Napoli’s loss to Juventus night opened the door for Lazio to make up some badly needed points but they couldn’t overcome a struggling Hellas Verona side who hadn’t won a match since the end of August. Former player Mattia Zaccagni tucked away a brilliant backheel after 23 minutes to give the visitors the lead they held onto while Verona toiled in the middle without causing much hassle. Lazio could not find a way to double their lead. Eventually a lapse in concentration let the home side in and they got an equaliser through substitute Thomas Henry.
This was Verona’s only shot on target in the whole game and Lazio will be annoyed they couldn’t find a winner against a side who really found it hard to make clear chances. Another former Gialloblu player, Nicolo Casale thought he restored the lead but VAR spotted a push and we stayed at 1-1 which leaves Verona in 18th place in the relegation zone and Lazio with more points dropped in ninth on 21 points, 3 behind rivals Roma in 4th who have yet to play this weekend. Here are our Ratings for the Biancocelesti:
Ivan Provedel – 6
Some long balls were wayward. Was assured under high balls. He found the looping first cross for the equaliser difficult to deal with. Could’ve managed it better.
Adam Marusic – 5.5
Did his usual duties until the 28th minute when he seemed to have picked up an eye issue and was replaced with Elseid Hysaj.
Mario Gila – 5
Won his duels to keep the attack at bay. Headed wide from a corner just before half time. The defence lacked an experienced leader today and sometimes it showed. Didn’t stick with Henry and this gave the substitute space to score.
Nicolo Casale – 6
Made his return in the centre of defence with his first appearence in more then a month. A great header looked to have put Lazio back in front but VAR decided to rule it out because of a push. Not in charge like Patric or Romagnoli but he didn’t put a foot wrong.
Manuel Lazzari – 6
Started brightly. His crosses were good in terms of quality and quantity. His movement and pass to Felipe Anderson started the action for the opener. Got through plenty of tackles but stood off his man for the cross that resulted in the equaliser.
Nicolo Rovella – 6.5
Joined in the counter-attacks and was doing a lot of hard work in midfield. Showed good ball control and shut down attacks before they began. Creativeness on show today.
Matteo Guendouzi – 5.5
The Frenchman’s quickfire one touch football was effective and he found Ciro Immobile often. Not as great today when compared with recent performances.
Luis Alberto – 6
The Spaniard took a different approach today. Leaving others to be creative while he was more defensive. Very nearly got an assist that would’ve doubled the Biancocelesti’s lead but it was cut out. Unleashed one of the few clear shots in the second period but nothing came of it. Corners were very disappointing again when Lazio needed to take advantage of dead balls to get a winner.
Mattia Zaccagni – 7
Came back from injury in good form. Drifted to the front post and finished with a fantastic backheel flick. Picked defender’s pockets on numerous occasions and linked up well. Didn’t celebrate his goal against his former team.
Ciro Immobile – 6.5
The captain always seemed to be crowded out when he got his foot on the ball. Sometimes this created space and time for his teammates but limited him. One of his best chances ended with a weak shot at Lorenzo Montipo.
Felipe Anderson -6
The cross to Zaccagni was bang on. Build up play was promising as he found gaps. A scuffed shot could have closed out the game.
Substitutes:
Elseid Hysaj – 5
Wasn’t as adventurous as the man he replaced. Defensively solid with right attitude until a lapse in concentration let Cyril Ngonge beat him with ease.
Taty Castellanos – 6
The Argentine striker injected energy into Lazio’s attack and his run got Ondrej Duda sent off. Unfortunately he couldn’t beat Montipo. Good work but result leaves the Aquile with more points dropped.
Pedro – 4.5
Uncharacteristically unsure with the ball. Passes went out of play and generally seemed to struggle a bit. Difficult to understand where these mistakes came from.
Matias Vecino – N/A
Luca Pellegrini – N/A
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