Lazio star midfielder Sergej Milinkovic-Savic has been left fuming following his team’s underwhelming 0-0 home draw with an understrength Atalanta on Saturday night. Despite missing a host of first-team regulars due to Covid-19 and injuries, La Dea held the Biancocelesti goalless in an uneventful draw at the Stadio Olimpico.
With nine first-team stars out of the squad and only two senior players on the bench, Gian Piero Gasperini’s depleted XI put on a stubborn performance to avoid defeat against Lazio. The hosts may have entered the encounter as favourites, but another indifferent showing from Maurizio Sarri’s players helped Atalanta’s cause in the nation’s capital.
Indeed, chances were at a premium in Rome, with Mattia Zaccagni wasting the best chance of the game as his inside-the-box effort rattled off the right post just after the hour mark. Adam Marusic and Aleksei Miranchuk also came close to scoring beyond half-time, but neither managed to find the back of the net.
Lazio squandered a massive opportunity to whittle down the gap on fourth-placed Atalanta as they continue to languish seven points adrift of the last Champions League spot. Meanwhile, Gasperini’s men will feel happy about the stalemate despite making it three draws from four Serie A matches.
Milinkovic-Savic is aware his side may have thrown away their best chance to reignite their top-four hopes as he failed to hide his frustration in the aftermath.
“We played well, but we had to win at all costs, as we were facing an Atalanta side without their best players,” he told Sky Sport Italia (via TUTTOmercatoWEB). “It’s a pity, we are not happy, because we wanted to win this game. Perhaps we were lacking something on the final pass.
“We’ve got two weeks now to prepare the next games, as it’s going to be tough. Our objective from the first day has been fighting for a place in the Champions League, we’ve got to have that attitude in our minds when going into every game.“