Game 1, Serie A
Sunday, August 20, 2017
Stadio Olimpico, Rome
Lazio Spal 0-0
Lazio had trouble scoring and even risked losing
The season kicked off to a good start. Lazio managed to beat Juventus 3-2 in the Italian Super Cup with a goal in the dying seconds from youngster Alessandro Murgia. Doubles from Ciro Immobile and Paolo Dybala had made the game 2-2.
Today was the first league match of the season.
The match
Lazio were without injured Felipe Anderson, substituted by Simone Palombi, and Lucas Leiva. Spal were back in Serie A almost half a century after the last time.
The Ferraresi started very well and had a chance in the 8th minute. Pasquale Schiattarella after a quick corner passed the ball into the middle for the upcoming Federico Viviani whose shot was just wide. Shortly after a Sergej Milinkovic-Savic header off a Dusan Basta cross also just missed the target.
In the 27th minute Ciro Immobile was anticipated by Alfred Gomis in the box but he lost the ball. King Ciro tried to find the space to shoot but in the meantime most of Spal were there to cover for the keeper and by the time Immobile's shot came Gomis parried. Three minutes later another Spal chance again from a corner. Schiattarella received the ball in the box but took his time to switch foot so when he did shoot Stefan de Vrij deflected into corner.
After a Luis Alberto free kick which was saved into corner by Gomis, Spal had their third chance with Sauli Vaisanen again off a corner kick in the 43rd minute but he could not get a good connection with the ball and his header went too high.
The first half ended on a Basta cross which Immobile managed to control and volley towards the goal, but Gomis saved.
In the 53rd minute Palombi crossed too long but Senad Liulic managed to get to the ball on the far left but inside the box. Another cross and Immobile headed the ball over the crossbar.
Spal controlled the game and Lazio were too out of form to be able to increase their intensity. In the 82nd minute a volley from outside the penalty area from Lulic was parried by Gomis.
Lazio did try a final forcing in the last minutes but did not create anything dangerous and the match ended goalless.
A pity for the Biancocelesti but one could see that they were still a bit behind as far as reaching a decent form was concerned.
Who played for Lazio
Strakosha, Wallace, de Vrij, Radu, Basta (67’ Marusic), Parolo, Luis Alberto, Milinkovic-Savic, Lulic (85’ Caicedo), Immobile, Palombi (57’ Lukaku)
Substitutes: Guerrieri, Vargic, Bastos, Luiz Felipe, Hoedt, Patric, Di Gennaro, Murgia, Lombardi
Manager: Inzaghi
Who played for Spal
Gomis, Oikonomou (55' Cremonesi), Vicari, Vaisanen, Lazzari (88' Mattiello), Schiattarella, Viviani, Mora, Costa, Paloschi (62' Borriello), Floccari
Substitutes: Marchegiani, Poluzzi, Gasparetto, Bellemo, Rizzo, Konate, Salamon, Schiavon, Antenucci
Manager: Semplici
Referee: Abisso
Sources
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