milinkovic-Savic' right and equalised for Lazio, 1-1.
A decent point for Lazio especially as they had played so badly. Sarri's style of play notoriously takes time to assimilate but next up was the derby...
Torino felt hard done by and their fans applauded them as if they had won the match. They had deserved to but had met a 39-year-old keeper still at the top of his game plus an unnecessary penalty given away in the dying seconds.
Lazio were now 7th on 8 points (with Bologna) while Torino were 10th on 7 points (with Udinese).
Who played for Torino
V.Milinkovic-Savic, Djidji, Bremer, Rodriguez, Singo, Pobega, Mandragora (62' Lukic), Aina (62' Ansaldi), Linetty (73' Rincon), Brekalo (73' Pjaca), Sanabria
Substitutes: Berisha, Gemello, Buongiorno, Vojvoda, Zima, Baselli, Warming, Verdi
Manager: Juric
Who played for Lazio
Reina, Marusic (62' Lazzari), Luiz Felipe, Acerbi, Hysaj, Akpa Akpro (79' Muriqi), Cataldi (70' Leiva), Luis Alberto (46' S.Milinkovic-Savic), Raul Moro (46' Pedro), Immobile, F.Anderson
Manager: Sarri (suspended today-Martusciello on bench)
Referee: Abisso
Goals: 76' Pjaca, 90+1 Immobile (pen)
What happened next
Lazio won the derby 3-2 and finished 5th and qualified for the Europa League. In the remaining games the Biancocelesti won 16 (including derby, Inter 3-1 at home, Fiorentina 3-0 away), drew 8 (including Juventus 2-2 away) and lost 9 (including second derby 0-3). Some good wins but too inconsistent to fight for a top four position. Top scorer was Ciro Immobile with 32 goals (27 in A).
In Coppa Italia Lazio beat Udinese 1-0 at home (a.e.t) but then got thrashed 0-4 away by Milan.
In Europa League the Biancocelesti then won 2 (Lokomotiv Moscow 2-0 at home and 3-0 away) and drew 3 (Olympique Marseille 0-0 at home and 2-2 away and Galatasaray 0-0 at home). They finished 2nd in the group and went to a playoff round against Porto (coming down from CL) They put up a good fight against Porto but lost 3-4 on aggregate.
Torino finished 10th. In the next 33 games Toro won 11 (including Fiorentina 4-0 at home), drew 10 (including Juventus and Lazio, both 1-1 away) and lost 12 (including derby 0-1 at home). Top scorer was Andrea Belotti with 8 league goals.
In Coppa Italia the Granata then lost 1-2 away to Sampdoria. The cup was eventually won by Inter who defeated Juventus 4-2 (a.e.t).
The Serie A champions were Milan for the 19th time. Serie B awaited Venezia, Genoa and Cagliari (the former are currently back in B).
Let's talk about Maurizio Sarri
Maurizio Sarri was born in Naples, on January 10,1959. He was born in Naples as his father, who was Tuscan, was temporarily working there. Maurizio Sarri was brought up in Castro (Bergamo) and Figline Valdarno (Florence), hence his strong Tuscan accent.
In his youth he played amateur football, reaching Serie D, while working as a bank clerk (also with jobs in London, Germany, Switzerland and Luxembourg). His football career was limited and cut short by injuries.
His career as a manager started in 1990 at Stia at Tuscan amateur level and continued with Faellese, Cavriglia, Antella, Valdema and Tegoleto.
In 2000 he took over at Sansovino (Monte San Savino-Arezzo). In three years, he took the Arancioble up two divisions from Eccellenza to C2 and won the Coppa Italia Serie D (2003).
In 2003 he joined Sangiovannese (San Giovanni Valdarno) in C2 and won promotion to C1 and then finished 8th.
In 2005 he joined Pescara in Serie B. The Delfini finished 11th.
In 2006 he returned to Tuscany and joined Arezzo in Serie B, taking over from Antonio Conte in October, but was sacked in March. The Amaranto were eventually relegated.
In July 2007 he joined Avellino in Serie B but left in August after one defeat in Coppa Italia.
In December 2007 he took over at Verona in C1 but was replaced in February, after one draw and five defeats.
In September 2008 he joined Perugia in Serie D but was replaced in February, after 5 wins, 8 draws and 5 defeats.
In March 2010 he joined Grosseto in serie B. The "Torelli Maremmani" (The Bulls of Maremma) finished 7th.
In 2010-11 he finally completed a full season, at Alessandria in Serie D. The "Orso Grigio" (The Grey Bear) finished 3rd but were then relegated for sporting violations (fraud).
In July 2011 he joined Sorrento in Serie D but was replaced in December, despite 7 wins, 6 draws and 3 defeats. The Coastal Rossoneri eventually finished 4th but lost in the playoffs.
In 2012 Sarri joined Empoli in Serie B and this was to be the turning point in his career. He stayed three seasons with a 4th place (lost playoff final to Livorno 1-2 on aggregate), 2nd place (promotion to A) and then 15th in Serie A. The Azzurri's season included home wins against Lazio and Napoli plus away draws to Milan, Napoli, Fiorentina and Roma. His players included future Lazio, Elseid Hysaj and Matías Vecino.
Empoli's entertaining style of football earned him a call from Napoli and in 2015 he joined the Partenopei. He stayed three years. In the first Napoli finished 2nd (CL), then 3rd (CL- in the current competition they reached the last 16) and finally 2nd again. A good three years, playing excellent football.
In 2018 he went to London and joined Chelsea in the Premier League. The Blues finished 3rd in the league, lost the Charity Shield to Manchester City 0-2 and the League Cup final, again to the Citizens but on penalties after a 0-0 draw. It was in the Europa League that the Pensioners found glory. They eliminated PAOK (Greece), MOL Fehérvár (Hungary) and Bate Borisov (Bielorussia) in the group stage, then Malmö (5-1), Dinamo Kiev (8-0), Slavia Prague (5-3), Eintracht Frankfurt (2-2, then on penalties) and in the final trounced Arsenal 4-1 in Baku. One of his players was future Lazio, Pedro (who scored 4 goals in EL, including the final). The English coined the term "Sarri ball" to describe his style of play.
In 2019 Sarri returned to Italy and joined Juventus. In the season interrupted by Covid 19 the Bianconeri won the Scudetto in August 2020. The level of play was not always pretty but with Ronaldo and Dybala up front they won their 36th title. They however lost both the Italian Supercoppa final (Lazio 1-3) and the Coppa Italia final (Napoli on penalties). In Champions League the Zebras were unbeaten in the group stage (W5, D1) but then lost to Olympique Lyonnais on away goals in the last 16.
Sarri then took a year off as Juventus went for Andrea Pirlo as manager.
Sarri reappeared in 2021-22 when he joined Lazio. In his first year the Biancocelesti finished 5th. The highlights were beating Spezia 6-1, Inter 3-1 at home, Fiorentina 3-0 away but especially beating Roma 3-2. In Europa League, Lazio qualified as second in a group with Galatasaray, Lokomotiv Moscow and Olympique Marseille (W2, D3, L1) but then went out to Porto 3-4 in the playoffs to reach the last 16. In Coppa Italia the Biancocelesti crashed out to Milan 0-4 in the quarter finals.
In 2022-23 he stayed at Lazio and the Biancocelesti had an excellent season finishing 2nd behind Napoli. Their best results were beating Inter 3-1, Milan 4-0, Juventus 2-1 at home and Fiorentina 4-0, Atalanta 2-0, Napoli 1-0 away. Lazio also won both derbies after many years, both 1-0. In Europe things went differently and Lazio were knocked out in the group stage of Europa League and then by AZ Alkmaar in the Conference League. In Coppa Italia Lazio went out to Juventus 0-1 away in the quarterfinals. There was the sensation however that they were concentrating mainly on the league, not having much strength in depth in the squad.
In 2023-24 things did not go so positively. Sarri had family problems (his mother would then pass away) and there was the sensation some of the players were no longer completely with him. He resigned after 28 games, on March 11, with Lazio in 9th position. His assistant Giovanni Martusciello took over for one game and then Igor Tudor came in until the end of the season.
Sarri took a sabbatical in the 2024-25 season.
Sarri also known as "Il Comandante" (The Commander/Leader) has his own philosophy of football, "Sarrismo". He plays with 4-3-3 and his game is based on zonal marking with a high defence. The priority is a fast and precise ball control with a myriad of synchronized exchanges to disorientate the opposition. He is a believer in technology to improve his methods and is known to use drones to film his team’s movements. So far in his career his style of play has worked best with Napoli who, despite not winning any trophies, played an excellent and entertaining brand of football.
At Lazio he was well liked. He got Lazio into the Champions League with a 2nd place finish and won 3 derbies out of 4. His teams showed flashes of Sarrismo, especially in his second year, but had periods of inconsistency. It must be said that he was not helped by the club who rarely bought the players Sarri himself would have liked.
He was well liked and the feeling was mutual. So much so that in June 2025 it was announced that Sarri was returning to Lazio for the 2025-26 season. In his first interview he stated he came back for "love". Time will tell how Sarri's second stint at Lazio goes. Another 2nd place would be more than welcome but the summer session transfer market block for financial irregularities has made his job extremely difficult as the start to the season has confirmed.
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