Lazio did well to respond with a win over Juventus, but it wasn’t enough as Igor Tudor’s side crashed out of the Coppa Italia semi-finals.
The Biancocelesti came into the match with a clear parameter, needing to overcome a 2-0 deficit after a frustrating defeat in the first leg earlier this month. Since then, Tudor’s squad have started to find their footing, picking up wins over Genoa and Salernitana.
Whilst Lazio have grown over the last few weeks, Juventus have been unable to shake off their malaise, leaving their form dire as the season starts to draw to a close. Massimiliano Allegri’s side have only won two of their last 12 Serie A matches, causing chaos in Turin.
In a packed Stadio Olimpico, Lazio started the match against Juventus on the front foot and it didn’t take long for them to find an opener. In the 12th minute, a nice corner from Luis Alberto was perfectly met by a leaping Valentin Castellanos, whose header guided the ball into the back of the net to make it 1-0.
The Biancocelesti maintained the pressure in the first half and almost doubled their lead in the 44th minute, when Castellanos was through on goal after a cutting forward pass. He was unable to place his shot past Mattia Perin, keeping things 1-0 heading into the half time break.
Lazio maintained their momentum going into the second half and went 2-0 up in the 48th minute, when a little flick from Luis Alberto allowed Castellanos to break through the back line and into the penalty area, where he launched his shot into the bottom corner to double the home side’s lead.
At this point, things were looking good for Tudor and Lazio, who had now brought things back to 2-2 on aggregate, but this positivity wouldn’t last all night. In the 83rd minute, a cross from Filip Kostic landed to a waiting Timothy Weah, who lashed a pass into the six-yard box, where it collided with a lunging Arkadiusz Milik to go into the back of the net, making it 2-1.
Lazio couldn’t find a late response at the Stadio Olimpico, ultimately losing the tie on aggregate despite coming out on top in the second leg, ending their Coppa Italia campaign.
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