Football Italia
·27 October 2024
Football Italia
·27 October 2024
A wonderful bit of skill from Tijjani Reijnders, another goal from super sub Pedro and Matias Vecino allowed Lazio to push Genoa aside 3-0.
The Biancocelesti were brimming with confidence after staying top of the Europa League table with a 2-0 victory away to FC Twente, but also smarting from their controversial defeat to Juventus. Alessio Romagnoli saw red in that game and was suspended, along with injured Manuel Lazzari, while Mattia Zaccagni was ruled out by flu symptoms. Genoa had two points from six rounds, but ended their crisis with a comeback from 2-0 down to hold Bologna. Vitinha, Junior Messias, Koni De Winter, Pierluigi Gollini, Caleb Ekuban and Ruslan Malinovskyi were out of action, so moved to a 4-4-1-1 formation.
Genoa almost scored in the second minute, a corner skimming Morten Thorsby’s head at the near post as Ivan Provedel stuck out a boot to parry.
Nuno Tavares blasted over from a tricky angle and he effectively sparked the opening goal, because he surged forward from a defensive position to find Tijjani Noslin, who nutmegged one defender, shimmied past another and drilled right-footed into the far bottom corner.
Noslin also risked a red card for catching Stefano Sabelli on the ankle, but the yellow stood because the ball squirmed out from under his foot first.
Taty Castellanos’ header and a Tavares scorcher both flashed wide, but Brooke Norton-Cuffy came on and within 30 seconds had sprinted up the pitch, stinging Provedel’s gloves with a powerful finish.
Thorsby also fired off target, as did Castellanos when sent through by Tavares, while Castellanos squirmed past Norton-Cuffy at the by-line to test Nicola Leali from the tightest of angles.
ROME, ITALY – OCTOBER 27: Pedro of SS Lazio scores the team’s second goal during the Serie A match between SS Lazio and Genoa at Stadio Olimpico on October 27, 2024 in Rome, Italy. (Photo by Paolo Bruno/Getty Images)
Genoa were extremely unlucky, as substitute David Ankeye turned his ankle within a couple of minutes on the pitch and had to be replaced.
Mario Gila ran a risk with his shirt tug on Ekhator in the box, while Leali bravely stopped Castellanos getting to the Nicolò Rovella cross at the near post.
Loum Tchaouna should’ve sealed it for Lazio late on, but got the bounce all wrong after his first touch and shinned over from eight yards.
They did finish it off moments later, as Tchaouna was wiped out by Johan Vasquez but the referee gave the advantage, as Castellanos saw his pull-back only slowed down by Leali’s fingertips, finding Pedro for the tap-in.
Nuno Tavares saw his angled drive fingertipped wide for a corner, from which Matias Vecino’s effort was deflected over from close range.
It still wasn’t over, as Nuno Tavares got to the by-line and floated a ball onto the head of Matias Vecino for Lazio to make it 3-0 deep into stoppages.
Noslin 21 (L), Pedro 86 (L), Vecino 95 (L)