Lazio 1-0 Fiorentina
Lazio got back to winning ways thanks to Ciro Immobile’s first half strike at the Stadio Olimpico, to see off a stern challenge from in-form Fiorentina.
Simone Inzaghi’s Lazio hadn’t had the best of weeks coming into this clash, losing to city rivals Roma in Serie A, before taking a Europa League drubbing in Frankfurt. And his team really had to dig in here as the visitors enjoyed plenty of possession and gave the hosts a tough ride in the second half. But Stefano Pioli’s team has very much relied on home form to put them up among the early pace setters and he’ll be frustrated by another failure on the road.
With more Serie A 2018 results to come in this weekend it looks like Lazio will be in the top four at the end of Round Eight, while Fiorentina is still right in the early hunt just two points further back.
Highlights of the game
Fiorentina has made a super start to the season, and has been a hard team to beat, pushing title chasers Napoli to the limit recently. But they were up against it as early as the first minute when Marco Parolo had a pot shot from distance which flew narrowly wide. Then midfielder Sergej Milinkovic Savic found space in the box but his shot whistled wide too.
The Viola settled itself after the early pressure, and when Cristiano Biraghi found Marko Pjaca he got his shot away but it was charged down. But while the visitors looked comfortable on the ball it was Lazio who made the inroads onto their opponents’ penalty area. Felipe Caicedo passed to Parolo and he fired towards the bottom corner but Alban Lafont saved well. Parolo then set up Ciro Immobile and Lafont was there again to gather the ball.
The deadlock was broken on 37 minutes and the goal came from a corner, swung over by Lucas Leiva. Stefan Radu got his head to the ball but couldn’t convert, but when the opportunity came to Ciro Immobile, he made no mistake from close range. That was the striker’s fifth goal of the season, taking him up into the leading pack in the race for the Capocannoniere.
And Lafont kept his side in the game just before the break, saving an attempt from Caicedo from point blank range.
The Viola came back fighting at the beginning of the second half, skipper German Pezzella heading over when he found himself unmarked in the Lazio box.
Giovanni Simeone and Biraghi both had efforts saved as the Lazio keeper began to earn his money and then Federico Chiesa had a shot charged down. As the game began to get a little scrappy Joaquin Correa added to his red card in Frankfurt with a yellow for a rather silly dive. Fiorentina’s Valentin Eysseric had a late chance to equalise but he made it too easy for Thomas Strakosha, and then Biraghi crossed to give Pezzella a last minute opportunity but his header flew agonisingly wide.
Key statistics
At SBOBET odds of 1.89 to win, this was always going to be a tough examination of Lazio’s Champions League aspirations but they passed the test…just.
The visitors had the lions share of possession in the first half but Lafont’s goal came under more threat, with Lazio leading the shot count at nine to four and four to two on target.
By the full time whistle Fiorentina can think themselves a little unlucky, having had 60 per cent of the possession and 15 shots to Lazio’s 14, with five on target to Lazio’s six. It was a tight contest in which only Immobile’s killer touch made the difference.
Lazio has now won 28 of the head-to-heads against the Viola’s 12, but Pioli will be more concerned that his side has lost five of its last seven away games.
What’s next?
A visit to Parma is next on the agenda for Simone Inzaghi’s men and that won’t be easy either. The hosts have made a strong start to life back in Serie A and have 13 points from eight games following a 1-3 win away to Genoa. Lazio is up at the business end of the table now, but the Serie A 2018 odds aren’t yet backing them for a top four finish and that is surely Inzaghi’s target. Winning away to the likes of Parma will do I Biancocelesti a lot of good.
Meanwhile the Viola is at home to mid table Cagliari, after the international break, and that’s an opportunity for Pioli’s team to get back to winning ways. But if they are to challenge for European places, they need to find a way to win away from Florence.
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