Lazio thought they’d secured a point against Milan until a late Sandro Tonali strike secured a 2-1 win for the Scudetto hopefuls.
The Biancocelesti came into this Serie A match desperate to bounce back with a win following a scrappy 1-1 draw with Torino last weekend. For the Rossoneri, it was a must win match in their hunt for the Scudetto following Inter’s decisive result against Roma yesterday.
Lazio and Milan had faced each other twice before in the season, with the Rossoneri picking up a 2-0 win in the league and a 4-0 win in the Coppa Italia.
Milan kicked off the evening match at the Stadio Olimpico, but it was Lazio who took an early advantage in the Roman rain.
Sergej Milinkovic-Savic controlled a throw-in with his chest before whipping a cross into the six-yard box, which a slippery Ciro Immobile poked into the back of the net, giving Lazio a 1-0 lead after only four minutes.
The Biancocelesti suffered as a resurgent Milan pushed to find an equaliser, but they held firm for the rest of the first half, stifling the Rossoneri’s attempts.
At the half time break, Milan had an xG of 1.23, significantly higher than Lazio’s 0.45. They took 12 shots to the Roman club’s four, but failed to find an equaliser.
Stefano Pioli’s side came into the second half fired up and their energy was rewarded in the 50th minute, when Olivier Giroud netted their much deserved equaliser, making things 1-1.
Milan continued to push as the second half progressed, dominating much of the tempo and having a number of chances. Despite their control, however, they couldn’t manage to breakdown Lazio’s defence, frustrating Pioli and his players.
The Rossoneri finally got their goal in the dying minutes of the match following a terrible defensive display by the Biancocelesti, with Sandro Tonali bundling the ball home to make it 2-1.
Lazio finished with an xG of 0.51, far below Milan’s 2.55 xG, a result of their 25 shots.
