A late goal from Milan Skriniar in the second half was the difference as Inter defeated Lazio 2-1 at the Stadio Giuseppe Meazza.
It was an entertaining affair where Inter proved to be a difficult side as they had a sturdy backline and allowed minimal space. Alessandro Bastoni scored in the 30th minute to open the score and give Inter their first lead. However, five minutes later, Lazio’s talisman, Ciro Immobile, tied the match for the Biancocelesti.
The Nerazzurri remain at the top of the table with 49 points as they have a one-point advantage over Milan and have a game in hand. As for Lazio, they remain in eighth place, six points back of Juventus for fifth place and a spot for Europa League.
So, what did we learn from this match?
Ciro Immobile Continues to Be Resilient
Immobile continues to have a tremendous season for Lazio as he’s been one of their most productive players. When the Italian has managed to stay fit, he has given the Biancocelesti a chance to win. He has five goals in his past five Serie A matches and has been in good form. Immobile was relentless versus Inter as he constantly pressed their backend and forced their defenders to make quick clearances and concede turnovers.
Immobile scored at the 35th minute from a brilliant pass from Danilo Cataldi. In doing so, he became the third player to score at least 15 goals in the top five leagues in Europe in the last six seasons. In addition, of his 15 goals, 12 have come from open play. Immobile has often been criticized for scoring most of his goals from the spot yet this season he’s proven that he is a complete striker and could play in the 4-3-3 under Maurizio Sarri.
Lazio Put Forth a Strong Effort
It was going to be a difficult task to win versus Inter at the Giuseppe Meazza as they’ve been one of the most dominant teams this season. Lazio showed great fortitude and came back on one occasion. After trailing 1-0, Lazio responded five minutes later off a brilliant set-piece.
Although they conceded the game-winner in the 67th minute, Lazio fought until the end for the equalizer. Sergej Milinkovic-Savic, Pedro and Immobile each had quality chances yet were unable to finish. Luiz Felipe made a brave block to prevent Inter from scoring while Thomas Strakosha came up with some key saves to keep Lazio within in distance. It was an all-around strong effort from Lazio and a performance such as this could provide momentum for the second half of the season.
“I can say that we played a good game. Today we leave the pitch with our heads held high. We mustn’t lose heart,” Milinkovic-Savic stated to Lazio Style Radio on Lazio’s performance versus Inter.
Luiz Felipe Outstanding in the Backend
In Lazio’s past match versus Empoli, Luiz Felipe struggled as he made several mistakes and was partially responsible for their third goal conceded. However, the defender rebounded versus Inter and put forth an outstanding performance in the backend.
Luiz Felipe made several clearances, timely key challenges and pivotal blocks that prevented Inter from scoring more than two goals. He looked comfortable as he wasn’t caught out of position, was physical and timed his slide tackles to perfection.
He finished the match with five tackles, one interception, seven clearances and two blocked shots; Luiz Felipe was Lazio’s best player on the pitch versus Inter.
