In an amusing twist of fate, controversial star Luis Alberto was the hero for Lazio in a tight win over Alberto Gilardino’s Genoa.
The Spanish midfielder sparked drama last week when he publicly stated his desire to leave the club on a free transfer in the summer, causing uproar amongst the supporters. Claudio Lotito later confirmed that he’d need to find a buyer in the summer if he wanted to leave.
Despite the situation, Luis Alberto eventually made a pact with Lazio and was included in Igor Tudor’s squad for the Friday evening Serie A clash with Genoa at the Stadio Luigi Ferraris, an important match in the path for European qualification.
The home side got off to a strong start and had an early chance through Caleb Ekuban, a sign that the Biancocelesti wouldn’t have an easy evening on the Ligurian coast. Mateo Retegui followed that up with another strong chance in the 13th minute, but again it was just off the mark.
Lazio tried to respond as the first half progressed, having some decent chances through Felipe Anderson and Mario Gila, but they failed to look particularly troubling in the first 45 minutes. Just before the end of the first half, Genoa came close through Ekuban again.
The Biancocelesti were more positive in the second half and they finally found a breakthrough in the 67th minute, when a nice pass from Felipe Anderson allowed Daichi Kamada to sprint into the box, where he cut the back to Luis Alberto, who easily fired it into the back of the net, making it 1-0.
The goal seemed to take the wind out of Genoa’s sails and Lazio did well to manage the match for the remaining 25 minutes, allowing them to close out an important 1-0 victory, giving them a key three points in the fight for European qualification.
