Game 38, Serie A
Sunday, May 22, 2011
Stadio Via del Mare, Lecce
Lecce Lazio 2-4
Lazio win at Lecce but miss out on Champions League
Today was the last game of the season. In order to qualify for the Champions League, Lazio needed to win and Udinese to lose (they were playing Milan who were already champions, at home), or draw with Lazio winning 9-0 (the Biancocelesti had a goal difference of +14, the Bianconeri +22).
The match
Lazio needed to win and started attacking immediately. In the first few minutes Stefano Mauri on the right, back to the goal and pressed by a Lecce defender, managed to pass the ball to Cristian Brocchi who crossed in the box for Tommaso Rocchi but his header was only just wide. Not to worry. In the 6th minute Cristian Ledesma opened up the Apulian defence and sent the Lazio centre forward all alone towards the goal. Rocchi waited until the last possible second and with a low left footed shot gave Lazio the lead.
Lecce reacted and on a cross from the right by Giulio Donati, Djamel Mesbah headed the ball towards the goal, a Stephan Lichtsteiner deflection almost gave the Giallorossi an equaliser. Which could also have come in the 15th minute. Ignacio Piatti all alone in the box tried a volley which beat Fernando Muslera but not André Dias who managed to head the ball away. In the 22nd minute Mauro Zarate received a splendid pass from Mauri and tried to beat Massimiliano Benassi who got a hand to the ball and deflected it onto the post. In the 30th minute, a splendid counter attack for Lazio. Rocchi and Zarate all alone in front of the goalkeeper but with 40 metres left on the pitch. Tommaso decided to ignore his teammate and go solo. He managed to dribble past Benassi but his shot was weak and the Lecce defence cleared. If he had passed to Zarate, it would have been 2-0.
Three minutes later Giuseppe Vives gave a high ball to Manuel Coppola in the box, Muslera ran forward and the Italian tried a lob which ended up in the goal. Lecce 1 Lazio 1.
The Biancocelesti immediately went forward and in the 35th minute a Zarate-Rocchi one-two at the limit of the area gave the Argentinian the possibility to beat Benassi and he did not miss. Lazio back in front.
Rocchi had another chance shortly after but his volley off a cross from the right was slightly too high. In the 41st minute Donati from the right crossed into the box, the Lazio defence did not clear properly, ball to Piatti who with a low left footer gave Lecce their second goal. End of first half.
In the meantime, not much was happening at Udine. Milan had been dangerous on an Antonio Cassano shot but Udinese had been closer to scoring with chances for Antonio Di Natale and Alexis Sanchez.
In the beginning of the second half Zarate received a long pass from Javier Garrido. He was unmarked in front of Benassi, he dribbled past the goalkeeper but his shot went wide. In the 55th minute another long ball over the Lecce defence this time from Ledesma to Rocchi who arrived into the box and tried to dribble past Benassi who fouled him (and was sent off). Penalty for Lazio, this time, unlike at Udine, Zarate did not miss, Lecce 2 Lazio 3
In the 60th minute Daniele Corvia had a chance to make it 3-3, but 120 seconds later Lazio scored their fourth. On a Zarate corner Vives instead of clearing sent the ball into the back of the net. Game over.
At Udine, Milan had turned the switch off and Udinese had numerous opportunities to score. The Rossonero keeper Marco Amelia was the protagonist with a number of saves that kept the score goalless. He even saved a penalty. The game ended 0-0.
No Champions League for Lazio, beaten on the finishing line by Udinese yet again.
Who played for Lecce
Benassi, Donati, Giacomazzi, Giuliatto, Brivio, Munari, Vives, Coppola, Mesbah (50' Corvia), Piatti (51' Chevanton), Di Michele (54' Rosati)
Substitutes: Fabiano, Grossmuller, Jeda, Rispoli
Manager: De Canio
Who played for Lazio
Muslera, Lichtsteiner (84’ Scaloni), Biava, Dias, Garrido, Brocchi, Ledesma, Mauri, Hernanes (46’ Gonzalez), Zarate, Rocchi (64’ Floccari)
Manager: Reja
Referee: Rocchi
Goals: 7’ Rocchi, 33’ Coppola, 35’ Zarate, 41’ Piatti, 55’ Zarate (pen), 62’ Vives (og)
Sources
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