Not total revenge but good enough
Lazio partly avenge Danish humiliation and head into the last game top of the group
The season so far
Lazio had finished 5th the previous season, in Maurizio Sarri's first year in charge, qualifying for the Europa League. Top scorer was, as usual, Ciro Immobile with 32 goals (27 in A).
In the Europa League Lazio had exited in the playoffs for the last 16, losing to Porto 2-3 on aggregate.
This season Sarri stayed on and there was optimism that the team would by now have assimilated his style of play and be able to achieve better results.
The main new players were: keepers Luís Maximiliano (Granada) and Ivan Provedel, defenders Nicolò Casale (Verona), Mario Gila (Real Madrid Castilla) and Alessio Romagnoli (Milan-free agent), midfielders Marcos Antonio (Shakhtar Donetsk), Matías Vecino (free agent) plus forward Matteo Cancellieri (Verona - on loan with clause to buy).
Leaving were: keepers Thomas Strakosha (Brentford), Pepe Reina (by mutual agreement), defender Francesco Acerbi (Inter - on loan with clause to buy), Luiz Felipe (end of contract), midfielders Jean-Daniel Akpa Akpro (Empoli - on loan) and with great sadness Lucas Leiva (Gremio-end of contract).
Serie A had started on August 14 and Lazio had so far played 11 games. The Biancocelesti had won 7 (including Inter 3-1 at home, Fiorentina 4-0 and Atalanta 2-0 away). Lazio were currently joint 3rd with Atalanta but 5 points off leaders Napoli.
In today's competition, the Europa League, things were not going as well. Lazio had started positively defeating Feyenoord 4-2 at home but then collapsed 1-5 away to Midtjylland and drew home and away with Sturm Graz. The Biancocelesti needed a win tonight to stay in the competition and for pride, after the humiliation in Denmark.
Midtjylland had finished 2nd in the Superligaen and won the Danish Cup. The club are from the town of Herning in central Denmark and only formed in 1999 from a merger between Ikast FS and Herning Fremad. The manager was Bo Henriksen.
This year the manager was first Bo Henriksen (1-2), then Henrik Jensen (3-6) and now Spaniard Albert Capellas. In their domestic league the "Ulvene" (Wolves) had won 5, drawn 6 and lost 3. In the Europa League they had won 1 (against Lazio), drawn 2 (both 2-2 against Feyenoord) and lost 1 (Sturm Graz 0-1 away on debut).
The table read: Feyenoord 5 (+4), Midtjylland 5 (+3), Lazio 5 (-2), Sturm Graz 5 (-5). All very close. The last games would be decisive. We started today with Lazio vs Midtjylland and Sturm Graz vs Feyenoord.
The match: Thursday, October 27, 2022, Stadio Olimpico, Rome
An 18.45 start in Rome inevitably did not bring out a massive crowd, about 20,000.
Sarri opted for his usual turnover in Europe. Ciro Immobile and Luis Alberto were also out injured so he played Toma Basic in midfield and Matteo Cancellieri up front.
In the early stages fortunately, there was no sign of the passive approach shown in Denmark.
Despite the positive start Lazio went a goal down almost immediately. In the 8th minute Mario Gila made a terrible pass in his own half, trying to play it over Gustav Isaksen to Adam Marusic; he instead passed straight to the Dane. The future Lazio forward headed it to a teammate, Marcos Antonio then tried to remedy the situation but the ball again reached Isaksen who turned swiftly and scored with a great curling shot. Lazio 0 Midtjylland 1.
A shock start for Lazio, who really did have to win this game at all costs to have any chance of winning the group (to avoid CL teams) or possibly even qualifying.
Lazio however were in trouble. The Danes had long spells of possession and endless passing phases which Lazio were unable to interrupt, increasingly frustrating the home fans too.
In the 14th minute Sergej Milinkovic-Savic had a chance but his volley was too high. In the 20th minute Basic had a shot go just wide and in the 33rd a Felipe Anderson effort was well saved by Jonas Lossi. At this point, Cancellieri was moved to the right and Anderson to the centre of the attack.
In the 36th minute Lazio finally managed to break the spell they were under and shrug off their doubts and anxieties. Matteo Zaccagni did his usual trick on the left, dribbling past a defender and cutting towards the box, where he passed to Anderson who, with his back to the goal, passed back to Milinkovic-Savic who with a precise shot equalised. Lazio 1 Midtjylland 1.
For the first time in this double tie against the "Ulvene", Lazio took control, were more aggressive and started to threaten constantly. In the 45th minute Lazio almost took a half time lead but Milinkovic-Savic' shot was saved into corner by Lossi. Halftime 1-1.
At the beginning of the second half Midtjylland showed they were far from finished. In the 48th minute Edward Chilufya got away from Elseid Hysaj and Cancellieri on the left and passed to Paulinho, quick cross to Anders Dreyer who, poorly marked by Alessio Romagnoli, had a header come back off the crossbar. The threat continued as Romagnoli cleared but only as far as Chilufya whose scissor kick then hit the side netting.
Despite the scare, Lazio were now on the front foot and played with more confidence. Zaccagni burst down the left and played the ball into Anderson who was too far forward and unable to control it but the ball returned to Zaccagni whose shot after a slight deflection hit the top of the crossbar.
In the 53rd minute there were five substitutions: two for Midtjylland - Pione Sisto for Chilufya and Valdemar Andersson - and three for Lazio, out went Marcos Antonio, Basic and Cancellieri and in came Danilo Cataldi, Matias Vecino and Pedro.
It only took the Spaniard from Tenerife five minutes to put Lazio in front. Anderson and Vecino combined and sent Zaccagni careering down towards the left by-line where he put in a low cross, Vecino made no contact but Pedro was there. 2-1 for Lazio!!
Lazio had a chance to possibly close the game in the 65th minute. Anderson sprinted into the box, set up by Vecino, but Lossi did well to deny the Brazilian.
At this stage Lazio pulled back a bit to try and exploit the speed of their forwards. Midtjylland had possession but seemed to have lost their first half assurance. In the 73rd minute Luka Romero replaced an exhausted Zaccagni, finally some match time for the 17-year-old.
In the 77th minute Pedro to Milinkovic-Savic but the Serbs strike was just wide. In the 80th minute Pedro scored again but this time was judged offside by VAR.
In the 79th minute more changes. Nicolò Casale in for Gila while the visitors replaced Paulinho and Emiliano Martinez with Nicholas Dyhr and Juninho.
In the last ten minutes the Jutlanders tried to push forward but the Lazio defence ran no serious risks. Young Romero meanwhile delighted the fans with a few skilful runs and touches, immediately becoming a fan favourite. In the dying seconds on the break Pedro almost got his brace but Lossi did well and saved. Final score Lazio 2 Midtjylland 1.
A good win for Lazio who went top of the group, even if on goal difference. With one match to go the table read Lazio 8 (-1), Sturm Graz 8 (-4), Feyenoord 5 (+3), Midtjylland 5 (+2). Next up were Feyenoord-Lazio and Midtjylland-Sturm Graz. All still very open.
Who played for Lazio
Provedel; Hysaj, Gila (82' Casale), Romagnoli, Marusic; Milinkovic-Savic, Marcos Antonio (55' Cataldi), Basic (55' Vecino); Felipe Anderson, Cancellieri (55' Pedro), Zaccagni (73' Romero).
Substitutes: Maximiano, Magro, Radu, Luis Alberto
Manager: Sarri
Who played for Midtjylland
Lossi; Andersson (53' Thychosen), Dalsgaard, Sviatchenko, Paulinho (82' Dyhr); Martinez (82' Juninho), Charles (61' Kaba), Evander; Isaksen, Dreyer, Chilufya (53' Sisto).
Substitutes: Olafsson, Ugboh, Gartenmann, Kouakou, Byskov, Nibe, Ortiz.
Manager: Capellas.
Referee: Stefanski
Goals: 8' Isaksen, 36' Milinkovic-Savic, 58' Pedro
Bookings: Romagnoli, Andersson, Gila, Vecino, Juninho, Sviatchenko
What happened next
Despite going into the last game top of the group, Lazio threw it all away losing 0-1 away to Feyenoord and finished 3rd. Midtylland beat Sturm Graz and finished 2nd. This meant demotion to the Conference League for Lazio where they beat CFR Cluj 1-0 on aggregate but then lost to AZ Alkmaar 2-4 on aggregate in the last 16. Not a European campaign to remember.
Fortunately, things went a lot better in Serie A. Lazio finished 2nd behind champions Napoli. Lazio won 22 (including both derbies 1-0, Milan 4-0 and Juventus 2-1 at home and Napoli 1-0 away), drew 8 and lost 8.
In Coppa Italia went out in the quarter finals losing 0-1 away to Juventus. Top scorer was Immobile with 14 goals (12 in A).
Midtjylland then beat Sturm Graz 2-0 at home and finished 2nd thus qualifying for the next round. They then lost 1-5 on aggregate to Sporting Lisbon.
In the Danish league they finished 7th (not making the title playoffs). Capellas was sacked after 21 games and replaced by Thomas Thomasberg. Top scorer was Gustav Isaksen with 18 league goals
The Europa League was eventually won by Seville who beat Roma on penalties in Budapest after a 1-1 draw.
Let's talk about Gustav Isaksen
Gustav Tang Isaksen was born in Hjerk, in central Denmark, on April 19, 2001.
He played his early years with Roslev IK and his youth career with Midtjylland. He then played 100 league games and scored 24 league goals for the first team between 2019 and 2023. In 2021 he won a Danish Cup, when the Wolves from Herning defeated Brøndby on penalties.
In the 2022-23 season he played and impressed against Lazio in the Europa League. He scored both in Denmark and in Rome and the following summer Lazio signed him for 12 million Euros plus four bonuses.
He arrived in Rome and the manager was Maurizio Sarri entering his third year as head coach. Lazio had recently achieved a positive second place behind Napoli.
Isaksen made his debut on August 20 on Lazio's Serie A debut away at Lecce.
He then played 28 league games with 3 goals (Frosinone, Bologna, Salernitana), 3 games in Coppa Italia and 5 in the Champions League.
He has represented Denmark at almost all levels from the U16's to the top national side where he has won four caps and scored one goal. He was not however included in Denmark's squad for the 2024 Euros in Germany.
His chances may have been affected by Maurizio Sarri resigning in mid-March. Under the Tuscan Isaksen had played regularly but with his successor, Igor Tudor, he played less.
Lazio eventually finished 7th and qualified for the Europa League.
In the Champions League they qualified for the last 16 but, despite defeating Bayern Munich 1-0 in Rome, they lost 1-3 on aggregate.
In Coppa Italia Lazio reached the semi-finals defeating Genoa and Roma but then lost 2-3 to Juventus on aggregate.
A difficult and turbulent first season for the young Dane who seems to be having a more stable season under new manager for 2024-25, Marco Baroni.
Isaksen is a right winger. He is left-footed, but uses his right well too, quick and technical. His main asset is his ability to cut in from the right, elude his marker and shoot. Last season Lazio only saw glimpses of these skills but in Denmark he is considered one of their best young prospects. Time will tell.
Lazio Career (updated October 26, 2024)
Season | Total appearances (goals) | Serie A | Coppa Italia | Champions League | Europa League | Super Coppa |
2023-24 | 37 (3) | 28 (3) | 3 | 5 | - | 1 |
2024-25 | 10 (2) | 8 (1) | - | - | 2 (1) | - |
Total | 47 (5) | 36 (4) | 3 | 5 | 2 (1) | 1 |
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