Lazio stumble again but end losing run

Lazio were far from convincing as they were held to a 1-1 draw at home to lowly Torino at Rome’s Stadio Olimpico on Saturday.

The point did at least end a run of four straight defeats for Delio Rossi’s team after Sebastiano Siviglia equalised for the hosts following Ignazio Abate’s first-half opener.

The draw means Lazio’s hopes of qualifying for Europe through their league finish are fast fading, although they are through to the semi-finals of the Italian Cup and could earn a UEFA Cup spot through that competition.

Abate opened the scoring on 36 minutes with a shot from distance after French midfielder Olivier Dabo had lost the ball in midfield.

But 15 minutes from time Siviglia headed home a cross from Stefano Mauri to salvage a share of the spoils.

In an otherwise uninspiring match, the biggest drama came a few minutes into the second half when referee Massimiliano Saccani was knocked flat by a fierce shot by Lazio’s Aleksandar Kolarov.

Saccani stayed motionless on the turf for a couple of minutes before getting up to continue with the match.

Torino stayed third from bottom after a fifth draw in a row.