Game 18, Serie A
Sunday, January 11, 2009
Stadio Oreste Granillo, Reggio Calabria
Reggina Lazio 2-3
A superb performance by the Macedonian breaks Calabrian resistance
In Serie A Lazio had so far played 17 games and were in 7th position on 27 points. Lazio had won 8, drawn 3 and lost 6 (including derby 0-1) but came from a 1-0 home win against Palermo.
The match
A rainy day in Reggio Calabria brought about 10,000 spectators to the Granillo.
This was the first league game since December 20 and the Christmas break.
Reggina were without suspended midfielder Carlos Carmona who was replaced by Luca Tognozzi while Lazio had absences in defenders Stephan Lichtsteiner and Sebastiano Siviglia and played Mourad Meghni rather than Cristian Brocchi.
The home side started strongly and were already in front after four minutes. Franco Brienza beat a sleepy David Rozehnal and burst towards goal but was met by keeper Juan Pablo Carrizo who got a touch on the ball but also brought the Reggina midfielder down. For the referee it was a foul and Bernardo Corradi put away the penalty. Reggina 1 Lazio 0.
Reggina were then dangerous again with an Édgar Barreto freekick but it went just wide.
Lazio however reacted well and had a Goran Pandev chance saved after a brilliant Megnhi back heel and equalised soon after. In the 14th minute Pandev stole a ball in midfield, ran forward going past two defenders and let loose a shot which took a deflection off Santos and spun up and over Andrea Campagnolo. Reggina 1 Lazio 1.
Eight minutes later Lazio were ahead. In the 22nd minute Mauro Zárate did well near the by-line and crossed, Tommaso Rocchi left it and it reached Pandev who chested it down, turned and drilled a left foot past the keeper. A great goal and Reggina 1 Lazio 2.
The remainder of the half saw the Calabresi attack but without causing Lazio any headaches. Halftime Reggina 1 Lazio 2.
After eight minutes of the second half Reggina made two changes: midfielder Francesco Cozza for defender Andrea Costa and debutant midfielder Nicolas Viola for Tognozzi. The substitutions had a positive effect on the home side who were more energetic and determined.
Lazio however had a dangerous Meghni shot saved by Campagnolo and then Rocchi scored on a Modibo Diakité assist from the by-line but the ball was judged to have gone out before the French defender got to it.
A few minutes later Reggina equalised. In the 63rd minute Stefan Radu lost a challenge in midfield and Alessio Sestu charged down the right wing from where he put in a precise, low cross which Cozza met in front of goal and, between hesitant Diakité and Lorenzo De Silvestri, slotted the ball in from close range. Reggina 2 Lazio 2.
Lazio tried to liven things up by bringing on Brocchi for Ousmane Dabo in the 66th minute and Stefano Mauri for Meghni in the 75th.
A minute later Pandev struck again. The Macedonian started and finished the move. He swung the ball out to Zárate on the left who dribbled past a defender before squaring a low ball into the middle where Pandev was there to score with his right foot. Reggina 2 Lazio 3.
The assist man Zárate was then taken off and in the 80th minute Pasquale Foggia came on. Reggina too made a last substitution when in the 86th minute Davide Di Gennaro replaced Sestu.
It was in fact future Lazio Di Gennaro who set up Brienza for Reggina's biggest chance to equalise in the dying moments. Brienza's powerful low strike looked like a sure goal but it hit Corradi and went just wide of the right post with Carrizo beaten. Final score Reggina 2 Lazio 3.
A balanced game but Lazio had Zárate and Pandev at the top of their game who had excelled and won the game for the Biancocelesti.
Lazio were still 7th but had gained two points on Roma in 8th. Reggina were stuck in 19th place but now three points from Bologna in 17th place.
Who played for Reggina
Campagnolo, Cirillo, Lanzaro, Santos, Costa (53' Cozza), Sestu (86' Di Gennaro), Barreto, Tognozzi (56' Viola), Barillà, Corradi, Brienza
Substitutes: Cosenza, Marino, Krajcik, Ceravolo
Manager: Pillon
Who played for Lazio
Carrizo, De Silvestri, Diakité, Rozehnal, Radu, Dabo (66' Brocchi), Ledesma, Meghni (75' Mauri), Pandev, Rocchi, Zarate (80' Foggia)
Manager: Rossi
Referee: Bergonzi
Goals: 4' Corradi (pen), 14' Pandev, 21' Pandev, 63' Cozza, 76' Pandev
Sources
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