With one goal in time, the Giallorossi return to win the derby after 959 days. Inzaghi says goodbye to the Champions League
In the postponement of the 37th matchday of Serie A, Roma beat Lazio 2-0 and returned to win the Capitoline derby after 959 days. Fonseca’s team mortgages the 7th place for the Conference League, while Inzaghi mathematically says goodbye to the Champions League dream. An unspectacular first half was released in the 42nd minute Mkhitaryan. The Giallorossi grow in the second half and close the match with a shot from Pedro from distance (78 ‘).
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THE MATCH
It was from 29 September 2018, a 3-1 signed by Pellegrini, Kolarov and Fazio, that Roma did not win the three points in the derby. A fully deserved success for the Giallorossi, with Fonseca saying goodbye to the Olimpico with a victory that makes this troubled season less bitter. Dragging the Giallorossi is precisely the man who had too many problems with the Portuguese coach, Edin Dzeko who, although without scoring, took the team on his shoulders and drove the biancoceleste rearguard mad. Serataccia for the boys of Inzaghi, the second defeat in the last three outings which marks the farewell to the residual hopes of fourth place: next year it will be the Europa League, while the Giallorossi secure 7th place and will restart from the new Conference League
Fonseca, decimated by injuries, opts for a 4-3-3, with Mkhitaryan and El Shaarawy on the sides of Dzeko, once again preferred to Mayoral. Inzaghi raises Reina on goal, recovers Milinkovic-Savic in the field with the mask after the nasal septum surgery and chooses Muriqi as a companion of Immobile. It is a low-key derby, with Lazio now out of the Champions League fight and a Roma that must defend the 7th place that is worth the Conference League from the assault of Sassuolo. The match struggles to take off and the first noteworthy ring is from the Biancocelesti: at 27 ‘Milinkovic-Savic steals the ball from Ibanez, the ball behind for Luis Alberto, a great save by Fuzato who raises over the crossbar. The response of the Giallorossi in the half hour: cross by Bruno Peres, twist by Dzeko who does not hit the ball cleanly and the conclusion ends on the side. One minute and Lazio score, but Muriqi’s goal was rightly canceled because the Kosovar striker went offside. Among the hosts, the man capable of shuffling the cards and therefore the most dangerous is Milinkovic-Savic, who at 35 ‘is good at slipping between Bruno Peres and Ibanez on Luis Alberto’s tachometer launch, but the conclusion is high . Still the Serbian at 39 ‘tries with a low shot, easy for Fuzato. When the 0-0 does not seem to fall apart, here comes the play of the champion: Dzeko Dzeko goes away to Acerbi and from the back he puts it back for Mkhitaryan who on the right fly kicks Reina on 42 ‘.
After losing Ibanez in the final time due to a physical problem (in his place Kumbulla), Fonseca leaves the yellow card Bruno Peres in the locker room and inserts Santon, who gets a yellow card after less than 2 ‘. The pace of the race inevitably gets up, but Pellegrini and his companions – having learned the lesson of the first leg – are good at not leaving room for their cousins, who are deadly in the open field. Cristante kicks high a little (57 ‘), Dzeko with his left does not frame the goal (63’). The reaction of the Biancocelesti is in the splendid heel shot of Immobile (offside), miraculously saved by Fuzato (75 ‘). The third goalkeeper is good at blocking Immobile two minutes later, just before the beautiful goal from outside the area by Pedro, who entered a few minutes for El Shaarawy. Before the triple whistle of Pairetto and the Romanist joy there is also the expulsion of Acerbi for a double yellow card (do it on the unleashed Dzeko), emblem of the evening to forget of the boys of Inzaghi.
REPORT CARDS
Dzeko 7,5 – Without scoring, a great performance by the Bosnian who with his physicality sends the Lazio rearguard haywire. He gives Mkhitaryan the 1-0 ball, drives Acerbi mad and also causes his expulsion. Mourinho in an armchair rubs his hands for next season.
Fuzato 7 – At the first derby in his career, he proves to be more than just a third goalkeeper. Prodigious on Luis Alberto in the first half, he repeats himself in the second half on the heel shot (offside not reported) by Immobile.
Ibanez 5 – Crooked evening of the Brazilian central, put on the ropes by Milinkovic-Savic. He surrenders in the 37th minute to a muscle problem.
Milinkovic-Savic 6,5 – In the first half he is the best of his, when he creates havoc with his plays and his insertions. Fall in the second half like all of Lazio
Muriqi 5 – His game is all in the rightly canceled goal for offside. Really too little.
Acerbi 4 – The emblem of the biancoceleste bad night. Dzeko literally drives him crazy and in the end he also gets sent off for a double yellow card.
THE TABLE
ROME-LAZIO 2-0
Roma (4-3-3): Fuzato 7; Karsdorp 6.5, Mancini 6, Ibanez 5 (38 ‘Kumbulla 6), Bruno Peres 5.5 (1’ st Santon 6); Cristante 6.5, Darboe 7, Pellegrini 6 (27 ‘st Villar 6); Mkhitaryan 7, Dzeko 7.5 (45 ‘st Mayoral), El Shaarawy 5.5 (27’ st Pedro 6.5). Available: Mirante, Farelli, Jesus, Reynolds, Pastore, Zalewski. All.: Fonseca 7
Lazio (3-5-2): Reina 6; Marusic 6 (28 ‘st Fares 5.5), Acerbi 4, Radu 6 (28’ st Caicedo 5.5); Lazzari 5.5, Milinkovic Savic 6.5 (39 ‘st Akpa Akpro sv), Leiva 6, Luis Alberto 6, Lulic 5.5 (14’ st Luiz Felipe 6); Muriqi 5 (14 ‘st Pereira 5.5), Building 5.5. Available: Strakosha, Alia, Patric, Parolo, Cataldi, Escalante, Correa. All.: S. Inzaghi 5.5
Referee: Pairetto
Markers: 42′ Mkhitaryan (R), 33′ st Pedro (R)
Ammonites: Bruno Peres (R), Acerbi (L), Santon (R), Akpa Akpro (L)
Expelled: At 42 ‘st Acerbi (L) for a double yellow card
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THE STATISTICS
Roma have won four of the last six games played against Lazio as a home team in Serie A (1N, 1P).
Henrikh Mkhitaryan has scored in three straight games for the first time in the five major European championships.
Pedro is the oldest player ever to have scored his first goal in a Derby between Roma and Lazio in Serie A (33 years, 291 days, he overtook Miroslav Klose at 33, 129 days).
It was from 0-0 in April 2018 that Roma did not keep clean sheets with Lazio in Serie A.
Lazio have lost six of their last eight league away games, as many defeats as in the previous 26.
This is Henrikh Mkhitaryan’s best season in terms of scoring in the five major European leagues: 12 goals (exceeded 11 in 2015/16 with Borussia Dortmund).
It was since 2014/15 (three with Barcelona) that Pedro had not scored more than one substitute goal this season in the five major European leagues (two in the current Serie A).
Francesco Acerbi’s was the 21st expulsion for a Lazio player in a Serie A match against Roma in the era of three points per victory, more than any team than any other opponent in the period.
Ebrima Darboe (born in 2001) was the first player born in the 2000s to play the derby between Rome and Lazio in Serie A.
50th token with Roma for Ibañez considering all competitions.
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