April 5, 2018: Lazio Red Bull Salzburg 4-2, Europa League
- Dag Jenkins
- 12 hours ago
- 8 min read
Two goal lead but two away goals
Lazio take two goal lead to Austria but it should have been more leaving tie still open
Also on this day:
The season so far
Lazio had finished 5th (EL) the previous season under Simone Inzaghi. The Biancocelesti had lost the first derby but triumphed 3-1 in the second. Other good results were Atalanta 4-3, Pescara 6-2 both away and Sampdoria 7-3 and Palermo 6-2, both at home. Lazio had also reached the Coppa Italia final beating Roma in the semi-final 4-3 on aggregate but then lost to Juventus 0-2. Top scorer was Ciro Immobile with 26 goals (23 in A).
This season Inzaghi was still manager but there had been quite a few changes to the squad. The main new arrivals were: defenders Luiz Felipe (Salernitana-end of loan), Adam Marušić (Oostende), midfielders Davide Di Gennaro (free agent), Lucas Leiva (Liverpool), Nani (Valencia-on loan with option to buy), forwards Felipe Caicedo (Espanyol) and Pedro Neto (Braga-two-year loan with obligation to buy). In the January market Lazio had added Uruguayan defender Martin Caceres (Verona).
Leaving amongst others were: defender Wesley Hoedt (Southampton), midfielders Lucas Biglia (Milan), Danilo Cataldi (Benevento -on loan) and forward Keita Baldé (Monaco).
The season had started in fantastic style. On August 13, Lazio had defeated Juventus 3-2 to win the Supercoppa Italiana. Lazio went 2-0 up with two Immobile goals but Dybala responded with a late brace of his own before Alessandro Murgia got Lazio’s winner in the 93rd minute. Lazio lifted their 4th Supercoppa.
In Serie A, Lazio were currently 5th on 57 points, just 2 behind Inter in 4th and last CL slot. Lazio had won 18 (including Juventus 2-1 away, Milan 4-1 and Sassuolo 6-1 at home), drawn 6 and lost 6 (including derby 1-2). A few days earlier Lazio had clobbered Benevento 6-2 at home.
In Coppa Italia, Lazio had got through two rounds, Cittadella 4-1 and Fiorentina 1-0 both at home. The Biancocelesti then played Milan home and away in the semi-final on January 31 and February 28 and went out on penalties after two goalless draws.
This evening however was a European game. In the group phase Lazio had won 4 (Nice home and away, Zulte Waregem at home and Vitesse away), drawn 1 (Vitesse at home) and lost 1 (Zulte Waregem in the last match) and won the group. Lazio then eliminated FCSB Bucharest 5-2 and Dynamo Kiev 4-2, both on aggregate.
This was the first leg of the quarterfinals.
Salzburg the previous season had won the Austrian double, Bundesliga and ÖFB Cup. The manager was Óscar Garcia and the top scorer was South-Korean, Hwang Hee-Chan with 16 goals (12 in league).
This season the manager was German Marco Rose. The Austrians had Norwegian striker Fredrik Gulbrandsen back from his loan with the New York Red Bulls and had signed defender Patrick Fargas from Mattersburg and midfielder Hannes Wolf from Liefering plus forward Patson Daka was back from his loan with Liefering.
Leaving were: defenders Dayot Upamecano (RB Leipzig), Paulo Miranda (Gremio), midfielder Valentino Lazaro (Hertha Berlin), plus forwards Yordy Reyna (Vancouver Whitecaps), Wanderson (Krasnodar) and Jonathan Soriano (Beijing Guoan, after 120 league goals for RB).
The Rot-Weiß were currently top of the table in their domestic Bundesliga.
In the Europa League to get this far Salzburg had first eliminated Romanians Viitorul Constanța 7-1 on aggregate, then topped a group made up of Olympique Marseille, Konyaspor and Vitória Guimarães (W3, D3), defeated Real Sociedad 4-3 and then Borussia Dortmund 2-1, both on aggregate. An impressive run so far.
The match: Thursday, April 5, 2018, Stadio Olimpico, Rome
A crowd of about 45,000 turned up for this appetising quarter final clash.
Lazio only had defenders Jordan Lukaku and Adam Marušić unavailable but otherwise fielded their best team. Salzburg were without forward Hwang Hee-Chan.
The game started well for Lazio who took an early lead. Sergej Milinkovic-Savic sent Dušan Basta running down the right and halfway towards the by-line he squared the ball into the middle, Ciro Immobile was too far forward but Senad Lulic behind him was perfectly positioned and slotted the ball in. Lazio 1 Salzburg 0.
The game was balanced but on the half hour the Austrians were awarded a dubious penalty when on a cross from the right Basta lifted his arm on Dabour's shoulder who collapsed clutching his face in the area. Valon Berisha then drilled the ball low to Thomas Strakosha's left, 1-1.
Lazio then had two penalty appeals for fouls on Immobile and Stefan de Vrij but the Romanian referee was not as strict anymore.
Lazio had several chances to take back the lead. One of the biggest fell to Milinkovic-Savic from a Lulic cross but the Serb headed wide from close range. Halftime Lazio 1 Salzburg 1.
Lazio again scored early in the second half. In the 49th minute Luís Alberto crossed low from the right and Marco Parolo brilliantly back-heeled the ball past Alexander Walke. Lazio 2 Salzburg 1.
The Austrians reacted and Strakosha had to dive low to his left to clutch a dangerous Lainer shot.
In the 59th minute Luis Alberto tested Walke from the distance but he was safe.
In the 65th minute Lazio made two substitutions, Patric for Basta and Felipe Anderson for Luís Alberto.
In the 70th minute "Die Mozartstädter" replaced Fredrik Gulbrandsen with Takumi Minamino.
The Japanese only took a minute to get on the scoresheet. In the 71st minute Moanes Dabour tried to dribble his way into the area centrally, the defenders were so busy marking the Israeli that they did not realise Minamino was following and he sprinted in on the loose ball and beat Strakosha from close range. Lazio 2 Salzburg 2 and with away goals things were not looking good.
Lazio needed at least another goal. They got one in the 74th minute when Felipe Anderson got the ball about 35 metres out and decided to go solo, he surged past three defenders and beat Walke with a low strike. A superb goal and 3-2.
Lazio scored again three minutes later. Lucas Leiva won back possession, ran forward and teed up Immobile, whose low shot was not perfect but went under a not impeccable Walke and into the net. Lazio 4 Salzburg 2 and now the score line looked a lot healthier.
The visitors then replaced Duje Ćaleta-Car with Hannes Wolf in the 81st minute.
Lazio almost scored again a few minutes later, Felipe Anderson crossed well but then the keeper slapped away an Immobile header off the goal line near the post.
Lazio then took off Immobile for Felipe Caicedo in the 85th minute.
Caicedo almost scored himself but was very unlucky as, on another Anderson cross, he beat the keeper to the ball but his header then fortuitously and incredibly hit the keeper's head too and the chance went amiss. Final score Lazio 4 Salzburg 2.
Lazio were reasonably pleased with the double goal lead which could have been more however and the two away goals did not allow to be overconfident for the return game.
Who played for Lazio
Strakosha, Luiz Felipe, de Vrij, Radu, Basta (65' Patric), Parolo, Leiva, Milinkovic-Savic, Lulic, Luís Alberto (65' Felipe Anderson), Immobile (85' Caicedo)
Manager: S. Inzaghi
Who played for Salzburg
Walke, Lainer, Ramalho, Caleta-Car (81' Wolf), Ulmer, Haidara, Samassekou, Berisha, Schlager, Gulbrandsen (70' Minamino), Dabour
Substitutes: Stankovic, Onguéné, Pongračić, Leitgeb, Farkas
Manager: Rose
Referee: Haţegan (Romania)
Goals: 8' Lulic, 30' Berisha (pen), 49' Parolo, 71' Minamino, 74' F.Anderson, 77' Immobile
What happened next
In the return leg Lazio collapsed after taking the lead. Ciro Immobile put Lazio in front in the 55th minute meaning the Austrians now needed three unanswered goals to qualify. They did better, scoring four, in the 56th minute and then another three, in four nightmarish minutes, between the 72nd and the 76th. How to throw away a Europa League semi-final possibility for Lazio.
In Serie A, Lazio finished 5th and just missed out on a Champions League qualification which had seemed within their grasp. In the last two matches, a draw at Crotone and a 2-3 home defeat to Inter meant they were pipped by the Nerazzurri. Lazio therefore would be in the Europa League again.
A competitive but ultimately disappointing season for Lazio despite winning silverware with the Supercoppa. Top scorer was Immobile with 41 goals (29 in A).
Salzburg then lost to Olympique Marseille 2-3 on aggregate after extra-time. They won the Austrian league title again but missed out on the double by losing to Sturm Graz 0-1 in the final. Top scorer was Moanes Dabour with 29 goals (22 in league).
The Europa League was then won by Atlético Madrid who defeated Olympique Marseille 3-0 in the final in Lyon.
Let's talk about Valon Berisha
Valon Berisha was born in Malmö in Sweden on 7 February, 1993.
His parents are Albanian Kosovars and he is Kosavar too but also has Norwegian citizenship.
He grew up in Norway in Egersund near Stavanger. He started playing football for Egersund and after ten years in the youth setup he joined the first team squad in 2008.
He played one season for the Yellow and Blacks in the 2nd tier of Norwegian football, making 31 league appearances with 11 goals.
He was noticed by nearby Viking Stavanger in the top flight and joined "Di mørkeblå" (Dark Blues) in 2010 and stayed two seasons. He played 56 league games and scored 4 goals. Viking finished 9th and 11th. At Viking he also played alongside his younger brother, Veton.
In 2012 he joined Salzburg in Austria. He stayed six seasons, winning the Bundesliga five times and the Austrian Cup four times. He played 233 games and scored 45 goals. He played alongside some future top players such as Sadio Mané, Takumi Minamino, Marcel Sabitzer, Dayot Upamecano and Dominik Szoboszlai. In 2018 Salzburg played Lazio in the Europa League and Berisha played so well that the Romans signed him for the next season.
In Rome however, he was not a great success. The manager was Simone Inzaghi and in 2018-19 Berisha only played 8 league games, 1 in Coppa Italia and 5 in the Europa League. Lazio finished 8th (EL) but won the Coppa Italia.
The following year he only stayed until January, playing 3 more league games, 1 in Coppa Italia and 4 in the Europa League. He stayed long enough however to win the Italian Supercoppa in December as Lazio beat Juventus 3-1.
In January 2020 he joined Fortuna Düsseldorf on loan in the German Bundesliga. It was the COVID-19 year and he played 9 league games. The "F95" finished 17th and were relegated.
In the summer of 2020 he joined Stade Reims in Ligue 1. He stayed two seasons and Les Rouges et Blancs finished 14th and 12th. He played 41 games and scored 1 goal. Towards the end of his experience he was demoted to the Stades Reims 2 side. One of his teammates in the top side was future Lazio, Boulaye Dia.
In 2022 he went to Australia and joined Melbourne City in the A-League. He played 24 games and scored 1 goal. The club of the Manchester City owners finished 2nd.
In 2024 he came back to Europe and joined LASK in Austria.
At international level he played for Norway at various levels, U15s (4 games), U16s (10 games, 2 goals), U17s (8 games), U18s (7 games), U19s (8 games), U21s (18 games, 3 goals) right up to the top Norwegian team where he won 20 caps.
In 2016 he switched to represent Kosovo and he has 49 caps with 4 goals.
Berisha is a central midfielder but can also play further forward. He is a dynamic and physical player who can attack and defend. He has technique and is also good at taking freekicks and penalties.
At Lazio he was a disappointment. As an opponent he had looked like an excellent box to box midfielder but in Rome he never showed the same quality. He will be remembered as one of the signings that did not work out.
Lazio career
Season | Total appearances | Serie A | Coppa Italia | Europa League |
2018-19 | 14 | 8 | 1 | 5 |
2019-20 | 8 | 3 | 1 | 4 |
Total | 22 | 11 | 2 | 9 |
Sources
Comentarios