Lazio 0-0 AC Milan: Uneventful first leg

When you’re just one step away from a cup final, a team can be forgiven for being a little bit conservative. The semi final stage is tense and often leads to some interesting games, and we mean that in both a good way and a bad way. When it comes to Lazio and AC Milan’s first leg of their Coppa Italia semi final tonight, however, it was almost certainly the latter as they played out a poor goalless draw.

Poor form

Lazio certainly had the better of the first half, feeding off of their home crowd in search of the opening goal. They just didn’t seem to have that killer instinct, though, with Ciro Immobile having the best chance. Milan were able to hold on fairly comfortably to the draw, but it was a bit disappointing to see them not really ‘go for it’ as you’d expect in a game of this magnitude.

Both teams are having average seasons, so perhaps their reliance on the cup left them both feeling a little bit nervous. That’s somewhat understandable but from a neutral point of view, the fans want to see goals – and they failed to deliver.

Remaining hopeful

The reverse fixture is set for April 24th, meaning that they’re going to have some time to sit on this result and really consider what it is they want to change. The winner of the second leg will face either Fiorentina and Atalanta in the final, so in truth, things are pretty much wide open at this stage. With no Juventus or Napoli to worry about, this is a big opportunity for one of these four teams to make an impact and lift a rare piece of silverware.

Lazio are now set to turn their attention towards a big game against Roma at the weekend, before they visit Fiorentina the following week. Milan will be hosting Sassuolo before travelling to take on Chievo, in two games that they’ll see as big opportunities to pick up three points in the race for the Champions League spots.

Will the second leg end up being more entertaining? Only time will tell, but we certainly hope so.

Match Report

Lazio: Strakosha (6.5), Patric (6), Acerbi (6), Quissanga (6.5), Romulo (6.5), Parolo (6), Leiva (6), Milinkovic-Savic (7), Lulic (6), Correa (6), Immobile (6)

AC Milan: Donnarumma (6), Calabria (6), Musacchio (6.5), Romagnoli (6.5), Laxalt (6), Kessie (6), Bakayoko (5.5), Paqueta (6.5), Suso (6), Piatek (6), Borini (6)

Referee: Daniele Orsato

Goals: N/A

Yellow Cards: Parolo, Patric, Romagnoli, Calabria, Donnarumma

Red Cards: N/A