AS Roma came away with a huge win in what’s probably the biggest game of the season for the Giallorossi side. Thanks to a stellar effort from winger Diego Perotti, who scored a goal and assisted on the other one, Roma secured a 2-1 win over Lazio and extended their undefeated streak to four games. Lazio, on the other hand, saw their six-game undefeated run come to an end.
All Square During An Evenly-Matched First Half
Derbies are often very intense, and this wasn’t the exception. In fact, Ciro Immobile quickly found the back of the net for Lazio in the second minute but his strike was ruled out due to an offside position. It seemed Lazio was going to control the game, but Roma managed to bounce back immediately and began to play with a more attacking approach. Edin Dzeko came close to score with a close-range header, but his effort went wide off the right post.
Both sides traded decent passing sequences during the remainder of the first half, but neither side managed to dominate the contest during the first 45 minutes. The first half ended with a scoreless draw, but things opened up as soon as the second half started.
Diego Perotti Saves The Day For AS Roma
AS Roma started the second half with a more attacking approach, and their strategy paid instant dividends. Bastos committed a foul inside the box, and Perotti scored the first goal with a well-placed effort past Thomas Strakosha to put the hosts on top. It was Perotti’s fourth goal in his past five matches, as the Argentina international has been one of Roma’s best players during the current term.
Perotti was not done, though. Aside from scoring the opening goal, the winger set up Roma’s second goal when he found Radja Nainggolan in a great position to score. The Belgium international fired an unstoppable shot past Strakosha, and Roma somehow managed to build a two-goal advantage in a five-minute span.
Lazio’s Reaction Comes Up Short
Simone Inzaghi had to do something to spark his side following the early hole they fell in. Nani and Jordan Lukaku entered the field replacing Lucas Leiva and Senad Lulic, respectively. The presence of Nani added another attacking threat for Lazio and he often linked up well with Luis Alberto and Ciro Immobile, although at times he lacked accuracy in his final touch. The Portuguese winger doesn’t have the pace he had in his Manchester United days, but remains a huge attacking threat when he is focused.
Lazio had a huge chance to pull one back in the score midway into the second half when they were awarded a penalty following Kostas Manolas’ handball inside the box. Ciro Immobile coolly placed the ball past Alisson, and put Lazio within one goal’s reach. It was Immobile’s 15th goal of the current campaign, and he remains the top scorer in the league. But unfortunately for his side, the goal wasn’t enough and Lazio’s comeback came up short.
Final Thoughts
This Rome Derby was everything the fans wanted. It was an intense game that went down to the wire, and it wasn’t decided until the final whistle. But Roma closed the game out better, and were rewarded with the three points as a result. Roma moved up to third place with the win and now have 30 points, while Lazio moved down to fifth place and are two points back their bitter city rivals.
Match Report
AS Roma: Alisson (5); Florenzi (6) (Bruno Peres (-), 80′), Manolas (4), Fazio (6), Kolarov (7); Nainggolan (8) (Juan Jesus (-), 85′), De Rossi (7), Strootman (6); El Shaarawy (5) (Gerson (5), 73′), Dzeko (6), Perotti (8)
Lazio: Strakosha (6); Bastos (4), de Vrij (6), Radu (5) (Patric (-), 77′); Marusic (6), Parolo (7), Lucas (5) (Nani (6), 58′), Milinkovic-Savic (6), Lulic (5) (Lukaku (5), 58′); Luis Alberto (5), Immobile (6)
Goals: Perotti (1-0, 49′), Nainggolan (2-0, 53′), Immobile (2-1, 72′)
Referee: Gianluca Rocchi
Yellow Cards: Lulic, Lucas, Luis Alberto, Nani (LAZ); Nainggolan, Fazio (ROM)
Red Cards: None
Attendance: 55,775
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