Klose takes Lazio to second place

Season 2011-12

Game 31, Serie A

Saturday, December 10, 2012

Stadio Via del Mare, Lecce

Lecce Lazio 2-3

A wonderful double from Klose gives Lazio a win and second place.

In Serie A Lazio was rather inconsistent. Good performances away from home (4 wins and 2 draws), not so good at home.

The good performances away from home did take Lazio to second place at one point, but the position was lost following defeat at home against Juventus.

The match: Saturday, December 10, 2012, Lecce, Stadio Via del Mare

Lecce, last, had just sacked Eusebio Di Francesco and chosen another supporter of the second team of Rome, Serse Cosmi. Lazio came into the match after a 3-0 win against Novara and was confident they would add three points to the bounty so far. They did but it was a struggle.

The game started uphill for Lazio as David De Michele, former West Ham United player, got away from the Lazio defence and was taken down in the penalty box by Federico Marchetti in the 11th minute. He took the penalty and scored.

Lazio had not really got into the game and Lecce with its star players, Juan Cuadrado and Luis Muriel, put a lot of pressure on the Lazio defence. Marchetti’s saves were almost miraculous and avoided a far worse scoreline.

Lazio woke up in the 28th minute. Corner, Modibo Diakitè headed the ball to the middle of the penalty box and Miro Klose made it 1-1. Lecce reorganised and former Lazio skipper Massimo Oddo started pushing on the wing. Muriel had an incredible chance in the 38th minute but his shot went wide.

Reja knew he had to change something so out went Giuseppe Biava and Tommaso Rocchi and in come Lorik Cana and Djibril Cissé. Two minutes in the second half and Lazio made it 2-1. Klose passed a wonderful ball in the penalty box to Cana who scored his first goal for Lazio. Lecce were in trouble but Lazio did not push allowing Lecce to equalise. An Olivera cross from a free kick was not cleared by the Lazio defence. Muriel was able to cross it back for Stefano Ferrario who headed it into the net.

If anybody had decided to bet on who would win the game, they would have certainly put money on a Lecce win. But Lazio had the players that could solve things at any minute in time. With three minutes left in the match, Cissé put a perfect cross in the penalty box for Klose to give Lazio the three points.

A tough battle, but Lazio were now second just one point behind Juventus.

Who played for Lecce

Benassi, Oddo, Tomovic (46' Giandonato, 55' Grossmuller), Ferrario, Mesbah, Obodo, Cuadrado, Giacomazzi, Olivera, Di Michele, Muriel (80' Piatti)

Substitutes: J.Sergio, Brivio, Pasquato, Corvia

Manager: Cosmi

Who played for Lazio

Marchetti (60’ Carrizo), Stankevicius, Diakité, Biava (46’ Cana), Radu, A. Gonzalez, Ledesma, Lulic, Hernanes, Klose, Rocchi (46’ Cissé)