Miroslav Klose’s double was enough to see Lazio hang on against Cagliari at the Stadio Olimpico on Monday night in Serie A as they moved up to third spot.
The 36-year-old German was in fine form to to score the decisive goals after veteran captain Stefano Mauri put the home side ahead, while Edson Braafheid put into his own net and Joao Pedro scored late on for the visitors, before Ederson finished the game off in injury time.
Both sides started brightly in a game which promised goals with Lazio and Cagliari each having put four past their previous opponents.
Early pressure from the Biacocelesti saw Antonio Candreva fire a shot across Alessio Cragno but the Cagliari goalkeeper was equal to it. However, the pressure soon told as Mauri stabbed the ball home to put his side in front after Lucas Biglia’s shot cannoned around the penalty area following Candreva’s corner.
The visitors threatened an instant reply through Marco Sau who made a jinking run from the left hand side along the byline inside Lazio’s area, but Federico Marchetti was alert at his near post to turn the ball behind.
Cagliari’s best moment of the first half came through an impressive 60-yard run from Swedish international Albin Ekdal. The 25-year-old took the ball from deep inside his own half before being brought down just outside the opposing penalty area by Senad Lulic. Daniele Conti’s subsequent free kick went close, brushing the top of the net.
Lazio took the game away from the visitors soon after in the 24th minute as Klose tapped in from close range after Lulic headed the ball back from Cadreva’s enticing cross to the far post.
The all-time Fifa World Cup goalscorer then wasted no time in doubling his tally, as he calmly slotted the ball into the bottom left corner when Lulic played him in on the left hand side of the area.
Zdenek Zeman’s side appeared to respond well towards the end of the first half with more possession but almost fell foul of Mauri again who stretched to put another good Candreva cross just wide at the far post, as the half ended with the score at 3-0.
Cagliari were much quicker out of the blocks at the start of the second half as Victor Ibarbo raced into the area after turning his man only to have his powerful shot from the right side of the area beaten away by Marchetti.
The danger appeared to have passed but Cagliari recovered the ball for Francesco Pisano to hang up a cross which the Lazio defence failed to deal with as Ibarbo and Sau battled in the six-yard box, before the ball deflected off Braafheid into his own net.
Lulic squandered a good chance to halt Cagliari’s fightback but he struggled to wrap his foot round a cut back from Candreva, following a good run down the right by the winger.
Ibarbo then almost had his side back in the game as his one on one effort was saved from an onrushing Marchetti and Crisetig fired the follow-up opportunity over from just outside the area.
The Colombian’s good work to scare the home side ended in despair 20 minutes from time though as the referee showed him a red card for swinging his elbow back at Lulic who was holding the 24-year-old.
That dismissal took the wind out of the Sardinian’s sails, but substitute Joao Pedro gave the home side a scare with eight minutes to play when he turned in Benedetti’s headed ball across to reduce the deficit to one.
However as Cagliari pushed for the equaliser in added time, they left themselves exposed at the back and Lazio, with the extra man, sealed the points as Ederson marked his return to the first team with a close range tap in from Candreva’s low cross to end the game 4-2.
