A tense evening at the Stadio Olimpico ended goalless for Lazio in their Europa League clash against Galatasaray.
Coach Maurizio Sarri’s side needed to pick up all three points against the Turkish side in order to qualify directly for the Round of 16, but a well-drilled Galatasaray remained defensively solid as the match ended 0-0.
Below are the two starting lineups in Lazio’s Europa League clash against Galatasaray:
- Lazio (4-3-3): Thomas Strakosha; Manuel Lazzari, Luiz Felipe, Francesco Acerbi, Elseid Hysaj; Sergej Milinkovic-Savic, Lucas Leiva, Toma Basic; Pedro, Ciro Immobile, Mattia Zaccagni.
- Galatasaray (4-3-3): Fernando Muslera; Dendre Yedlin, Victor Nelsson, Marcão, Patrick van Aanholt; Sofiane Feghouli, Taylan Antalyali, Berkan Kutlu; Ryan Babel, Mbaye Diagne, Kerem Akturkoglu.
The match at the Stadio Olimcirst 30 minutes, but neither side managed to penetrate the final third with any real malice.
It was a tense and cagey affair, with the first excitement coming from a Galatasaray corner in the 42nd minute, when a scramble in the box threatened an opener. It was cleared safely.
Lazio’s first real chance came in the 44th minute, with Zaccagni’s pass back across the box meeting a waiting Immobile, who leaned back and cannoned the ball over the crossbar.
The second half started as a continuation of the first, with hopeful long shots and sluggish passes from both sides.
Sarri made two changes in the 63rd minute, switching out Pedro and Hysaj for Felipe Anderson and Manuel Lazzari respectively.
Immobile had another great chance in the 71st minute following a nice lay-off by Milinkovic-Savic, but his shot deflected wide.
Sarri made another two changes in the 72nd minute, switching Basic and Leiva with Luis Alberto and Danilo Cataldi.
The game remained tense and cagey, with the majority of play coming in the midfield. Weak efforts in the final third were a common sight from both teams.
Luis Alberto had a decent attempt in the 86th minute but it unfortunately bobbled wide, leaving his efforts fruitless.
Lazio flew forward in the dying minutes of the match, desperate to find the back of the net, but unfortunately they failed to change their fortune as the match ended 0-0.
