Two headers and Immobile make it look easy against Sampdoria
Also on this day: April 22, 2009, Juventus Lazio 1-2 Coppa Italia. A fantastic win against Juventus opens the gates to the final of the Coppa Italia. Player of the day: Aleksander Kolarov
The season so far
The summer transfer window had seen the arrivals of Adam Marusic, Felipe Caicedo, Liverpool legend Lucas Leiva and Manchester United legend Nani. Goodbye Wesley Hoedt, Lucas Biglia and Keita Balde.
The season kicked off to a good start. Lazio managed to beat Juventus 3-2 in the Italian Super Cup with a goal in the dying seconds from youngster Alessandro Murgia. Doubles from Ciro Immobile and Paolo Dybala had made the game 2-2.
In Campionato, despite a goalless draw at home against Spal in the opening game, Lazio were doing quite well. Big victories (6-1 against Sassuolo and 5-1 away to Benevento) plus the surprise win in Turin against Juventus with Thomas Strakosha saving a penalty at the last second.
This was the first season with the introduction of the VAR, the video assistant referee, which should have brought fewer mistakes from the men in black. Should, because starting from the derby in November, Lazio were certainly not helped by the new system. The Roma penalty was very dubious (Lazio lost), the penalty given to Fiorentina the next game was non-existent (and Lazio drew), the penalty not given to Lazio against Torino was massive and the Immobile sending off ridiculous (Lazio lost). The limit was reached against Milan in January. Milan’s first goal came off a handball, but nobody noticed. All this cost Lazio many points which could have allowed them to be much higher up.
After ten games the Biancocelesti were third with Juventus, behind Napoli and Inter, at the end of the first half of the season 4th. They were still third before today’s game, in the company of Roma and one point above Inter. Lazio’s objective was, as usual, a place in the next season’s champions league and these three teams were battling for third and fourth places.
The match: Sunday, April 22, 2018, Stadio Olimpico, Rome
After just 18 minutes Lazio were forced to substitute Marco Parolo with Jordan Lukaku. In the 23rd minute a great cross into the box from Sergej Milinkovic-Savic found Lucas Leiva but his header went over the crossbar. In the 29th minute a Sampdoria corner was cleared by the Biancocelesti. The ball reached Edgar Barreto who with an impressive volley, from quite a distance, allowed Thomas Strakosha to shine with a difficult save. In the 32nd minute Stefan Radu from the left put in a high, slow, cross that Milinkovic-Savic headed into the goal for his tenth of the season.
Three minutes later Lukaku to Lulic who crossed into the box. Emiliano Viviano cleared but the ball arrived to Leiva who promptly shot and was saved close to the line by Gian Marco Ferrari. In the 38th minute, Adam Marusic to Felipe Anderson on the right, the Brazilian tried a shot but the Samp keeper saved. The ball however reached Ciro Immobile who dribbled past a defender and tried a shot. Again, Viviano saved. In the 42nd minute corner for Lazio. Felipe Anderson crossed, Leiva tried a headed lob but the Sampdoria defence cleared. The ball reached the edge of the box and Marusic tried a powerful low volley which Viviano saved into corner. Corner again taken by Felipetto, higher trajectory and Stefan de Vrij headed the ball in.
In the second half, the Genoese tried to do something to reduce the deficit. Duvan Zapata in the 53rd minute beat the Lazio defenders and once in the box on the right tried a shot that went wide. In the 73rd minute Leiva crossed into the box and Martin Cáceres headed but it shaved the post.
In the 82nd minute Nani took a corner, Samp cleared but the ball reached Milinkovic-Savic who tried a shot that was deflected by Cáceres and almost went into the goal. Three minutes later the big Serbian got the ball on the right near the by-line, looked up, low cross, Immobile made it three.
Another three minutes later on the counter attack Nani to Immobile who only had the keeper to beat. No problem for the King and Lazio Samp 4-0.
Great win, Lazio back in third place.
Who played for Lazio
Strakosha, Cáceres, de Vrij, Radu, Marusic, Parolo (19’ Lukaku), Leiva (87’ Di Gennaro), Milinkovic-Savic, Lulic, Felipe Anderson (79’ Nani), Immobile
Substitutes: Guerrieri, Vargic, Luiz Felipe, Wallace, Bastos, Crecco, Jordão, Caicedo
Manager: Inzaghi
Who played for Sampdoria
Viviano, Bereszynski, Andersen, Ferrari, Strinic, Barreto, Torreira, Praet (53' Kownacki), Ramirez (66' Linetty), Caprari, Zapata (60' Quagliarella)
Substitutes: Belec, Tozzo, Silvestre, Regini, Sala, Verre, Capezzi, Alvarez
Manager: Giampaolo
Referee: Orsato
Goals: 32’ Milinkovic-Savic, 43’ de Vrij, 85’ Immobile, 88’ Immobile
What happened next
With three games to play, Lazio had a four-point lead over Inter in 5th place but Immobile was injured. They drew at home the first game and Inter reduced the deficit to two points. In the penultimate game Lazio had to win against struggling Crotone but only managed to draw. So did Inter, so the final game at the Olimpico against the Nerazzurri was decisive.
With 12 minutes to go Lazio were winning 2-1, but Inter managed to score two goals in 4 minutes and Lazio had to settle for Europa League. A big blow.
Lazio 2017-18
Competition | Played | Won | Drawn | Lost | Goals scored |
Serie A | 38 | 21 | 9 | 8 | 89 |
Coppa Italia | 4 | 2 | 2 | - | 5 |
Europa League | 12 | 7 | 2 | 3 | 26 |
Super Coppa | 1 | 1 | - | - | 3 |
Total | 55 | 31 | 13 | 11 | 123 |
Top five appearances
Player | Total | Serie A | Coppa Italia | Europa League | Super Coppa |
Strakosha | 53 | 38 | 4 | 10 | 1 |
Leiva | 50 | 36 | 4 | 9 | 1 |
Lulic | 50 | 35 | 4 | 10 | 1 |
Milinkovic-Savic | 48 | 35 | 4 | 8 | 1 |
de Vrij | 47 | 36 | 3 | 7 | 1 |
Immobile | 47 | 33 | 4 | 9 | 2 |
Luis Alberto | 47 | 34 | 3 | 9 | 1 |
Top five goal scorers
Player | Total | Serie A | Coppa Italia | Europa League | Super Coppa |
Immobile | 41 | 29 | 2 | 8 | 2 |
Milinkovic-Savic | 14 | 12 | - | 2 | - |
Luis Alberto | 12 | 11 | - | 1 | - |
Felipe Anderson | 8 | 4 | 1 | 3 | - |
de Vrij | 7 | 6 | - | 1 | - |
Let's talk about Davide Di Gennaro
Davide Di Gennaro was born in Milan on June 16 1988. He was a product of the Milan youth sector and debuted with the Rossoneri in Serie A on May 19, 2007, in the match lost at home against Udinese. He was then sent to Bologna on loan for two seasons (in Serie B), Genoa (for a few months) and Reggina (Serie A) before returning back to Milan. After six months and just two appearances in Coppa Italia he was again loaned out to Livorno for six months (in Serie A) and then Padova and Modena in Serie B.
In 2012 he was sold to Spezia in Serie B and made a good impression playing the entire year with 35 appearances and 10 goals. The following season he signed for Palermo. The Rosaneri won the Serie B championship but he only played 15 games and was loaned to Vicenza the following season. Another positive year for him, so Cagliari signed him in 2015. They got promoted and he played two seasons for the Sardinians with 56 appearances and 6 goals.
His contract expired and he joined Lazio on a free transfer. He immediately won the Super Coppa, even if he did not play, but was seldom used by Simone Inzaghi, also due to many injuries. He was then first loaned to Salernitana and then Juve Stabia, both in Serie B, but played very little. After another six months in Rome where he never played, he was sold to Cesena in Serie C. This was followed by six months with Bari and six with Taranto but he failed to make a difference in either club. His last two clubs were Portici and San Marzano, both in the minor leagues.
Di Gennaro played for Italy in all the “under” categories right up to the Under-21’s where he played five games.
He was highly considered in his youth, but apart from a few seasons never really made much of an impact. With Lazio he made just 5 appearances. His last game in Serie A was Lazio vs Sampdoria on April 22, 2018.
Lazio career
Season | Total appearances | Serie A | Europa League |
2017-18 | 5 | 2 | 3 |
Sources
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