2022-23 Season
Game 13
November 6, 2022
Rome, Stadio Olimpico
Roma Lazio 0-1
Felipe Anderson gives Lazio a deserved win as Roma show their limits
The teams
Maurizio Sarri will not be able to play Ciro Immobile, who is on the bench but injured, nor Sergej Milinkovic-Savic, suspended, and although Luis Alberto is not 100% fit Lazio desperately need his quality, so in comes the Spaniard. The rest of the line up is as predicted. Despite what José Mourinho claimed after their game in Europe during the week, Roma are by many considered to be favourites today, which is paradoxically one of the worst things that can happen before a derby since it always brings bad luck!!!
The match
Roma start very well and have a couple of half chances within the first five minutes. In the second Tammy Abraham’s shot is weak and comfortably saved by Ivan Provedel and in the fifth Nicolò Zaniolo’s attempt from outside the box is well wide.
That is it for half an hour. When Lazio have control of the ball they cannot find a gap to send one of their forwards in, when Roma have control they really do not know what to do with it. Lazio are defensively tight and the Alessio Romagnoli and Nicolò Casale duo are a brick wall.
The game changes in the 29th minute. Roger Ibanez, in his penalty box, decides he is going to dribble past Pedro and go solo, forgetting he does not possess the skills to do so. He loses the ball, Pedro to Felipe Anderson all alone in front of Rui Patricio, 1-0 for Lazio.
Roma supporters cannot believe it. It is the second time Ibanez makes decisive mistakes in a derby. A Lazio player undercover perhaps?
The Giallorossi try to regroup and four minutes after the goal Zaniolo has their biggest chance of the game. The ball casually gets to him and he shoots towards goal as soon as he can. The shot is deflected by Romagnoli and becomes a dangerous lob that hits the crossbar and bounces back into play.
Then nothing much happens. Lazio try to slow the game down, Roma are incapable of creating anything. Pedro’s shot in the first minute of injury time is comfortably saved by the Roma goalkeeper.
Second half
During the interval Zeki Celik replaces Gianluca Mancini who had been booked early in the first half.
The second half script is more or less the same as the first even though Roma have a lot more possession. This increased control of the ball however is to no avail and the Giallorossi are hardly ever dangerous. In the 52nd minute Chris Smalling heads the ball out from a corner (but there was a probable foul on Adam Marusic). Two minutes later Lorenzo Pellegrini is forced off due to injury and is substituted by youngster Cristian Volpato.
The Roma players on the wing are incapable of putting a decent cross in the box and Mourinho throws in Stephen El Shaarawy for Karsdorp in the 63rd minute.
In the 67th minute Zaniolo goes into the box on the left surrounded by Lazio players but somehow manages to reach Provedel. The duel is won by the Lazio goalkeeper.
Sarri too makes some changes a minute later: in come Matteo Cancellieri and Elseid Hysaj for Pedro and Manuel Lazzari, and immediately afterwards Toma Basic replaces an injured Luis Alberto.
In the 72nd minute Lazio could be two up. Quick counter attack by Cancellieri who once in the Roma penalty area is surrounded by Roma defenders. He sees Felipe Anderson outside the box ready for the kill. Ball to Felipetto, great shot, great save by Rui Patricio.
Two more substitutions for Roma in the 73rd minute: Andrea Belotti and Nemanja Matic substitute Nicola Zalewski and Mady Camara. In the 85th Luca Romero makes his seasonal Serie A debut and Zaccagni takes a rest.
Two minutes later there is a Stefan Radu masterpiece. The Romanian, from the bench, prevents Rui Patricio from taking a quick throw in. This generates a massive confrontation between the players. More time wasted. The two are booked. Not very “sportivo”, but we’ve seen far worse from the other side over the years so it is a pleasure to see them on the receiving end of the stick for once.
In the eight minutes of injury time Smalling continues to send in long balls for the Roma forwards but Lazio’s defensive wall never crumbles. The interesting fact is that it's actually the player with the best aerial abilities on the pitch sending in these balls. It would have been a lot more useful to Roma had Smalling been the target of these high crosses.
Lazio win. The Biancocelesti did not do much to win it but then the Giallorossi did nothing to fight back.
Who played for Roma
Rui Patricio, Mancini (46' Celik), Smalling, Ibanez, Karsdorp (63' El Shaarawy), Cristante, Camara (73' Matic), Zalewski (73' Belotti), Zaniolo, Pellegrini (53' Volpato), Abraham.
Substitutes: Boer, Svilar, Shomurodov, Vina, Kumbulla, Bove, Tripi, Tahirovic, Cherubini, Faticanti.
Manager: Mourinho.
Who played for Lazio
Provedel, Lazzari (68' Hysaj), Casale, Romagnoli, Marusic, Vecino, Cataldi, Luis Alberto (71' Basic), Pedro (68' Cancellieri), Felipe Anderson, Zaccagni (84' Romero).
Substitutes: Maximiano, Adamonis, Patric, Gila, Radu, Kamenovic, Marcos Antonio, Immobile.
Manager: Sarri
Refree: Orsato
Goal: 29’ Felipe Anderson
Bookings: Mancini, Lazzari, Vecino, Rui Patricio, Radu
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