A promising start to the year then up and down until the defeat against Bologna. From there the inexorable decline began which culminated in the 1-2 draw at the Olimpico with Udinese
From Udinese to Udinese. It is the Friulians who will change the face of Lazio in 2024. It began amidst splendor and then dramatically changed course, leading Sarri’s men into a crisis that is worryingly distancing L’Aquila from Europe. At this rate there is a risk of only one card remaining, the Italian Cup, with Lazio awaiting the semi-final against Juventus. Who would have thought it at the beginning of the year, marked on January 7th with the success on the Udinese pitch: goal by Pellegrini, equalizer by Wallace and winning shot by Vecino. The ideal to glide on the Italian Cup derby, snatched from Roma with a penalty from Zaccagni in the general jubilation. It was January 10th and we could already smell a spring similar to that of last year.
collapse
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While waiting for the Champions League match against Bayern, a fluctuating pace in the championship but all in all, given the calendar, acceptable: defeats in Milan against Inter and at Atalanta, a home draw with Napoli and victories in Lecce and Cagliari. Of course, there are those who are going faster but Lazio is in the running on all fronts and the victory in the first leg against Bayern seems to chase away bad thoughts. And instead, suddenly, the collapse. The tunnel to hell opens on a sunny Sunday against Bologna: the first half is dominated, then the rossoblù’s explosive reaction in the second half. Moral: 2-1 for Thiago Motta’s boys. It’s February 18th: from there five defeats in 6 matches between the championship and the Champions League. The only joy was the ephemeral (and cynical) victory on the Torino pitch. Then came the defeat in Florence and the highly contested home defeat against Milan with three players sent off and a Lotito furious with the refereeing class. In Munich, in the second leg of the Champions League, Bayern strolls (3-0) and here we are in the final act with Udinese moving on to the Olimpico, the crowd booing and fourth place 11 points higher. The Champions League is now a mirage, Europe is far away but, even worse, Lazio is lost.