Lazio headed into their Serie A week 28 clash with Bologna in pole position to secure a spot in the top four. They were just one point behind fourth-placed team Juventus and knew that victory could catapult them into a Champions League qualifying position if the Bianconeri slipped up away at Fiorentina.
Well, Thiago Motta’s side did exactly that, slumping to a 3-0 loss away in Tuscany, but unfortunately, the Biancocelesti slumped even further.
Bologna 5-0 Lazio
Marco Baroni’s side headed to the Renato Dall’Ara knowing that their crunch clash was the very definition of a six-pointer. But things took a turn for the worst when Jens Odgaard gave the hosts an early lead. Lazio managed to keep the score to 1-0 at halftime, providing Baroni with the perfect opportunity to rally his troops for a huge 45 minutes. Whatever he said didn’t work.
The Biancocelesti started the second stanza poorly, and within three minutes of the restart, they were two down through Ricardo Orsolini’s delicate chipped finish. Barely a minute later, it was three when Dan N’Doye swept home from the edge of the area. From there, the writing was on the wall, and more goals followed.
Lazio skipper Mattia Zaccagni struck the post, but that was as good as it got. More defensive mistakes allowed Santiago Castro to add a fourth from close range before Giovanni Fabbian completed the rout after heading home to finish off a fine team goal to hand Bologna a deserved 5-0 victory.
Now, Lazio somehow has to pick themselves up, dust themselves off, and go again. But will the brutal defeat be too much to bounce back from?
Still in the Hunt
Despite the drubbing, the capital city outfit is still in the hunt. But unfortunately for them, so are plenty of other teams who are in far better form. Bologna in fourth place and AC Milan down in ninth are separated by just six points, and every team in between them will feel like they have a genuine opportunity of securing Champions League football next term.
The big news is that two of them are clubs from the capital city, but the Roman giants look to be heading in opposite directions. A recent article from the popular Bodog News Canada website overlooked the Derby della Capitale in its list of the world’s fiercest rivalries, instead opting for Milan’s Derby della Madonnina as one of the top seven. That decision will rile up Calcio purists, but if their current form is anything to go by, perhaps there is no denying the decision. Inter Milan look set to claim the Scudetto this term, while their Rossoneri rivals look to be turning a corner after the recent comeback victory against Como.
Lazio’s archrivals are also on the rise. Since Claudio Ranieri took temporary charge back in November, the Tinkerman has successfully rejuvenated the Giallorossi’s fortunes. Their recent 1-0 victory at home to Cagliari was their sixth on the spin, and they haven’t lost in the league at all in 2025. That has seen Roma catapult their way up the Serie A standings, and they are now just two points behind their cross-city rivals.
Baroni’s men, however, have won just one of their last five, drawing three of them, and they appear to be losing form at the worst possible time. They remain in the hunt for now and sit just two points outside of the top four, but if their slide continues, they could well slip out of contention altogether.
Difficult Run-In
Another problem for Lazio is that they have a very testing run-in once the international break concludes. In April, the Biancocelesti will have to head to Bergamo to face an Atalanta side on the hunt for the Scudetto. A week later, they will host Ranieri’s Roma in one of the highest stakes Derby della Capitales in recent memory. Following those two tests, they will have some welcome respite against sides such as Genoa, Parma, and Empoli, but more difficult tests loom on the horizon.
In the third to last game of the season, Lazio will host Juventus at the Stadio Olimpico in another mouth-watering six-pointer. Then, in the penultimate game of the season, they have the small matter of heading to the San Siro to face the odds-on favourites to be crowned champions, Inter Milan. There’s a very real possibility that Lazio will lose all four of those clashes, and if they do, their Champions League hopes could be dead in the water.
But at least they will have a second opportunity.
UEFA Europa League Success?
While Lazio’s Serie A hopes have been somewhat dashed in recent weeks, they still have a second crack of the whip in the form of the UEFA Europa League. The Biancocelesti are through to the Quarter-Finals of the continent’s second-tier competition, and a two-legged clash with Bodo/Glimt looms on the horizon. The Italian outfit is heavily favoured to progress from that contest, and then they will have their eyes firmly set on the final in Bilbao.
Winning the Europa League will provide a spot in next season’s Champions League, and that may well be the avenue that Lazio has to go down. Considering the fact that they haven’t won a European trophy since the turn of the millennium, the continental route may well be the desired one.
