Lazio-Galatasaray 3-1

Season 2015-16

Europa League, Round of 32, Second Leg

Thursday, February 25, 2016

Stadio Olimpico, Rome

Lazio-Galatasaray 3-1

An excellent second half puts the Biancocelesti through

Lazio had won the first game 2-1 at home to Bologna but then been thrashed by Chievo 0-4 and had never found much consistency. Since then, the Biancocelesti had won 8 (including Verona, Inter both 2-1 and Fiorentina 3-1, all away), drawn 6 and lost 8 (including Napoli 0-5 away and derby). Lazio were currently 9th on 33 points.

In the Europa League Lazio had got through the group stage, after 4 wins (Saint- Étienne 3-2 and Dnipro 3-1 at home, Rosenborg home and away 3-1 and 2-0) and 2 draws (Dnipro and Saint-Étienne both 1-1 away). Next up were Galatasaray this evening in the round of 32.

Lazio had drawn 1-1 in Istanbul a week earlier with a Sergej Milinkovic-Savic equaliser.

The match

The Europa League as usual did not pull in the crowds, about 15,000 tonight.

Lazio opted for a few changes compared to the league games, defender Milan Biševac and forward Alessandro Matri were on, Keita Balde was rested while Dušan Basta, Antonio Candreva, Stefano Mauri and Miroslav Klose were all on the bench.

Galatasaray had more or less all their squad to choose from.

Both sides were cautious to start. The away result in Istanbul advised both sides to bide their time in the early stages. Lazio knew that to protect the 0-0 could be risky but so could attacking head down.

Lazio controlled the Turks well in the first half. Senad Lulic often dropped back to midfield while Lucas Biglia gave a hand to the central defenders. The Turks too avoided attacking at full force from the beginning, opting for a prudent 4-2-3-1 with only Lucas Podolski up front.

This resulted in a blocked first 45 minutes in which it was Lazio however who attacked more. The Biancocelesti had shots with Marco Parolo (over the bar) in the 5th minute and again in the 11th (deflected into corner), a central header by Milinkovic-Savic on the subsequent corner and a cracking shot by Biglia in the 42nd (tipped over the bar by Fernando Muslera).

The visitors only attempt was a Wesley Sneijder long range shot comfortably caught by Federico Marchetti in the 18th minute.

The first half therefore ended 0-0 with Lazio not having risked anything at the back.

In the second half Lazio seemed more intent on trying to get some goals on the board to avoid having to worry about conceding an away goal even in the dying moments.

In the 57th minute Biglia surged forward, skipped past an opponent and at the edge of the area slipped the ball through two defenders to Alessandro Matri on the right side of the box, the number 17 drilled a low cross goal shot but it came off the far post.

In the 58th minute Lazio replaced Lulic with Antonio Candreva and a minute later took the lead. On a corner from the right by Biglia the ball reached the heart of the area where Parolo hit a powerful header which bounced on line and beat Muslera. Lazio 1 Galatasaray 0.

Cimbom did not even have time to reorganise that the hosts scored again. In the 61st minute Candreva set up Matri on the right side of the area and the Lombard forward squared a perfect ball into the middle which Felipe Anderson only had to tap in. A great move and Lazio 2 Galatasaray 0.

If Lazio thought their work was done they had to change their minds only two minutes later because the Bullus pulled a goal back.

In the 63rd minute on a through ball from midfield Yasin Öztekin was suddenly one-on-one with Federico Marchetti on the right side of the box, the Turk dummied a shot and then slotted it past Marchetti. A well taken goal but the Lazio central defenders had been completely distracted.

The game and qualification was suddenly back on. With one more goal it would be Gala going through on away goals. The Turks put on another forward Umut Bulut for midfielder Sabri Sarioğlu. Lazio responded by putting on Miroslav Klose for Matri.

In the 71st minute Cameroonian Aurélien Chedjou had the bad idea of trying to dribble round Klose at the edge of the box, he lost the ball and Klose was then just anticipated by Muslera who dived low at his feet, the ball came back to the German who was on the ground but he tried a shot anyway which was deflected into corner from near the goal line by Chedjou, making up for his previous blunder.

If Lazio thought they would have to suffer until the end they were once again wrong. In the 72nd minute they scored a third to give themselves a more reassuring lead. Felipe Anderson put a good ball through to Stefan Radu on the left of the area and the "Boss" squared an impeccable low ball into Klose who only had to accompany the ball in. Lazio 3 Galatasaray 1.

The "Aslanar" tried to improve their attacking threat by bringing on Olcan Adin for Oztekin in the 75th minute.

The Turks had a chance in the 84th minute with Selçuk Inan but his low freekick was parried away by Marchetti who dived to his right and saved into corner.

In the 85th minute Gala played their last card and brought on midfielder Kilal Kisa for defender Ryan Donk.

It was Lazio however who had the last goal scoring opportunity and it was an enormous one. In the 92nd minute on the counter foot Klose teed up Candreva who ran unmarked from the halfway line towards Muslera but was dispossessed while trying to push the ball around the former Lazio keeper. A huge chance but not one to regret as after three minutes of injury time the Russian referee blew up for full time, Lazio 3 Galatasaray 1.

Lazio were through to the last 16. An excellent performance by Lazio who had never really been troubled by Galatasaray. When they decided to accelerate they scored three goals and was only a collective defensive mess up which complicated things briefly before Klose definitely clinched the tie.

Who played for Lazio

Marchetti, Konko, Mauricio, Bisevac, Radu, Milinkovic-Savic, Biglia, Parolo, F. Anderson, Matri (70' Klose), Lulic (58' Candreva)