Udinese-Lazio 0-1: goal by Immobile from a penalty

From our correspondent Stefano Cieri

May 21st
– UDINE

Lazio returns to success and drives away the nightmares of the last month (4 points in 5 days). Clear victory, which could have taken on even larger dimensions. Sarri’s team follows it with a wait-and-see tactic at the start and then accelerating at the right moment. Three very precious points for the Roman formation. Perhaps decisive for qualification in the Champions League. For which there are now only two points left (net of possible new penalties for Juventus).

Udinese surrenders in front of its fans for the third time in this championship. The Friulians play on a par with Lazio in the first half hour, but then give in to the superior technical rate of their opponents and their greater motivation.

Slow pace

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The first half hour slips by without great emotions. The density of Udinese in midfield (Sottil’s 3-5-1-1 often becomes a 3-6-1, with Arslan who as playmaker lowers himself on the midfield line) prevents Lazio from weaving its usual game plots . Sottil’s plan is clear: to suffocate Lazio in the middle and then take advantage of the width guaranteed on the flanks by Pereyra and Udogie. Even the hosts, however, are unable to prune big dangers in the opposing area because Sarri’s 4-3-3 with the return of Vecino in front of the defense is more compact than in the last few outings. And the wingers (especially the low ones, Lazzari and Hysaj) counter well enough the thrusts of the fifths of Udinese. The result is a substantially blocked game. Around the half hour, however, Lazio’s pace increases and the match takes off. After a header by Immobile (followed by Zaccagni) which Silvestri overtook to deflect for a corner, it was Luis Alberto who had the greatest opportunity to give the guests the lead. The Spaniard’s conclusion from the edge comes out very little. Previously Milinkovic had also made himself dangerous from Silvestri’s parts. Udinese lowers himself in this phase, but doesn’t give up on reacting. At the end of time, an important goal also happened to the Friulians with a header from Bijol for which Provedel was ready.

Immobile decides

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The second half begins exactly as the first half of the game ended. With a Lazio that, as the minutes go by, increases more and more engine revs and a Udinese that is forced to lower its center of gravity more and more. To make Lazio even more enterprising is also the entry of Pedro in place of a spent Anderson. It was the Spaniard himself who created the first chance of the second half, providing Immobile with a ball on which Silvestri surpassed himself again to deny the Biancoceleste striker the goal. Then it’s Luis Alberto (anticipated by Masina at the time of the tap-in) and Vecino (shot that ends just wide) who come close to the opening goal, which arrives from a penalty in the 16th minute. Masina lands Immobile in the area, from the Ciro spot he makes no mistake and carries his team forward. Lazio continues to push. And it goes close to doubling it on two occasions. First it is Romagnoli, in the development of a corner, who hits the post with a well-calibrated header. So it is Milinkovic, all alone in the area, who gets hypnotized by Silvestri on his way out. Sottil at that point tries to run for cover by removing Arslan and Udogie to insert Nestorovski and Zeegelaar. Samardzic retreats in midfield and Nestorvski partners with Beto in the 3-5-2 formation with which the home team has been established since then. Sarri responds by inserting the tougher Marusic for Lazzari to better counter the reaction of the Friulians. Which almost materializes in the final minutes. In the 40th minute Perez’s cross from the trocar finds Nestorovski’s head. The Macedonian’s header went into the net, but the goal was disallowed due to the attacker’s offside. The technicians make the last substitutions. In Lazio Basic takes over Zaccagni, while Sottil throws in Thauvin (for Beto) and Semedo (for Samardzic). But nothing changes.