Lazio carried their European positivity into their clash with Cagliari, driving to victory despite wasting a number of chances.
The Biancocelesti booked their spot in the Champions League knockout stages this week after cruising to a 2-0 win over Celtic, giving Maurizio Sarri and the players something to smile about despite their disappointing domestic form this term.
Lazio’s work in Europe allows them to return full focus to the league, where they have struggled to find consistency amidst impotent attacking play and unfocused defensive efforts. Sarri wanted to see a response against Cagliari, and he wasn’t left disappointed.
The home side started the match well and took a 1-0 lead after just eight minutes thanks to veteran winger Pedro, who latched onto a great pass from Manuel Lazzari and poked the ball past Simone Scuffet.
Lazio continued to look positive in the first half and had a number of other close chances from Pedro, Luis Alberto and Gustav Isaksen, but they couldn’t double their advantage.
Antoine Makoumbou was shown a red card in the 27th minute of the match after clumsily bringing down a charging Mateo Guendouzi, putting the Sardinian side down to 10 men.
Cagliari had a few wayward forays forward but none of their efforts proved troubling to Ivan Provedel, allowing the home side to enter the half-time break with a 1-0 lead.
The second half was much the same as the first, with Lazio somehow failing to double their lead despite good attempts from Valentin Castellanos and Ciro Immobile.
Luckily for Sarri, Cagliari were even less impressive going forward, managing to produce just 0.56 expected goals with nine shots across 90 minutes, allowing Lazio to close out a 1-0 win.
