A very complicated match

Simon Basten

Oct 5, 2022

3 min read

Updated: Oct 21

2022-23 Season

Europa League Group Stage

Group F, Game 3

Thursday, October 6, 2022

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Graz, Sturmstadion Liebenau

Sturm Graz Lazio 0-0

Exciting game but no goals. Not the best Lazio performance.

The teams

Maurizio Sarri understood that this was a very important match especially after the debacle at Midtjylland. Hence just a few changes in the squad compared to the game against Spezia. In came Pedro, Elseid Hysaj and Mario Gila for Mattia Zaccagni, Manuel Lazzari and Patric. Sturm Graz also needed to forget their debacle in the previous Europa League match and were looking for a prestigious victory.

The last time Lazio had played here they had won 3-1.

The match

Lazio immediately in trouble and after three minutes there was a free kick for the Austrians. Tomi Horvat crossed the ball in the crowded penalty box, Ivan Provedel missedthe ball which was deflected and moved towards the goal. Fortunately Hysaj cleared on the line.

Sturm Graz was very fast and aggressive and Lazio was having trouble coping. In the 12th minute a one-two Luis Alberto-Ciro Immobile put Luis Alberto in front of the goal ready for the kill but Amadou Dante got to the ball just a fraction of second before the Spaniard. On the Luis Alberto corner Jorg Siebenhandl fumbled and ball hit the woodwork.

Double chance for Sturm Graz a minute later. William Boving from outside the box shot, Provedel saved. On the consequent corner Albian Ajeti got to the ball first but his header was saved again by the Lazio goalkeeper. In the 20th minute Luis Alberto to Pedro, low cross that the Austrian goalkeeper deflected, Immobile was ready for the tap in but Dante got there first.

The game slowed down just a fraction as Lazio was trying to get control of play but Felipe Anderson and Sergej Milinkovic-Savic were not playing well and it was difficult. On the other hand, Sturm Graz were playing very well, very aggressive, not allowing Lazio to think. The first half ended with a few shots from outside the penalty box from the Austrians, most of them wide or too high.

Second half

In came Zaccagni and Lazzari for Felipe Anderson and Adam Marusic in the hope of creating something on the wings. Sturm Graz however had no intention to stop running and in the 50th minute Boving shot from an impossible position and Provedel had to save into a corner. A minute later David Affengruber anticipated Ajeti but shot wide from favourable position. In the 60th minute Zaccagni had a chance but Siebenhandl saved. In the 62nd minute long cross from Pedro to Immobile who got to the ball just slightly too late.

Lazio could not find a solution so in the 63rd minute in cames Matias Vecino and out went Milinkovic-Savic. Seven minutes later Horvat was substituted by Otar Kiteishvili, Boving by Mohammed Fuseini, and shortly after Pedro by Matteo Cancellieri and Patric for Gila. In the 76th minute in came Ivan Ljubic and Manprit Sarkaria, out went Stefan Hierlander and Ajeti.

Immobile actually did score for Lazio in the 80th minute but he was off side by the smallest of margins. Jusuf Gazibegovic got his second yellow card and was sent off with 8 minutes to go for the match. Three minutes later Hysaj crossed long for Cancellieri, unmarked, who headed the ball directly to the goalkeeper.

Lazio did try to attack with the Austrians all in defence but nothing else happened. All four teams in group F on 4 points, anything could happen.

Who played for Sturm Graz

Siebenhandl, Gazibegovic, Affengruber, Wuthrich, Dante, Hierlander (76' Ljubic), Stankovic, Prass (84' Ingolitsch), Horvat (70' Kiteishvili); Ajeti (76' Sarkaria), Boving (70' Fuseini)

Substitutes: Maric, Schutzenauer, Borkovic, Jantscher, Oroz, Schnegg, Wels.

Manager: Ilzer

Who played for Lazio

Provedel, Hysaj, Gila (74' Patric), Romagnoli, Marusic (46' Lazzari), Milinkovic –Savic (63' Vecino), Cataldi, Luis Alberto, Felipe Anderson (46' Zaccagni), Immobile, Pedro (72' Cancellieri)