Atalanta travelled to Rome in the pick of this afternoon’s Serie A matches. 6 points separated the sides before kick-off. Lazio had only two wins under their belt in what is proving to be a tough start for the club. Atalanta on the other hand were unbeaten in their last five fixtures and hadn’t lost to Lazio in Rome since 2017. The Curva Nord displayed a banner in support of their injured captain Ciro Immobile before kick-off who is going through a bare patch. Taty Castellanos stepped in to replace him but Matias Vecino sealed the win in this thriller.
Lazio burst into life from the start and had themselves on the scoreboard within 5 minutes. Luis Alberto whipped in an in-swinging corner and center half Nicolo Casale managed to get a flick on it. The ball struck the unfortunate Charles De Keteleare and went down as an own-goal against the Belgian. Five minutes later the lead was doubled.
A move started at Ivan Provedel’s feet and ended up in the back of the net. Mattia Zaccagni switched the play to Felipe Anderson and the Brazilian began his run. He put in a cross with plenty of pace on it to Castellanos. The Argentine sidefooted off the ground and into the back of the net for his first goal in Lazio colors. Running to his new supporters to celebrate under the Curva. Matteo Guendouzi’s high pressing served him well and he hit the crossbar from long range.
La Dea Hit Back:
Atalanta looked shocked and were struggling to create anything early on. It took until the 25th minute for their first proper chance to present itself. A long cross found its way to the back post and Mario Pasalic. Alessio Romagnoli completely forgot about the Croatian and he should have done better with his header, which went into the ground and out.
It was a sign of things to come as three minutes later the Bergamo side were back in the game. Five blue and black shirts flooded the box and outnumbered their Lazio counter-parts. Ederson rose the highest of the bunch and nodded home. The goal coupled with more joy down Elseid Hysaj’s flank meant La dea upped the tempo and went close before the break. Nicolo Rovella had to cut out Davide Zappacosta on a few occasions especially on a shot when the wide man was played on by Romagnoli.
Play broke down towards half-time, the physios had their work cut out for them with stoppages. Juan Musso let a simple pass go under his foot and out. Alberto’s in-swinger nearly beat the Goalie direct from the corner. Lazio went into the break with their lead just about intact.
Second Half:
De Ketelaere tried to make up or his own goal in the second half. A fine save had to be made to equal his shot having slalomed and just about held on past 2 men. The ex Milan man engaged in a battle with Rovella in particular throughout the afternoon. Ultimately losing out as he couldn’t put his name on the score sheet. Gianluca Scamacca was very quiet today and he didn’t time his run right when played through. Pedro was brought on for Lazio and did the same thing at the other end.
Kolasinac Levels the Score:
Gianpiero Gasperini sensed there were points to be won and he switched Scamacca for Ademola Lookman on the hour. 2 minutes after, it ended up being a defender that got the goal La Dea craved. The newly introduced Teun Koopmeiners collected the ball from a short corner and spotted Sead Kolasinac at the back post. Rising, the 30 year old beat Adam Marusic to level things up. VAR double checked, confirming an onside decision.
Maurizio Sarri had to appeal for calm in the ensuing moments. Daichi Kamada and Matias Vecino tried to mix it up in the middle with new energy. The former got a header on goal and was generally positive. The Biancocelste support however were discouraged after their team ended up back in their own box from a corner as they chased a much needed win.
Vecino Seals Win in Thriller:
Either team could have taken the game in the last ten but the Aquile got their noses infront across the finish line. Vecino sealed the win in this thriller. Marusic aimed for Castellanos , the Argentine had the presence of mind to find Vecino infront of him. Hitting it on the bounce with a gracious half volley he secured goal number three for himself this season. The shirt was torn off as he made a gangway for the corner flag to celebrate. Atalanta tried to show they weren’t dead yet in the final exchanges. Luis Muriel tried to rediscover his old form as he held on all the way through the box, Provedel’s boot eventually putting it to an end. Lookman pulled back to the Colombian with a shot resulting. The final chance was a free-kick that walloped into the wall, ending any comeback hopes.
While all this happened on the pitch a red was shown to Sarri and he was sent to the stands. Except he didn’t go there. The Lazio technician decided the stairs down to the changing rooms were more his style. He watched the final minutes from this unusual point. the Neapolitan coach will be a happy man this evening though. Three points to finish off a positive week and three points against a direct rival at the top of the table. Atalanta’s winning streak comes to an unlucky end before the international break.
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