Game 2, Serie A
Sunday, August 27, 2023
Stadio Olimpico
Lazio Genoa 0-1
The Biancocelesti lose again. Too early to be worried?
The team
Maurizio Sarri decided to play with Nicolò Casale instead of Patric and continued with Daichi Kamada despite the fact that at Lecce he clearly showed signs of physical difficulty.
The match
Lazio seemed to have left off from where they had finished: the horrible final minutes at Lecce. Slow, static, completely lacking in ideas and in physical difficulty. Genoa on the other hand were in a much better shape than the Biancocelesti and it showed in the first 20 minutes.
Genoa’s first chance came after three minutes. Albert Gudmundsson from the right crossed into the Lazio box but Mateo Retegui headed the ball straight into the hands of Ivan Provedel. In the 12th minute Johan Vasquez tried a cross from the left but it took a strange trajectory and hit the woodwork. The Rossoblu’s deserved goal arrived just four minutes later. Gudmundsson crossed from the left, Casale cleared but onto Morten Frendrup's feet His volley was parried by Provedel but it gave a simple header for Retegui and the Italian National scored.
The cooling break at mid first half was the chance for Lazio to regroup but it took the first refereeing controversy of the day to give the Biancocelesti that nervous energy needed to try and create something. In the 30th minute Ciro Immbile was challenged energetically in the box by Radu Dragusin who seemed to push him over from behind. For the referee there was nothing in it and quite frankly he was right. But at that point Lazio went on a charge. Mind you, no shots on goal but complete control of the match. Kamada started to improve and the team benefitted.
The second penalty appeal came in the 42nd minute. A very confused scrum inside the Genoa penalty box saw Mattia Zaccagni fouled by Mattia Bani. Not for the ref however nor the VAR. The foul was shown on the screens of the Olimpico and as a consequence insults started pouring down on the men in black. It was a blatant penalty.
In the third minute of injury time, Manuel Lazzari finally managed to get a cross right. That per se is worth mentioning, only that this time the low pass to the centre was directed to Kamada but Bani was able to get there just in time and block the shot into corner. The first real chance for Lazio.
Second half
The Biancocelesti continued to pile pressure on the Ligurian defence in the second half. In the 51st minute another good pass from Lazzari reached Kamada who crossed high for Luis Alberto. The Magician stopped the ball and aimed for the goal. Josep Martinez saved into corner.
In the 62nd minute free kick on the left for Lazio. Luis Alberto to Zaccagni who tried a shot but Bani again managed to save into corner. Two minutes later a very dangerous cross from the left by Ruslan Malinovskyi was deflected by Provedel just before Retugui could intervene. In the 65th minute Zaccagni on the left crossed in the box, Dragusin could not control it, Immobile found the ball and tried a volley: crossbar.
A minute later in came Luca Pellegrini, Matias Vecino and Gustav Isaksen and out went Adam Marusic, Kamada and Felipe Anderson. Genoa also made three substitutions: Morten Thorsby, Silvan Hefti and Caleb Ekuban for Frendrup, Malinovskyi and Retegui. In the 79th Taty Castellanos substituted Danilo Cataldi and Lazio went for a 4-4-2. That practically further limited Lazio possibilities to equalise, even if they did have another couple of chances. First with a Vecino header in the 81st which was too high and then Taty headed the ball just wide four minutes later from a Zaccagni cross.
In the 88th minute Genoa should have made it two but Ekuban’s shot went wide following a great pass from Gudmundsson. In the final assault, in the ninth minute of injury time, there was a corner for Lazio. Luis Alberto crossed the ball that went over Martinez but it was just too high for Castellanos who could make good contact. Game over.
Time to be worried?
Well, the next two games are away to Napoli and Juventus …
Who played for Lazio
Provedel, Lazzari, Casale, Romagnoli, Marusic (66' Pellegrini), Kamada (66' Vecino), Cataldi (79' Castellanos), Luis Alberto, Felipe Anderson (66' Isaksen), Immobile, Zaccagni.
Substitutes: Sepe, Adamonis, Furlanetto, Patric, Hysaj, Gila, Rovella, Basic, Sanà Fernandes.
Manager: Sarri
Who played for Genoa
Martinez, Sabelli (85' Aaron), Bani, Dragusin, Vasquez, Frendrup, Badelj, Strootman (69' Thorsby) , Malinovski (69' Hefti), Gudmundsson (90'+4' Jagiello), Retegui (69` Ekuban).
Substitutes: Leali, Sommariva, De Winter, Aramu, Biraschi, Puscas, Fini.
Manager: Gilardino.
Referee: Marinelli
Goal: 16’ Retegui
Booked: Cataldi, Frendrup, Malinovski, Pellegrini, Zaccagni, Immobile
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