Lazio-Turin 2-0: goals from Vecino and Zaccagni

Lazio returns to success and averts the crisis against a good Toro, punished far beyond their demerits. Indeed, until the goal that unlocks the game (Vecino in the 10th minute of the second half) Juric’s team does more and plays better than the home team with the only fault of not capitalizing on its superiority (Zapata has three excellent opportunities but is not inspired). Lazio slyly resisted and then went out in the last half hour also thanks to the athletic decline of the Granata team who, having played on Sunday (while Lazio were busy on Saturday), had one less day of rest. However, the defeat does not overshadow the good start of Juric’s team in the championship. For Sarri, however, the victory (the first achieved this year at the Olimpico) serves as bread to ease tensions and revive a deficient ranking.

the bull is better

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The first half ends at 0-0. Toro starts very well, with the two-striker formula that Juric presents for the first time, switching to 3-4-1-2. Vlasic is the attacking midfielder behind Zapata and Sanabria. On the wings there are Bellanova and Lazaro, Tameze and Ricci in the middle. The defensive trio is the usual one: Schuurs-Buongiorno-Rodriguez, but after 25 minutes the Turin player has to give up due to a muscle problem and is replaced by the Georgian Sazonov, making his debut. In Lazio, Sarri brings Lazzari back as right back (with Marusic on the left) and the central duo Casale-Romagnoli. New midfield with Vecino as midfielder, Rovella as central midfielder (making his debut as a starter) and Luis Alberto. In attack, usual trident Anderson-Immobile-Zaccagni. In the first half hour, Toro dominated the pitch, playing better than Lazio with the characteristics that Sarri’s team usually displays: ball possession and tight phrasing. However, the Granata team lacked the goal, which they came close to twice in the 6th minute. First, Vlasic’s long-range shot was rejected with some difficulty by Provedel, on the rebound Zapata from a favorable position was unable to find the target. Juric’s team, with its man-on-man marking, shuts down Lazio’s sources of play and also shows a better athletic condition. Lazio is struggling to find space and seems blocked by fears of a disastrous start to the championship. The Biancocelesti try to do something, but they never manage to become dangerous. The only opportunity comes to Casale on the development of a corner by Luis Alberto. The defender’s shot ends up just over, but before it lands on his feet the ball touches Immobile’s arm. Fabbri doesn’t blow the whistle, but if it had been a goal the action would have been reviewed at the VAR. Towards the end of the half it was again Toro who threatened the Lazio area. Zapata, passing the ball to Romagnoli, triggers a counterattack on which he is stopped by Luis Alberto’s last-gasp save, then in the 43rd minute the same Colombian attacker has an excellent opportunity a few meters from the six-yard box, but his header is weak and Provedel manages to neutralize it.

Lazio shot

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The second half begins along the lines of what happened in the first half, with Toro keeping control of the game and Lazio remaining cautious. But around the 10th minute the home team burst into flames which led to the goal. On the right there is a nice combination in the narrow area between Lazzari and Felipe Anderson, on the full-back’s cross Vecino anticipates Bellanova and turns his right into the net. For Toro, who up until then had played better than the home team, it was a tough blow to swallow. Juric immediately runs for cover and brings in Ilic for Tameze and Radonjic for Zapata, thus returning to the 3-4-2-1, with Sanabria as central striker and Vlasic and Radonjic behind him. But the changes (of men and formation) do not produce the reaction hoped for by the coach. Although in the 18th minute Lazaro has a good opportunity (his shot ends up just over). Lazio, with the advantage, tries to put the game to sleep to avoid forcing the Granata. Around the half hour mark Sarri makes the first two substitutions to give his team greater freshness. Castellanos enters for Immobile and Guendouzi for Vecino. Just enough time to get them settled on the pitch and the home team doubles their lead with another sudden burst. There’s still Felipe Anderson who has a hand in it: through ball on the left for Zaccagni who burns Bellanova on the spurt and passes Milinkovic. Lazio, at that point, continued with its conservative tactics, to which Sarri’s subsequent changes also contributed (Isaksen came in for Zaccagni and Hysaj for Lazzari). Juric tries to shuffle the cards by inserting Soppy for Bellanova and Pellegri for Lazaro, thus returning to the two-striker formula with which he started. But it is Lazio who once again make themselves dangerous with a combination between two of the new arrivals: Isaksen flies to the right, from his cross Castellanos invents a scissors kick which ends up just wide. We arrive at recovery. In the 3rd minute of the 6 minutes conceded by Fabbri there is a shot from Radonjic which ends up on Hysaj’s arm. The referee whistles for the penalty, but is called to the VAR and decides not to award the penalty anymore. It’s the last emotion of the evening.