Lazio leave it late to scrape past Parma

Date: 21st October 2018 at 4:54pm
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It took an 81st minute Ciro Immobile penalty to break the deadlock as Lazio escaped with a close-fought 2-0 win at the Stadio Ennio Tardini where two wasteful sides spent the majority of the afternoon passing up on their chances.

Both sides passed up a number of chances to take the lead in the first and second half, with Antonio Di Gaudio and Immobile the most culpable of their sides’ respective profligacy.

Roberto Inglese wasted a big chance for the hosts in the first 45 minutes, opting to go alone when Antonio Di Gaudio was better placed, while Patric missed a golden opportunity for Lazio.

Sergej Milinkovic Savic forced a save out of Luigi Sepe in the second and Immobile surprisingly missed the target completely from inside five yards with what was essentially an open goal facing him.

Immobile did eventually find the net as he emphatically smashed home from 12 yards in front of the Curva Nord to take the points back to the capital. Joaquin Correa sealed the points with the game’s final kick as Immobile slotted him through on the break to calmly convert.

No Gervinho, no party for Parma

Roberto Inglese returned to Roberto D’Aversa’s starting XI but Gervinho’s absence was still sorely felt by the Gialloblu as they looked a little toothless and short of options in attack.

Though Inglese showed in the first half that he was a threat on the counterattack, he chose poorly when he got into the box and slowed things down where the Ivorian would typically put his head down and pick up his speed.

Parma comfortably beat Genoa away without Gervinho and Inglese as well, but it was clear at the Tardini that they were lacking some sort of cutting edge in the final third.

Ciro saves the day again

He wasn’t his usual clinical self but it was no surprise to see Immobile come to the rescue for Simone Inzaghi’s side once again, scoring what was his sixth goal of this Serie A season.

Having inexplicably missed a glorious chance earlier in the half, there was little doubt that the Italian was going to convert from the spot when he was presented with the opportunity to redeem his earlier error.

Stepping up confidently, Immobile rifled his effort into the roof of Luigi Sepe’s net, giving the goalkeeper no chance despite moving the right way.

He did have a chance to seal the points five minutes later, but he was too casual as he was set through one-on-one with Sepe, allowing the Parma ‘keeper to parry away his tame effort.

Not to be defeated, Immobile assisted a second on the break with the game’s penultimate kick, slipping Correa through with a clever reverse pass as the ex-Samp forward sealed the win on the final whistle.

 

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