Final result: Lazio-Real Sociedad 3-1
LAZIO
Mandas 6 – Some inaccuracies with the feet, a bit of fear on Sucic’s left-foot shot which hits the post and little else. Good at blocking Aramburu’s shot, he can’t do anything about Barrenetxea’s goal on the rebound.
Marusic 6 – He doesn’t push with great continuity, but he doesn’t make any mistakes from behind, also because there are few times he is targeted and put in difficulty.
Gila 7.5 – It is well known that he is the best central defender available to Baroni, but that he also knows how to score a little less. He broke the deadlock in the 5th minute with a goal from a true attacker following a scrum and came close to doubling the lead a few minutes later, hitting the post after a rebound. Fast, precise and punctual in closing, tonight he is impeccable.
Romagnoli 6 – One of the lowest scores, but not so much due to his demerits, but because there are few occasions in which he can compete with an opponent. Lazio dominates and he reaps the benefits.
Nuno Tavares 7 – The usual inexhaustible train on the left wing. He never stops and is decisive in the first three goals: in the 5th minute he takes the free kick which leads to Gila’s goal, in the 32nd minute he serves Isaksen who finishes for Zaccagni and in the 35th minute he delivers the cross for Castellanos’ header. It makes you wonder why Arsenal let him go. From 43′ Dele-Bashiru 6 – He enters a match already channeled and in the second half he simply participates in the maneuver.
Guendouzi 6 – A lot of quantity there in the middle, but not only that. He contributes to making the ball move quickly, then in the second half he walks like everyone else. The match was virtually over.
Rovella 6.5 – A small mistake when he chooses to double Kubo and leaves Sucic, who hits the post alone, but it’s a detail. He has the merit of winning the free kick which led to the 1-0, but also of dictating the pace in the control room with an enviable confidence for his age.
Isaksen 7 – He is one of the special observers because there is a lot of talk about him these days, also from a market perspective. He repaid with a decidedly positive performance: first he booked Munoz by suffering a foul in midfield, then he had him sent off forcing him into another foul and finally he served the ball to Zaccagni to make it 2-0. Lotito must think carefully before selling him. From 56′ Noslin 6 – Great desire to demonstrate that he can score, but must be content with managing the result.
Day 6 – He doesn’t score and in a match like this it’s practically news. He did well to create a danger for Remiro at the start, then limited himself to liaising with Castellanos in the first 45 minutes and acting as a reference in the second half. From 76′ Balde 5.5 – Too few minutes to show off, but the Olimpico already exalts him with every ball he touches. It’s a shame for the lack of attention during the 3-1, when Aramburu escapes him and takes the shot which then, blocked by Mandas, ends up on Barrenetxea’s head.
Zaccagni 7 – The captain doesn’t disappoint tonight either. He joins the party with the 2-0 goal, rather simple for someone like him, but also with never banal plays, with which he always frees a man. From 56′ Tchaouna 6 – Like Noslin, he targets the man and tries to make himself dangerous, but everyone can’t wait for the referee to blow his whistle. The match ended in the 35th minute.
Castellanos 7.5 – He doesn’t play a first half where we can see a lot, but when it counts he’s always in the right place. It’s his header in the 5th minute which fortunately frees Gila to shoot, then forces a defender to save on the line with a gore and in the 35th minute he goes on his own and scores the 3-0. The way he breaks free and hits the ball with his head should be seen in football schools. From 46′ Pedro 6.5 – The attitude is always that of the veteran who looks like a kid, the smile on his face allows him to play calmly and if the pace slows down he is a master. Only the crossbar denied him the joy of scoring.
Marco Baroni 8 – On the eve of the match there were those who feared Real Sociedad, he respected them, but on the pitch he demonstrated that he had studied them perfectly. Okay, the expulsion makes it easier, but scoring 3 goals in 35 minutes against the second best defense in the 5 major European leagues was no easy feat. Six wins and a draw in 7 games, almost mathematical first place, the vote also goes to the route.
REAL SOCIEDAD (edited by Giuseppe Lenoci)
Remiro 6 – Not guilty of the goals conceded, it remains an excellent intervention on Dia and little more. Victim of Lazio’s fury for 90 minutes.
Aramburu 5.5 – Dangers follow one another on his flank and he never manages to become dangerous in the final metres. Zaccagni does what he wants.
Zubeldia 5.5 – Like the entire department, it collapsed under the blows of Lazio, careful to maximize the opportunities gained. A lot of effort with Dia and Castellanos, also due to the numerical inferiority.
Aguerd 5 – Like his teammate, he sinks like his entire team, even considering the man less. From 71′ Pacheco sv –
Munoz 4 – His match lasts thirty minutes. Castellanos loses in the marking, on the occasion of the Biancoceleste’s lead, and is the author of two identical fouls which cost him the expulsion in the 30th minute. In fact, he condemns his team to an unexcusable defeat.
Zubimendi 5 – Real Sociedad’s beacon is off and psychologically suffers the pressure of Dia and Castellanos, who alternate marking on the midfield. He comes out during the break. From 46′ Elustondo 5.5 – It’s not easy to make an impact in a match with the score already virtually archived by Lazio.
Kubo 5 – The talent, limited in the first half by Tavares, almost never manages to break through. In ten, he is forced to sacrifice himself more and is harmless in the last thirty metres. From 46′ Barrenetxea 6 – The only one to leave his mark on the pitch with the goal that doesn’t change the fate of the match, but underlines the qualities on the outside, good at being found in the right place in the only dangerous action created by his team.
Mendez 5 – The midfielder struggled quite a bit to find space in the final meters and was overwhelmed by the Biancoleste midfielder. Replaced due to the entry of a more defensive player. Lopez 5.5 – His entry almost seems like an attempt to reduce the Biancocelesti’s offensive efforts to a minimum so as not to concede further goals. It definitely gives more balance.
Sucic 6 – The only one to create a real danger for Mandas’ goal: unlucky when it hit the post. The rest of the match often sees him having difficulty communicating with his teammates.
Becker 5 – So much effort for the winger who wasted one of his team’s very few offensive actions with a weak shot, easily blocked by Mandas.
Oyarzabal 5 – The attacker is practically blocked in every move by a wild Gila and ends up showing little of his great qualities. From 46′ Marin 6 – He too enters a truly complicated situation to manage and is down both in the partial and in the men on the pitch.
Imanol Alguacil 5 – His defense, also praised by Baroni in the pre-match, collapsed under the blows of an amazing Lazio and the ingenuity of the Munoz. A victory will be needed for home advantage in the Playoffs.