Game 35, Serie A
Sunday, April 27, 2014
Stadio Armando Picchi, Livorno
Livorno Lazio 0-2
Mauri and Candreva lift Lazio to 6th place and throw Livorno into deep trouble
So far in the league Lazio were in 8th position, after 13 wins, 10 draws and 11 defeats. They were winning more matches away than at home, where the fans were extremely hostile to the club owner Claudio Lotito. They still had a small chance of playing in Europe the following season but would probably have to win the last 4 matches.
Livorno were desperate. The "Amaranto" were having a chaotic season, they had already changed managers three times; Davide Nicola, to Attilio Perotti, to Domenico Di Carlo and full circle back to Davide Nicola. The Tuscans were currently in 19th place (out of 20) and had only got 1 point out of the last 6 matches and lost the last three. Their last win had been on March 16 against Bologna. Things were not looking good in Leghorn and today was possibly, as they say in Italy, "l'ultima spiaggia" (their last chance) to hold on to a flicker of hope.
The match
Livorno with the return of original manager Nicola went for a cautious 4-5-1 formation. Lazio still without injured Miro Klose played Stefano Mauri as "falso nueve", a deep lying centre-forward.
Livorno started brightly and had five corners and two chances in the first fifteen minutes. Marco Biagianti had a header and Luca Siligardi a shot from outside the area. Lazio however were clearly superior technically and went ahead in the 15th minute. A Senad Lulic cross was met by Mauri whose volley from a seemingly impossible angle beat a not impeccable Francesco Bardi on his own post. Livorno 0 Lazio 1.
Lazio now in the driving seat relaxed and tried to slow the game down to protect their lead. They did so reasonably well until injury time when Lucas Biglia was dispossessed by Siligardi who dribbled past Lorik Cana but was stopped by a huge Michael Ciani tackle just before shooting and probably scoring. Half time, Livorno 0 Lazio 1. Lazio had done the minimum necessary but there was a massive gap in quality between the two sides.
Lazio practically closed out the game in the 51st minute. A somewhat generous penalty was awarded to the visitors for a Leanadro Rinaudo handball on a Mauri shot. Former Livorno player Antonio Candreva made no mistake putting Lazio 2-0 up. By scoring the spotkick Candreva also became the highest scoring midfielder in Lazio's history with 12 goals in a season.
The second goal completely took the already feeble wind out of Livorno's sails. Lazio dominated the remainder of the match and had several more chances to score more goals but Bardi redeemed himself saving from Keita Balde, Eddy Onazi and Candreva. Livorno showed all their inadequacies and could only muster a few corners and scrambles in front of Etrit Berisha. Final score Livorno 0 Lazio 2.
An easy win for Lazio against an opponent that looked doomed for the drop. Lazio went up to sixth place and rekindled some hopes of European football. It would be down to the next key home game against Euro rivals Verona.
Livorno looked like a Serie B side and although all their rivals lost today, there was also one game less to go and time was running out fast.
A historic note was that the two opposing groups of fans, no friends to put it mildly, today for once joined forces in hostile chants against both Spinelli and Lotito. No breakthrough but a common enemy sometimes does wonders.
Who played for Livorno
Bardi, Valentini (79' Bruzzi), Rinaudo, Emerson, Castellini (63' Piccini), Biagianti, Duncan, Greco (58' Belfodil), Siligardi, Mesbah, Paulinho
Substitutes: Anania, Aldegani, Gemiti, Coda, Bartolini, Mosquera, Benassi, Tiritiello, Borja Hernandez
Manager: Nicola
Who played for Lazio
Berisha, Pereirinha, Ciani, Cana, Lulic, Onazi (71' A. Gonzalez), Ledesma, Biglia, Mauri, Candreva (81' Felipe Anderson), Keita (88' Perea)
Manager: Reja
Referee: De Marco
Goals: 15' Mauri, 51' Candreva (pen)
Sources
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