Lazio were off the mark in their first game of 2023, suffering a 2-1 loss away to Lecce after initially taking the lead.
Biancocelesti coach Maurizio Sarri fielded a strong lineup for the team’s first commitment of the year, deploying stars like Ciro Immobile, Mattia Zaccagni and Sergej Milinkovic-Savic. Lazio finished the first half of the season in fourth and hoped to continue their momentum in the second half of this campaign in a bid for a top four finish.
Unfortunately for Lazio, their early lead wasn’t well held and two second half goals from the home side allowed them to snatch all three points, which could be crucial in a possible relegation battle brewing at the bottom of the table.
Immobile put Lazio ahead after just 14 minutes following a beautiful ball from Nicolo Casale, giving the team an early boost. They failed to take advantage of their control in the first half and allowed the home side to enter the break just one goal down.
Lecce took advantage of this wasted momentum and found an equaliser just before the hour mark thanks to Gabriel Strefezza, who latched onto Ivan Provedel’s parried save to draw things level.
14 minutes later, Lorenzo Colombo lit up the Stadio Via del Mare following a nice bit of playing involving Federico Di Francesco and Morten Hjulmand.
Despite Lazio’s efforts, they failed to claw back an equaliser, leaving them tired and frustrated in Puglia. Sarri will be unimpressed with his team’s work and will look to find solutions ahead of their next outing.
Lazio’s next game is against Empoli on 8th January at the Stadio Olimpico.