Lazio failed to impress in their pre-season friendly loss to Girona, although new signing Valentin Castellanos did find the back of the net.
The Biancocelesti have struggled to impress in their pre-season, despite winning four friendlies against smaller teams in their retreat in Auronzo di Cadore. The team fell 3-0 to Aston Villa in a concerning defeat last week and Maurizio Sarri was keen for a strong response against Girona.
Sarri started his strongest Lazio squad against Girona, deploying stars like Ciro Immobile, Alessio Romagnoli and Luis Alberto. Nicolo Casale, Castellanos and Matias Vecino came off the bench in the second half, giving the first team regulars important minutes.
After a relatively balanced first half at the Estadi Montilivi, Girona soon found an advantage through midfielder Viktor Tsyhankov in the 51st minute. 20 minutes later, the home side doubled their lead, with Cristhian Stuani’s strike giving them a 2-0 lead.
The only saving grace for Lazio came in the 76th minute, when Castellanos clawed back a consolation goal, showing positive signs under Sarri.
Lazio now have a few weeks to finish their preparations before the start of the Serie A season, which kicks off on August 20 against Lecce.