Lazio failed to put on a show in their first home game of the season as they fell to Genoa in a puzzling 1-0 loss.
The Biancocelesti dropped points from a winning position in their season opener against Lecce on 20th August, starting the 2023-24 campaign on the wrong foot, and Maurizio Sarri made it clear that he expected a strong response in their follow-up against the newly promoted Rossoblu.
Genoa had a grim taste of reality in their first Serie A game since promotion, collapsing in a painful 4-1 loss at home to Fiorentina, but they didn’t let this affect their confidence as they travelled to the Italian capital.
Alberto Gilardino’s side started the match at the Stadio Olimpico on the front foot and almost took the lead after 12 minutes, when Johan Vásquez’s cannon effort from outside the box ricocheted off Ivan Provedel’s crossbar.
Genoa were rewarded for their early ventures forward in the 16th minute, when a quick attacking move allowed Mateo Retegui to latch onto a loose ball following a Provedel save. The Argentine-Italian striker easily headed the ball into the back of the Lazio net, putting the away side 1-0 up.
Lazio grew into the match after this but were unable to punish Genoa despite their dominance, leaving the away side with a slim advantage heading into the halftime break. Just before the whistle blew, however, the Biancocelesti were almost awarded a penalty, but a VAR check ruled that out.
The second half was much the same for Maurizio Sarri’s side, who continued to press forward to try and level things out. Their efforts were fruitless, exemplified by Immobile’s leaping shot that bounced off the crossbar in the 65th minute.
Despite taking 16 shots and producing an expected goals of 1.45, Lazio failed to find the right combination against Genoa, allowing Gilardino’s side to escape to Liguria with all three points.
