Champions League, Group Stage, Game 1
Tuesday, September 19, 2023
Stadio Olimpico, Rome
Lazio Atlético Madrid 1-1
Ivan Provedel, Lazio’s providential goalkeeper, transforms himself into Caicedo and scores a last gasp goal
Starting with the end
In all the reports on the various matches we have produced since the beginning of Lazio Stories, we have never started from the end of the game. This time we will make an exception.
Minute 94, Lazio were behind. The referee had given a few more seconds for Lazio to take a corner since injury time was four minutes. Danilo Cataldi took it and sent the ball towards the front post. Mario Hermoso looked as if he controlled it with his hands and the Olimpico cried out for a penalty. Ball back to Cataldi who passed to Luis Alberto, on the left, just outside the box.
At this point, Ivan Provedel, who had gone forward for the last desperate attempt, started thinking “he is going to cross on the far post, he always does that”. Luis Alberto stopped the ball and crossed into the box.
Provedel had quietly followed all the Spaniard’s moves and knew just exactly what he had to do. The Atlético defenders were not looking at him, as a matter of fact, they did not even see him, Ivan was invisible.
The ball was in the air, Provedel, like an experienced centre-forward, went for it. His header beat Jan Oblak. Lazio 1 Atletico 1.
The team
Maurizio Sarri made a few surprise moves in the Lazio starting XI. In came Patric for Nicolò Casale, Luca Pellegrini for Elseid Hysaj and Matias Vecino for Cataldi. Rather unexpected.
First half
A big welcome home for Diego Simeone, one of the heroes of the Lazio 1999-00 scudetto and now famous manager of Atlético. He acknowledged the welcome but did not go under Curva Nord. The game was much more important.
Lazio started well, had the game under control and the Colchoneros did not really do much. Typical of their way of playing, to wait for the right moment to strike.
In the 18th minute first opportunity for the Biancocelesti. Luis Alberto took a corner and Alessio Romagnoli headed the ball over the crossbar. In the 28th minute Adam Marusic crossed from the right to Luis Alberto just outside the box but central. His acrobatic volley shaved the post.
A minute later, Atlético scored. Long pass from Stefan Savic to Nahuel Molina. The Argentinian on the right, not too far from the corner flag, moved around Pellegrini and passed to upcoming Pablo Barrios who immediately tried a shot at goal. The ball hit Daichi Kamada and beat Provedel. A stroke of luck for the Colchoneros.
In the 38th minute Sarri was forced to substitute Pellegrini with Manuel Lazzari.
Nothing much more happened in the first half. Lazio attacked but Atlético defended well.
Second half
In the interval Simeone replaced Barrios with José Gimenez. In the 50th minute Axel Witsel attempted a shot, well saved by Provedel. A minute later Ciro Immobile tried a header but it was deflected into corner.
In the 56th minute the mother of all chances came to Immobile. Oblak tried a difficult pass from his box, Felipe Anderson intercepted and his header was a perfect pass for the King, completely unmarked in front of the keeper. He controlled the ball and then literally passed it to Oblak. A marvellous opportunity to score, and a terrible mistake by Immobile.
In the 62nd minute Kamada and Felipe Anderson were substituted by Matteo Guendouzi and Gustav Isaksen.
In the 65th minute a free kick for the Colchoneros on the left. Antoine Griezmann crossed in the box, ball cleared by Vecino but it fell to the feet of Alvaro Morata who stopped it and shot. Deflected by the Lazio defence it took a strange trajectory as if it was in slow motion. The crowd stopped breathing, waiting to see what would happen. The ball hit the post and went out. A huge sigh of relief.
Lazio were on their knees and Atlético tried to get a second on the counter attack. In the 71st minute, Griezmann on the right passed to Marco Llorente in the box, low cross for Samuel Lino on the other side. His ball control allowed Provedel to race towards him, arms outstretched. The Brazilian shot and our man in yellow parried. Great save.
On the counter attack Mattia Zaccagni tried a cross from the left but it became a dangerous shot that Oblak saved into corner. Three more substitutions a minute later: Angel Correa for Witsel, Cataldi and Pedro substituted Vecino and Zaccagni. In the 76th minute in came Rodrigo Riquelme for Lino.
The Biancocelesti tried to apply more pressure on the Spanish defence. In the 85th minute a Luis Alberto shot went just a little too high. In the 93rd Cataldi tried a shot which Oblak saved into corner with the tip of his fingers.
From that corner, Lazio equalised.
Curiosities
Provedel had already scored in his career. On February 7 2020, Juve Stabia were losing to Ascoli and Provedel scored the equaliser.
The last goalkeeper to score for Lazio was Lucidio Sentimenti IV. He scored a penalty on February 1 1953. We may be mistaken, but I believe Provedel is the first Lazio keeper to score a goal in open play.
Other four goalkeepers have scored in Champions League: Hans-Jorg Butt, who scored three penalties, all against Juventus, Sinan Bolat, the only other keeper to score in open play in a 2009 game between Standard Liège and AZ Alkmaar, and Vincent Enyeama who scored on a penalty for Hapoel Tel Aviv in a defeat to Olympique Lyonnais in 2010.
Next up
Lazio now play Celtic on October 4 in Glasgow.
Who played for Lazio
Provedel, Marusic, Patric, Romagnoli, Pellegrini (37' Lazzari), Kamada (61' Guendouzi), Vecino (76' Cataldi), Luis Alberto, Felipe Anderson (61' Isaksen), Immobile, Zaccagni (76' Pedro).
Substitutes: Sepe, Renzetti, Casale, Hysaj, Gila, Rovella, Castellanos.
Manager: Sarri
Who played for Atletico Madrid
Oblak, Molina, Witsel (74' Correa), Savic, Lino (79' Riquelme), Hermoso, Barrios (46' Gimenez), Saul Ninguez, Marcos Llorente, Griezmann, Morata.
Substitutes: Grbic, Antonio Gomis, Azpilicueta, Galan, Kostis, El Jebari, Calatrava, Guerrero.
Manager: Simeone
Referee: Vinčić (Slovenia)
Goals: 24’ Barrios, 90+4’ Provedel
Booked: Griezmann, Barrios, Lino, Patric, Immobile, Correa
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