Game 3, Champions League Group Stage
Wednesday, November 4, 2020
Saint Petersburg Stadium, Saint Petersburg
Zenit Saint Petersburg Lazio 1-1
As usual Caicedo scores in the last minutes of the game to secure a golden point
In Lazio's Champions League first game against Erling Haaland’s Borussia Dortmund, they put on a marvellous display and won 3-1. They then drew with Bruges away despite having many players out due to Covid. The emergency continued today and Ciro Immobile, Luis Alberto, Lucas Leiva, Thomas Strakosha and Manuel Lazzari were all missing.
The match
In the 13th minute Joaquin Correa directly from a corner tried to surprise the Zenit goalkeeper but the ball caressed the outside of the goal. That was practically the only real thrill in the first 30 minutes of a game in which the two teams were probably too afraid of losing to be able to be dangerous. Lazio were however justified in having such a prudent approach since so many players were missing due to Covid.
Then, suddenly in the 32nd minute, Zenit went ahead. Jurij Zirkov put a splendid ball into the box from the left, the giant Artem Dzjuba stopped the ball with his shoulder, ball in the air headed by Daler Kuzjaev back to Dzjuba, who headed again to Aleksandr Erokhin who in solitude volleyed the ball past Pepe Reina with the Lazio defence just watching.
Lazio's reaction was all in a 36th minute innocuous Vedat Muriqi header over the crossbar.
Nothing else happened in the first 45 minutes. In the 52nd Simone Inzaghi sent in Danilo Cataldi for Marco Parolo in the attempt to create something/anything and seven minutes later Andres Pereira and Felipe Caicedo came on for Mohamed Fares and Muriqi. Erokhin was also substituted by Andrey Mostovoj who immediately had the chance to make it two for Zenit. He received the ball on the left, dribbled past a couple of players and once in the box tried a shot which went just out.
In the 74th minute there was a probable penalty on Adam Marusic ignored by the ref. The Biancocelesti showed some signs of waking up and in the 76th minute Francesco Acerbi sent a long ball from the left into the box, Sergej Milinkovic-Savic headed towards Caicedo who tried a header that went just wide. Box to box for Correa in the 79th minute but his shot was too weak.
Lazio alive and kicking. In the 81st minute Pereira to Acerbi on the left, low cross into the box, in came Caicedo who volleyed the ball past the keeper for the 1-1.
The Biancocelesti even went close to winning the game. Milinkovic-Savic from outside the box in the 87th minute tried a fantastic volley which shaved the post. The big Serb made a terrible mistake in injury time as he passed to Alksej Sutormin, ball to Dzjuba, quick pass to Mostovoj who scored. Fortunately Dzjuba was offside.
A good draw for Lazio in very difficult circumstances.
Who played for Zenit Saint Petersburg
Kerzhakov, Karavaev, Lovren, Rakitskiy, Douglas Santos, Zhirkov (78' Krugovoi), Erokhin (61' Mostovoy), Barrios, Ozdoev (91' Sutormin), Kuzyaev (91' Wendel), Dzjuba
Substitutes: Vasyutin, Lunev, Prokhin, Shamkin
Manager: Semak
Who played for Lazio
Reina, Patric, Hoedt, Acerbi, Marusic, Akpa Akpro, Parolo (53’ Cataldi), Milinkovic-Savic, Fares (60’ Pereira), Correa (85’ Luiz Felipe), Muriqi (60’ Caicedo)
Substitutes: Furnaletto, Alia, Armini, Franco, Pica, Bertini, Czyz
Manager: Inzaghi
Referee: Dias
Goals: 32’ Erokhin, 81’ Caicedo
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