Final result: Lazio-Bologna 3-0
LAZIO (edited by Patrick Iannarelli)
Provedel 6 – Soporific evening, he plays more with his feet than with his hands. Bologna didn’t make much of a breakthrough, the lack of a man contributed to increasing the peace of mind. He lends a hand in the setup phase, earns a passing grade thanks to his presence on the field.
Lazarus 6.5 – He doesn’t break through very well, but when Bologna starts he suffers. Two decisive lunges, the burst with assist included for Taty deserves applause. But the Argentine can’t find the right deviation.
Gila 6.5 – He manages with personality, without ever overdoing it: inconspicuous, he always makes the useful play. Castro never passes through his side, not even in the first half.
Romagnoli 6 – The night at the Olimpico is one of dreams, it keeps Bologna out of the perimeter, the defense never risks anything. He leaves due to a physical problem. From 46′ Gigot 7 – He enters and immediately engages in a rustic duel with Castro, including more or less forbidden blows. Then he transforms into an area bird of prey, unlocking a match that seemed haunted.
Pilgrims 6.5 – He becomes an added attacker, together with Zaccagni he puts a Bologna already in difficulty into crisis. Acceleration from applause on the 2-0 goal, from that moment on he decides not to stop anymore.
Vecino 6.5 – He tries to slip between the lines, inserts himself at the right times: his cross is not exploited by Taty Castellanos, he is among the most proactive when the inertia doesn’t turn in the right direction. From 60′ Dia 6.5 – His arrival turns everything upside down, Lazio drops the mask of suffering and begins to play their usual quality football.
Rovella 7 – He is growing exponentially, his strokes are master strokes. He manages the tempo and dictates the rhythm by sending signals also in a national key: he enchants thanks to his quality plays, but when needed he also places some nice rough tackles.
Guendouzi 6 – He almost devours a goal by messing with the ball, then abandons his ambitions as a goalscorer and starts thinking only about substance. Less effective than the San Siro match against Italy.
Pedro 5.5 – Not his best game in a blue and white shirt. The first half at the Olimpico is complicated, difficult to interpret: it goes in fits and starts, it never manages to make an impact. From 60′ Isaksen 6 – He manages to provide freshness at a time when the whole team needed to breathe. He gets the possible penalty, then Dele-Bashiru “ruins the party” for him.
Castellanos 6.5 – First he decides to knock down the Olimpico at no cost, but the first shot doesn’t even hit the target. Then he thinks more about playing with substance, taking shots and getting into fights with anyone. He doesn’t score, but it’s impossible to put any weight on him: he fights constantly, he never disappoints from the point of view of commitment. From the 85th minute Dele-Bashiru 6.5 – Enters and scores the 3-0 goal by taking advantage of a lack of attention from the visiting defense.
Zaccagni 7.5 – He sacrifices a lot, especially when Lazio doesn’t break through. Then an amen lights up, the goal he invents to virtually (and definitively) close the match brings applause. From 74′ Tchaouna sv
Marco Baroni 7.5 – He has the great merit of having shaped the team in his image and likeness. He gave unity at the necessary moment, professing the creed of those who only think about work. Head down and pedal: the results now speak clearly.
BOLOGNA (edited by Daniele Najjar)
Ravaglia 5.5 – In fact he doesn’t have to do much even in a match of pure suffering for Bologna. Lazio attacks, but doesn’t tickle him much until the moment of taking the lead. Not guilty of the first two goals, he had committed a foul on the third, even though he certainly could have done much more in that situation.
De Silvestri 5.5 – He returns to his home, he does so by granting the minimum wage to opponents with leg and ideas for an hour. Then coupled with Lucumi he leaves too much space for Zaccagni who makes it 2-0 and in the final in his area the Biancocelesti often sink.
Beukema 5.5 – It covers everything, even your buddies’ holes. At least until the goal though, where GIgot gets lost and scores. In the end, together with his team mates, he also concedes.
Lucumì 5 – Castellanos makes him feel his breath on his neck and suffers him a bit, he holds up to a certain point also supported by Beukema. Even on Lazio’s second goal, however, he left too much space for Zaccagni without helping De Silvestri, who had doubled Pellegrini’s lead.
Miranda 5.5 – What an effort against Lazzari: his verve suffers a lot, even if hearing Baroni from the sideline he should stop Pedro – who doesn’t do much -, but he isn’t supported enough by Karlsson. In the second half he also leaves more space for the opposing offenses.
Freuler 5.5 – He covers and runs where he can, he also supports the offensive phase as long as the Bolognese are in the match. Then he suffers with his teammates, leaving little space centrally.
Pobega 4 – Absolutely gratuitous naivety that led to his red card. Dictated by the desire to score goals, certainly, but which costs a lot for a previously tidy Bologna.
Orsolini 6 – Winger, but also full-back. He’s the one who finishes while Bologna is down to 11 men, he’s the one who saves everything in the retreat when Pobega ruins everything. Italiano changes it anyway in the 45th minute.
From 46′ Urbanski 5.5 – He should be a filter, but in fact he does less than the captain he replaces and Bologna is crushed. Indeed, at 0-3 he stopped and let Dele-Bashiru score.
Odgaard 5 – He tries more with individual plays, when he sees that the situation is getting complicated, with mixed results. It wasn’t the right match to make an impact.
Karlsson 5 – According to Baroni’s directives, it is he who must follow Lazzari since Miranda has Pedro in charge: he often takes the plate from him and is replaced given his poor defensive contribution.
From 46′ Moro 5 – In a battle fought by everyone with a knife between their teeth, he actually sends Gigot through on goal, breaking the rossoblu wall with an involuntary assist to his opponent.
Castro 6 – Before Pobega’s red card he had found a couple of conclusions, then he dedicated himself totally to doing what a ‘9’ of a team that is suffering should do: he takes a beating, he makes the team rise, he gets the others warned. More than that?
From 80′ Holm sv
Coach: Vincenzo Italiano 5.5 – From the start, Bologna suffered a little too much from the Biancocelesti’s initiative and struggled to find countermeasures. The changes he makes do not bring benefits, on the contrary: Moro commits the naivety that launches Lazio and Orsolini’s exit is not fully understood.