2022-2023 Season
Game 4
August 31 2022
Genoa, L. Ferraris Stadium
Sampdoria Lazio 1-1
Lazio literally throw away a certain victory as Sampdoria manage to equalise in injury time.
The teams
Maurizio Sarri decides to put Luis Alberto in place of Matias Vecino in the starting eleven perhaps in the hope of winning the match in the first half. Marco Giampaolo, still in shock after his side lost to Salernitana 4-0, places Fabio Quagliarella in the centre of the attack instead of Francesco Caputo.
Lazio cruising
In the second minute Felipe Anderson has a problem after a clash with a Sampdoria defender but after a couple of minutes it looks as if he can carry on. And it’s Felipetto who in the 8th minute forces Emil Audero to make his first decisive save of the day. He receives the ball from Danilo Cataldi just inside the penalty box on the right and shoots. Audero saves and snatches the ball away from Ciro Immobile who was ready for a sliding tap in. Six minutes later Felipe Anderson shoots again but Audero’s remarkable save denies the Brazilian a deserved goal.
In the 21st minute Sergej Milinkovic-Savic decides it’s time to show why Claudio Lotito wants no less than €100 million to sell him. Alessio Romagnoli sends the ball in Sampdoria’s half and the Serb with a back-heel volley puts Immobile behind the Genoese defence, unmarked in front of Audero. Ball under the legs of the goalkeeper and it's 1-0.
Four minutes later it is almost 2-0. Romagnoli sends the ball behind the Samp defence again and this time it is for Mattia Zaccagni. Audero is on him and the Lazio forward tries a lob over the goalkeeper but it’s not high enough and he saves. In comes Immobile and shoots but Sampdoria is saved by the post.
Controversy
Sampdoria wake up and in the 28th minute there is controversy. They appeal for a penalty; the referee is not interested and the VAR asks the man in yellow to check the monitor. Gianluca Aureliano has a look but is unimpressed. No penalty.
Was it a penalty? Some refs would have given it but it is interesting to have a look at the online forum of Italian referees. None of the people commentating the match say it was a penalty, on the contrary, all of them asked why the VAR ref even called Aureliano, it should not have been an issue for the VAR at all.
With five minutes to go Quagliarella has a chance but Ivan Provedel sends the ball into a corner kick. A minute later Felipe Anderson has to go off and in comes Pedro.
Second half
Mehdi Leris is substituted by Caputo between halves as Giampaolo wants to give his team extra guns up front. Sampdoria has yet to score in Serie A this season.
Lazio, who played pretty well in the first half, decide it’s time for PlayStation mode. In the 48th minute Milinkovic-Savic to Luis Alberto, back to the Serb and then forward to Immobile who instead of shooting tries to pass the ball back to the big man but the pass is intercepted. Lazio at this point start to admire themselves in the mirror to see who is more beautiful. Immobile wants his teammates to score, his teammates want him to score, so the final pass always fails and Lazio waste their chances for 2-0.
In the 62nd minute Provedel saves a good shot from Tomas Rincon. In the 70th minute in come Manolo Gabbiadini and Gonzalo Villar for Quagliarella and Ronaldo Viera. Two minutes later triple change for Sarri: Matteo Cancellieri, Toma Basic and Marcos Antonio take the place of Zaccagni, Luis Alberto and Cataldi. In the 82nd minute Mario Gila substitutes Romagnoli.
Lazio is in control but Sampdoria are getting desperate. With one minute to go Milinkovic-Savic sets up a chance for Basic but Audero is miraculous. In the second minute of injury time Sampdoria equalise. Rincon gets the ball and puts it in a gap between Patric and Adam Marusic, Gabbiadini runs onto it, beats the Lazio defenders and puts the ball into the net.
A wasted opportunity for Lazio, too busy thinking “how dare I be so beautiful” and not scoring the 2-0. Let’s hope they learn from their mistakes.
Who played for Sampdoria
Audero, Bereszynski, Murillo (73' Ferrari), Colley, Augello; Rincon; Leris (45' Caputo), Vieira (70' Villar), Verre (61' Djuricic), Sabiri, Leris; Quagliarella (70' Gabbiadini).
Substitutes: Contini, Ravaglia, Murru, Leverbe, Depaoli, Malagrida, Segovia, Yepes.
Manager: Giampaolo
Who played for Lazio
Provedel, Lazzari, Patric, Romagnoli (81' Gila), Marusic, Milinkovic, Cataldi (72' Marcos Antonio), Luis Alberto (72' Basic), Felipe Anderson (41' Pedro), Immobile, Zaccagni (72' Cancellieri).
Substitutes: Maximiano, Adamonis, Casale, Kamenovic, Radu, Vecino, Romero, Djavan Anderson
Manager: Sarri
Referee: Aureliano
Goals: 21' Immobile, 90'+2' Gabbiadini
Bookings: Zaccagni, Basic
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