Lazio almost grinded out an important win over Inter before falling victim to a late comeback, leaving them heartbroken in San Siro.
The Biancocelesti came into the 32nd Serie A matchday in second place in the Serie A table, seven points clear of the Nerazzurri, and knew that victory in the Lombardy capital would be an important step towards securing qualification to the Champions League.
All eyes were on Lazio’s clash with Inter due to the implications for Napoli. The Partenopei could secure their first Scudetto in 33 years with a win over Salernitana, should Maurizio Sarri’s side also drop points to the Milanese club.
Both teams started the match at the Stadio Giuseppe Meazza in tense fashion and Inter were the first to pounce, with Henrikh Mkhitaryan easily burying the ball into the back of the net after a fast attacking move. Luckily for Lazio, a VAR check decided that Joaquin Correa was offside in the build-up, leaving things level after 25 minutes.
Painfully for Inter, Lazio struck just minutes later with a dangerous attack of their own. Felipe Anderson finished off the move with a calm and well-placed shot, giving the away side a 1-0 lead after half an hour.
The Nerazzurri began to push for an equaliser, but the Biancocelesti held onto their lead going into the half time break, leaving many in Napoli nervous that their Scudetto celebrations could be delayed.
Lazio were resilient throughout the second half, but their focus slipped as the game started to draw to a close and Inter were quick to punish them.
In the 77th minute, a smart run by Lautaro Martinez allowed him to get into the perfect position to receive a Romelu Lukaku pass, and he worked hard to launch the ball past Ivan Provedel, putting the home side level.
Only minutes later, things went from bad to worse for Lazio. A great cross from Lukaku in the 83rd minute was caught well by a leaping Robin Gosens, whose left boot guided the ball into the back of the net, giving Inter a 2-1 lead with less than 10 minutes to play.
The Biancocelesti looked dejected by this point and their afternoon was truly spoilt in the 90th minute, when a disastrous misplaced pass by Matias Vecino allowed Lautaro to run through on goal. The Argentinian had all the time in the world to beat Provedel, closing out Inter’s win with a scrappy goal.
It was a disappointing and frustrating afternoon for Lazio, who will now need to regroup ahead of their next game against Sassuolo on 3rd May.