Game 7, Serie A
Sunday, October 6, 2024
Stadio Olimpico
Lazio Empoli 2-1
Pedro gives Lazio the three points with yet another marvellous goal
The team
It now seems evident that Marco Baroni has a clear idea of who is going to play in Serie A and who in the cups as he yet again makes a radical 8-man change compared to the recent game against Nice.
There were just three players that made both starting 11's: Mario Gila, Matteo Guendouzi and Taty Castellanos.
First half
Lazio started well, determined to get in front as soon as possible and in the 6th minute Mattia Zaccagni had a header go just wide. But then the plan went to the dogs. In the 9th minute Ola Solbakken on the left, ball to Giuseppe Pezzella on the wing, cross into the box, Ivan Provedel came out with the intention of catching the ball but he slipped, Sebastiano Esposito rose higher than Alessio Romagnoli and headed the ball into the empty net. Biancocelesti very unlucky and as so many times this season, a goal conceded in the early minutes.
From this moment on, Empoli did everything they could do to get the watch ticking as fast as possible. Every time there was a free kick, a throw in or the goalie had the ball, it took ages for the game to restart. Obviously all this time wasting was in their best interests but these types of tactics should not have been allowed. The ref did nothing about it.
Lazio had to re-organise and the assault began. After one minute Manuel Lazzari crossed from the right, Boulaye Dia tried a very difficult volley, just wide. In the 14th minute Gustav Isaksen on a free kick tried to surprise the goalkeeper by shooting towards the front post instead of crossing but Devis Vásquez made a great save. Castellanos tried a shot in the 23rd minute but again the Empoli keeper saved into corner. The Biancocelesti continued to pile on pressure and crosses upon the Tuscan defence but to no avail.
In the 36th minute Lazzari got injured and was substituted by Adam Marusic.
In the 44th, Castellanos to Isaksen who had a minimal advantage over the Empoli defence, he went forward and once in the box, on the far right, tried a shot that was only slightly wide.
The ref gave two minutes of injury time but then added another 60 seconds, annoyed that the Empoli players were wasting so much time on a throw-in. With just a few seconds to go, Nuno Tavares on the left finally had a little space. Emmanuel Gyasi challenged him but he beat him for speed, reached the byline and crossed. Zaccagni with a wonderful header gave Lazio the well deserved equaliser. Fifth assist in 5 games for the Portuguese.
Second half
The Biancocelesti started from where they left off and in the 49th minute Nuno Taveres went off on the left, on the edge of the box he passed centrally to Dia blatantly fouled in the box by Pezzella. Penalty. Zaccagni, who had taken the spot kick last Thursday, left the ball to Castellanos who gave it a big whack but too central and Vásquez saved.
The missed opportunity seemed to take away a bit of steam from the Biancocelesti who had difficulty in finding openings in the Empoli defence. There were a number of substitutions for the Tuscans in the second 45 minutes: in came Liberato Cacace, Emmanuel Ekong, Liam Henderson, Mattia De Sciglio and Lorenzo Colombo out went Pezzella, Tino Anjorin, Jacopo Fazzini, Esposito and Solbakken. Baroni only changed Isaksen for Pedro in the 73rd minute.
Lazio found it hard to create anything dangerous with the exception of a Zaccagni shot in the 79th minute that shaved the post.
Then in the 83rd minute, Romagnoli to Zaccagni who found an opening for Castellanos, ball to Pedro inside the box on the right, big whack under the crossbar, Biancocelesti ahead. Another marvellous goal from the Spaniard, very similar to the one he had scored a few days earlier against Nice.
At this point Baroni made three substitutions: in came Luca Pellegrini, Tijani Noslin and Gaetano Castrovilli for Nuno Tavares, Zaccagni and Dia.
Lazio pulled back but could have made it three. In the 91st minute Pedro dispossessed Mattia Viti, ball to Castellanos who passed to Matteo Guendouzi on the wing, one-two with Pedro, cross in the middle, Castellanos went for the kill but Vasquez saved brilliantly. Then Castovillari tried a shot from outside the area, just wide.
But that was all for this game. Another win, another three points.
Who played for Lazio
Provedel, Lazzari (38' Marusic), Gila, Romagnoli, Nuno Tavares (86' Pellegrini), Guendouzi, Rovella, Isaksen (73' Pedro), Dia (86' Castrovilli), Zaccagni (86' Noslin); Castellanos.
Substitutes: Mandas, Furlanetto, Gigot, Patric, Dele-Bashiru, Tchaouna
Manager: Baroni
Who played for Empoli
Vásquez, Goglichidze, Ismajli, Viti, Gyasi, Fazzini (65' Henderson), Grassi, Anjorin (65' Ekong), Pezzella (53' Cacace), Esposito (83' De Sciglio), Solbakken (83' Colombo)
Substitutes: Segheti, Brancolini, Sambia, Pellegri, Tosto, Haas, Marianucci, Konate
Manager: D`Aversa
Referee: Ayroldi
Goals: 8' Esposito, 45'+3' Zaccagni, 84' Pedro.
Booked: Pezzella(E), Fazzini (E), Rovella (L), Castellanos (L), Gyasi (E), Grassi (E)
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