Lazio came into its Serie A home fixture against Torino with not much to play for.
The Biancocelesti will finish the season in sixth place in the league table, which will see the side compete in next season’s UEFA Europa League competition. On the other hand, Torino had plenty to play for as it needed a mere one point to secure its place in Serie A next season.
In what was a sluggish outing for both sides, Lazio and Torino finished the match with a 0-0 draw result. This was the first 0-0 goalless result for the Biancocelesti in this season.
Luis Alberto Almost Scores a Stunner
If there is one Lazio player that can score a goal out of nothing, it is Luis Alberto.
The Spanish playmaker has scored plenty of superb goals this season, such as the long-distance stunner against AS Roma. Alberto came close to scoring another such goal during the fixture against Torino.
With Lazio breaking on a quick transition sequence, Stefan Radu found time and space on the flanks to send in a keen ball into the penalty box. No Lazio player was able to reach the aerial pass. However, Ciro Immobile was able to recover the loose ball and wound up sending a pass to a waiting Alberto outside the box.
The Lazio midfielder attempted to curl in a shot attempt, but Torino goalkeeper Salvatore Sirigu swatted his chance away.
Ciro Immobile Falls Short on a Golden Goal-Scoring Chance
Lazio had plenty of key goal-scoring opportunities over the course of the match but still struggled to slot home a single ball into the back of the net. The Biancocelesti’s most notable chance of the match came during the final 10 minutes where some controversy arose.
Immobile was awarded with a penalty attempt after he was fouled in Torino’s box by defender Nicolas N’Koulou. The penalty call was officially issued after a check from VAR, which prompted Torino’s coaching staff and players to subsequently dispute the call.
Immobile stepped up to the plate and wound up hitting the woodwork on the attempt. Lazio players surely could not believe that for a striker that has delivered plenty of times in key moments this season, he would fall short on such a massive goal-scoring chance.
Lazio surely won the game on paper as it dominated possession with a 71% figure and finished with 16 more total shot attempts than Torino. But in the end, Lazio’s goal-scoring woes continued as the side now stands at a mere one goal scored in its four league matches.
Lazio will now finish off the Serie A campaign with an away league fixture against Sassuolo.
