Lazio could not have found a better way to bounce back from their defeat to Bologna as they beat Inter 3-1 at home.
The Biancocelesti did not have the best of starts as their opponents opened the scoring through Ivan Perisic’s penalty.
However, they fought hard and eventually equalized from the spot in the second half thanks to Ciro Immobile. Maurizio Sarri’s side led in the 81st minute thanks to Felipe Anderson’s goal before Sergej Milinkovic-Savic headed in from Luis Alberto’s free-kick to put the game beyond Inter’s reach.
It was a much-needed win for Lazio while the Nerazzurri suffered their first league defeat of the season.
? LA FORMAZIONE ?
— S.S.Lazio (@OfficialSSLazio) October 16, 2021
2️⃣5️⃣ Pepe Reina
7️⃣7️⃣ Adam Marusic
3️⃣ Luiz Felipe
4️⃣ Patric
2️⃣3️⃣ Elseid Hysaj
2️⃣1️⃣ Sergej Milinkovic
6️⃣ Lucas Leiva
8️⃣8️⃣ Toma Basic
9️⃣ Pedro
1️⃣7️⃣ Ciro Immobile
7️⃣ Felipe Anderson#CMonEagles ?
Lazio had to start without their key centre-back Francesco Acerbi, who is currently serving a two-match ban after being sent off against Bologna. Replacing him was 28-year-old Patric, making only his second league start of the season.
Alberto was surprisingly on the bench with Croatia’s Toma Basic being included in the lineup. A major boost for Lazio was the return of Immobile who missed the Bologna fixture and the Nations League Finals due to a thigh injury.
The Nerazzurri’s Argentine duo of Lautaro Martinez and Joaquin Correa were on the bench with Edin Dzeko starting upfront while Perisic was deployed as a second-striker. Roberto Gagliardini was making his first start of the season with Hakan Calhanoglu benched.
Matteo Darmian started ahead of Denzel Dumfries in the right wing-back position while Federico Dimarco was on the left.
? | FORMAZIONE
— Inter ??? (@Inter) October 16, 2021
Ecco gli 11 titolari scelti da Simone Inzaghi per #LazioInter #FORZAINTER ⚫?
Powered by @EASPORTSFIFA pic.twitter.com/RUXM5ASFir
Dzeko had an early chance to put Inter ahead but his header went over the bar. Shortly after, the Nerazzurri won a penalty when Nicolo Barella was brought down by Elseid Hysaj. Perisic converted the ensuing spot-kick to put his team ahead.
Lazio were keen on equalizing and persistently attacked with Basic, Anderson, Pedro, and Immobile often troubling the Nerazzurri defence. The Croatian was looking to justify his selection and took a few shots at goal, forcing Handanovic to make a couple of important saves.
Inter had a few chances of their own as well with Perisic coming closest to score a second but his shot was saved by Pepe Reina.
⏸️ | INTERVALLO
— Inter ??? (@Inter) October 16, 2021
Si va al riposo con i nerazzurri in vantaggio! ?#LazioInter 0⃣-1⃣#FORZAINTER ⚫️? pic.twitter.com/J1kY99sdYt
The Nerazzurri started the second half well and Barella had a good chance to double their lead but was unable to do so. Sergej Milinkovic-Savic had a shot on goal but it was wide.
Lazio were awarded a penalty just after the hour-mark courtesy of an Alessandro Bastoni handball. Immobile stepped up and found the net to level the scores and score his seventh of this season.
A number of substitutions were made with Alberto, Martinez, Dumfries, and Correa coming on, among others.
Both sides continued to attack in search of a winner and Lazio found it in the 81st minute thanks to Anderson who found the net from the rebound after Handanovic was unable to hold on to Immobile’s shot.
Things got heated after the goal as Inter felt that the Biancocelesti should not have continued play while Dimarco was down. Referee Massimiliano Irrati showed yellow cards to four players, including the scorer Anderson.
Milinkovic-Savic scored a third for Lazio in injury time to put the game to bed. The Serb now has five goals against Inter in his last seven league matches.
Inter tried to pull one back but the Biancocelesti defense was resilient enough to hold on to their two-goal lead.
Tempers flared after the game with Inter players not hesitating to vent out their frustration. Luiz Felipe was shown a red card just after the final whistle after jumping on his ex-teammate Correa. The Brazilian was baffled with the referee’s decision and left the field in tears.
Inter will now look to register their first win of the Champions League when they host Sheriff Tiraspol on Tuesday. Lazio play Marseille in the Europa League on Thursday.
MATCH SCORECARD
October 16, 2021 – Serie A 2021-2022 Round 8
LAZIO – INTER 3-1
SCORERS: Perisic (I), Immobile (L), Anderson (L), Milinkovic-Savic (L)
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LAZIO (4-3-3): Reina, Marusic, Patric, Felipe, Hysaj (66′ Lazzarri) , Milinkovic-Savic, Basic (66′ Alberto) , Lucas (85′ Cataldi) , Anderson (86′ Akpa-Akpro), Immobile, Pedro (75′ Zaccagni) (Strakosha, Escalante, Vavro, Radu, Moro, Adamonis, Muriqi); Coach: Sarri |
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INTER (3-5-1-1): Handanovic, Skriniar, De Vrij, Bastoni (67′ Dumfries), Darmian, Barella (86′ Calhanoglu), Brozovic, Gagliardini (67′ Vecino), Dimarco, Perisic (67′ Correa) , Dzeko (76′ Martinez) (Kolarov, Ranocchia, Cordaz, D’Ambrosio, Satriano, Radu) Coach: Inzaghi |
REFEREE: Mr. Irrati from Pistoia
NOTES: Yellow Cards: Basic (L), Gagliardini (I), Bastoni (I), Milinkovic-Savic (L), Martinez (I), Dumfries (I), Correa (I), Darmian (I); Red Card: Felipe (L); Added Time: 1st Half: 1′, 2nd Half: 6′