A tense night in Rotterdam saw Lazio fall flat in their Champions League clash with Feyenoord, coming up short in a testy 3-1 defeat.
The Biancocelesti had looked decent in their two previous European outings – a draw with Atletico Madrid and win over Celtic – but failed to replicate that form at De Kuip, not playing their best in a heated clash with the Eredivisie side.
Back to back wins in Serie A over Atalanta and Sassuolo gave Maurizio Sarri’s side some confidence heading into their Champions League match, but it didn’t prove enough as Feyenoord secured a key three points.
Feyenoord immediately started the match on the front foot and thought they’d taken the lead in the 25th minute through star striker Santiago Gimenez, but his goal was ruled out by a VAR check due to an offside.
It didn’t take long for the Dutch side to find their breakthrough, however, as Gimenez poked home the opener in the 31st minute after a lapse in defensive concentration from the Biancocelesti, putting Feyenoord 1-0 up.
Just before the half time break, Lazio’s pain was doubled when a curling shot from Ramiz Zerrouki sailed past Ivan Provedel to give the home side a 2-0 advantage. Again, the defence was far too absent, making things easy for the Eredivisie outfit.
A quick piece of build-up play in the 74th minute allowed Gimenez to easily dispatch his brace after Provedel parried Quinten Timber’s shot straight into the path of the in-form Mexican striker, who put Feyenoord 3-0 up.
Lazio found a consolation goal in the 83rd minute from the penalty spot, when Pedro confidently netted from 12 yards out after Valentin Castellanos was brought down in the box by Marcos Lopez.
It was a frustrating and forgettable evening for Lazio, who were far too wasteful in possession and far too absent-minded off the ball, allowing Feyenoord to cruise to victory.
