The Biancocelesti and Bianconeri clashed once again tonight, after Lazio came out on top with a last gasp winner coutesy of Adam Marusic on Saturday to give Igor Tudor the best possible start in his new role. The result piled pressure on Max Allegri in the Juve dugout heading into the first leg of this Coppa Italia Semi-final.
His side responded tonight with a 2-0 victory as the visitors never took advantage of their positive first half. Federico Chiesa opened the scoring for the Old Lady on 50 minutes and Dusan Vlahovic made it two just after the hour mark, ensuring his side brought a comfortable lead to Rome. Igor Tudor will be annoyed his side couldn’t replicate the weekend’s performance but a blunt Biancocelesti attack lacked the cutting edge or creativity to get on the score sheet and now have a difficult task to get into the final.
Let’s look at our Lazio player ratings:
Lazio (3-4-2-1)
Christos Mandas – 6
No glaring errors as both goals were difficult to get too. One fine save with his boot late on.
Patric – 6.5
Alert and contributed defensively in thr first half. Tudor opted to make a change for the second half but perhaps it wasn’t the right one. No mistakes.
Alessio Romagnoli – 5
Gave away a number of fouls but none in serious positions. Left alone to defend against Vlahovic for the second goal. Lazio defence as a whole disappointed after the break. Caught out on quick attacks. Not great.
Mario Gila – 5.5
Lots of attacking once again from the Spaniard, positioning himself high up the pitch. Annoyed Cambiaso on the wing with the help of Anderson. Neglected his defensive duties on occasion, mostly in the second half.
Adam Marusic – 5.5
Composed in his new role on the right of Tudor’s midfield but failed to give his backline a dig-out. Going forward he played some decent football but nothing major.
Matias Vecino – 6
Made contact with Andrea Cambiaso for the penalty that was later ruled out as Cambiaso was returning from an offside position. Got loads of touches in the middle and it’s difficult to pin the blame on him even though he didn’t create.
Matteo Guendouzi – 5.5
Failed to make a big impression in the centre. Struggled to find much space or time against the Bianconeri midfield. Improved in the second half but never really got a foothold.
Mattia Zaccagni – N/A
Received treatment following a challenge and was replaced after just 14 minutes.
Felipe Anderson – 6
Dangerous while drifting around the Juve half. Plenty of work on and off the ball. Suffered a lull in creativity with opportunities harder to come by as the match wore on.
Luis Alberto – 6
Contributed smart touches and passes during his 300th Lazio appearance. A shame they didn’t all come off. His looping header came off the bar too. Couldn’t spark anything special for his side in spite of his attempts.
Ciro Immobile – 6.5
Asserted himself well in Lazio’s attack. Fought for many loose balls and never looked isolated. Industrious showing from the striker but nothing came of it.
Substitutes:
Gustav Isaksen – 6.5
Straight into the heart of the action off the bench easger and energetic when on the ball, chipped in with shots and useful crosses.
Nicolo Casale – 4.5
Very slow and underwhelming start to the second half when he came on. Some naivë defending. Unaware of Chiesa and stepped out of line for no reason on the occasion of the second goal. Tried to make up but unfortunately was Lazio’s weakest performer tonight.
Daichi Kamada – 5
Endeavoured with some decent passes but failed to make inrodes. Opportunities presented themselves to make a difference but he couldn’t take advantage.
Taty Castellanos – 5.5
Hard to fault the striker as the effort and willingness was there but there was no substance. Perhaps more help from those around him would have changed things.