Following last weekend’s draw against Roma, Lazio got back to winning ways by crushing SPAL 5–1 at the Stadio Olimpico.
The capital side was up 4–0 by half time and is now unbeaten in 16 straight Serie A matches, the club’s best run of form since the 2002/2003 season.
SPAL were without top scorer Andrea Petagna, and although finishing with a slight edge in possession managed only three shots on target and close to nothing in the way of defensive resistance as Lazio countered seemingly at will.
With the victory, Lazio moved to within five points of Juventus at the top of the Serie A table, with a match in hand. A win on Wednesday in the make up game at home against Verona would see that gap cut to just two points.
Immobile’s two tallies were his league leading 24th and 25th of the season and moved the Italy striker three clear of Bayern’s Robert Lewandowksi in the race for the Golden Boot.
It was a dream start for the home side who went ahead inside just three minutes when Ciro Immobile fired home from point blank after Senad Lulic redirected a Luis Alberto corner for the striker to pounce on at the far post.
Despite conceding some territory to the visitors, the Biancocelesti were on target again less than 15 minutes later with Felipe Caicedo finding the net to complete a near-perfectly executed counter attack. The Ecuadorian was left with a simple finish after Manuel Lazzari’s low shot struck the upright and caromed directly into his path.
Lazio were three up by the half hour mark with Immobile again getting the better of Etrit Berisha in the SPAL goal, this time with a finely clipped finish after the keeper was drawn desperately to the edge of his area to defend. It was another vintage counter for the home side with Lazzari once more involved as his through ball spliced the visitors’ porous defense.
If there was any doubt, not ten minutes later the match was well and truly dusted after a lovely interchange between the two Lazio frontmen. This time Immobile turned provider and his lay off was met with a perfectly curled first time Caicedo strike from just outside the area for his second of the match.
It was more of the same early in the second frame as yet another quick counter saw Lazzari freed on the right flank to set up substitute Bobby Adekanye’s simple tap in for the 20-year-old’s first ever Serie A goal and Lazio’s fifth.
SPAL did manage to pull a goal back in the 65th minute through Simone Missiroli’s individual effort, but it was completely irrelevant as the Ferrara side slumped to the bottom of the table with the heavy defeat.
