Lazio have officially booked their place in the last 16 of the Europa League by comfortably beating Real Sociedad at the Stadio Olimpico in Rome.
Marco Baroni tours his team in Europe. But this time he opted for the most powerful starting lineup available, led through Taty Castellanos who received support from Gustav Isaksen, Boulaye Dia and Mattia Zaccagni. Meanwhile, Matteo Guendouzi and Nicolo Rovella maintained their roles in the double pivot.
It took just five minutes for the home side to seize the lead when Mario Gila pounced in a rush of purpose after a kick to ruin a tough shot into the most sensible corner. Taty Castellanos’ idea had made it 2-0 with a strong header, but generating the goal line revealed that the ball had been cleared off the line, while Gila’s rebound hit the post.
The Spaniards tried to respond, however, Luka Susic’s roller crashed into the post, while Sheraldo Becker could not defeat Christos one by one. But when society tried to generate impulse, Aihen Muñoz left them with a guy after obtaining its yellow moment to block Isaksen’s career.
The Biancocelesti temporarily took their numerical merit by adding two more goals before halftime. Isaksen latched on to Nuno Tavares’ square ball, even though he was not the intended recipient. The Dane ran towards the line before passing it back to his captain Zaccagni, who coolly passed it past the goalkeeper.
A few minutes later, Tavares sent a sublime pass shot into the box, and Castellanos controlled to put enough force and precision to beat Alex Remiro. However, the first half ended on a worried note for the Italians, as the Portuguese left-back succumbed to injuries, leaving his position on the pitch for Fisayo Dele-Bashiru.
The second half proved to be a boring affair for obvious reasons, with Lazio only launching half-hearted attempts while sieging Sociedad deep in the areas. Only Pedro came close but was denied by the post. Against the run of play, the visitors poached a consolation goal late in the match when Ander Barrenetxea latched on the rebound.
With an impressive victory in the pocket, Lazio extended its surprising streak in the Europa League, maintaining its position in the table of 36 teams with 19 points in seven days and ensuring an eight end of eight with a leftover game.
5 ‘Gila (L), 32′ Zaccagni (L), 34′ Castellanos (L), 82’ Barrenetxaa (S).
Lazio (4-2-3-1): Mandas; Marusic, Gila, Romagnoli, Nuno Tavares (42′ Dele-Bashiru); Guendouzi, Rovella; Isaksen (55′ Tchaouna), Dia (77′ Balde), Zaccagni (55′ Noslin); Castellanos (46′ Pedro).
Real Sociedad (4-3-3): Remiro; Aramburu; Zubeldia, Aguerd (70′ Pacheco), Munoz; Kubo (46′ Barrenetxea), Zubimendi (46′ Elustondo), Mendez (35′ Lopez); Oyarzabal (46′ Marín), Sucic, Becker.
Photo – Former Lazio veteran celebrates Inter Milan’s 1-0 Champions League victory for Sparta: “Onward and upward”
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