Lazio 2-1 Juventus: Mattia Zaccagni sinks Juve to keep Maurizio Sarri’s side on course for second in Serie A

Lazio took a huge step towards Champions League qualification by beating Juventus 2-1 in a frantic game at the Stadio Olimpico that was settled by a superb Mattia Zaccagni winner.

Sergej Milinkovic-Savic gave the hosts a deserved lead before the break, but it was quickly cancelled out by a bundled close-range finish from Adrien Rabiot.

Zaccagni restored Lazio’s advantage early in the second half, racing to meet a neat backheel assist from Luis Alberto and fire home his 10th Serie A goal of the season.

It was Lazio’s first win over Juve since December 2019 and extended their unbeaten run in Serie A to seven matches as they took advantage of slip-ups from top-four rivals AC Milan, Inter Milan and Atalanta.

The result puts Maurizio Sarri’s side in a commanding position in the six-way battle for three Champions League places, as they sit in second place, seven points clear of Inter Milan in fifth.

Lazio had the better of the first half as Milinkovic-Savic threatened three times early on before a Ciro Immobile volley required a sharp diving save from Wojciech Szczesny.

The hosts’ pressure eventually told when Zaccagni floated a ball to the back post, where Milinkovic-Savic controlled and finished after being left all alone when Alex Sandro fell to the floor claiming a foul. The officials weren’t interested in the Brazilian’s protests.

It was a deserved lead that the Biancocelesti had worked hard for, but they quickly let it slip as four minutes later Rabiot scrambled the ball over the line after Ivan Provedel parried a Gleison Bremer header from a corner, ending Lazio’s run of six clean sheets in a row.

Lazio were quickly back on the front foot after the break, though, and restored their advantage in style when Luis Alberto played Zaccagni into space with a deft flick and the winger finished calmly into the bottom corner.

Zaccagni added his second of the night soon after when he raced to meet a through ball and finish, but the goal was chalked off for offside.

Juventus pressed forward in search of an equaliser, with Federico Chiesa causing problems from the bench, but they struggled to carve out clear openings against Lazio’s watertight defence.

TALKING POINT – Lazio’s taste for the big occasion proving crucial

The top-four race in Serie A this season has been characterised by the inconsistency of all the clubs involved – underlined on Friday when Milan and Inter drew against Empoli and Salernitana respectively.

Lazio have been just as guilty of spilling points against lower-table opposition this term, but it’s their superb record in the head-to-head meetings with their direct rivals that has helped them rise above the rest.

Maurizio Sarri’s side have now beaten all of the top seven this season: Napoli, Roma (twice), AC Milan, Inter, Atalanta and Juventus. Their taste for the big games has been remarkable and could yet bring other advantages in a league where head-to-head record is the primary tiebreaker.

PLAYER OF THE MATCH – Mattia Zaccagni

Zaccagni is enjoying the season of his life and his winner, a perfectly placed strike into the far bottom corner, saw him hit double figures in a Serie A season for the first time in his career.

The Italian, whose exclusion from the last Italy squad looks more absurd with each passing week, also set up Milinkovic-Savic’s opener. He has twice been decisive in big matches recently, as it was a Zaccagni strike that settled the 1-0 Rome Derby win last month too.

PLAYER RATINGS

Lazio: Provedel 7; Marusic 7, Casale 7, Romagnoli 7, Hysaj 7; Milinkovic-Savic 8, Cataldi 6, Alberto 8; Anderson 7, Immobile 6, Zaccagni 9

Subs: Pedro 6, Vecino 6, Basic 6

Juventus: Szczesny 6; Gatti 6, Bremer 6, Alex Sandro 6; Cuadrado 6, Rabiot 7, Locatelli 6, Fagioli 6, Kostic 6; Di Maria 7; Vlahovic 6

Subs: Chiesa 7, Paredes 7, Milik 6, Miretti 6, Danilo 6

MATCH HIGHLIGHTS

38’ GOAL! MILINKOVIC-SAVIC PUTS LAZIO AHEAD! – Time seems to stand still as a cross is played to Milinkovic-Savic at the back post. Sandro leaps to the ground claiming a push, but it’s not given and the midfielder has all the time in the world to finish.

43’ GOAL! JUVE LEVEL IMMEDIATELY! – An immediate response! Juve win a corner and Bremer’s header is superbly saved by the foot of Provedel but comes back out to Rabiot, who manages to bundle it home at the second time of asking.

54’ GOAL! ZACCAGNI RESTORES LAZIO’S LEAD! – What a goal! Alberto plays Zaccagni into space with a deft backheel flick and the winger takes it first time to steer a finish into the far bottom corner. Fantastic football from Sarri’s side.

57’ GOAL DISALLOWED! – The celebration music is cut short as Zaccagni latches onto a through ball to finish from close range, but the flag was up.

KEY STATS

• Considering all competitions, Adrien Rabiot is the only Serie A midfielder to reach double figures of goals so far this season: 10 goals, including eight in Serie A.
• Mattia Zaccagni has reached the double figures of goals for the first time in his career in Serie A, as well as being the only Italian player to have scored 10 goals in this league campaign so far.