Host Lazio defeats slumping Juventus at the death
Juventus' slump continued, putting third place finish at risk while Lazio resumed late-season push toward coveted spots in the standings
The new coach of SS Lazio, Igor Tudor, started the match with a new tactical layout (3-4-2-1), a dramatic departure from the classic formation utilized by his predecessor Maurizio Sarri.
On the bench instead, for various reasons, were two of the best players in the Biancocelesti squad, namely Luis Alberto and Ciro Immobile.
For his part, Massimiliano Allegri has returned to an offensive trident after having put it aside in recent matches despite the absence of offensive leader, Dusan Vlahovic who was sent off in the last championship match.
The first minutes of the match showed a perfect balance between the two teams with the home team showing greater resourcefulness, especially with their attacking midfielders Pedro and Mattia Zaccagni.
The first big scoring chance was created by Lazio striker Valentin Castellanos, but the Argentine striker's first-time shot went just wide of the visitors' goal.
Immediately afterwards, Castellanos again found himself in a favorable position after a quick exchange with teammate Felipe Anderson but he wasted the chance yet again.
The constant pressure from the Biancocelesti prevented the visiting team from a calm approach from the back, so much so that numerous errors were made.
Even goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny made a mistake by serving the ball to his opponent Pedro who chose not to shoot, instead serving a teammate better positioned in the central area who, however, was unable to finish positively due to the timely retreat of the Juventus defenders.
Despite the aforementioned error, the Polish goalkeeper then became a positive protagonist in this moment of the match, managing to neutralize some of his opponents' long-range shots.
Juventus, after struggling throughout the first half of the game, only became dangerous towards the end thanks to initiatives from the talented Federico Chiesa. First with an exchange with teammate Adrien Rabiot who gave him the ball back from a favorable area but Chiesa's curling shot was neutralized by a great save by goalkeeper Christos Mandas.
Juventus started the second half with two tactical changes, bringing on Samuel Iling-Junior and Weston McKennie.
The home team controlleed possession while the Vecchia Signora continued to wait, tightening their defensive lines and trying to restart on the counterattack.
After the first hour of play, Tudor sent on Immobile with the clear intention of undermining the solid opposing defence.
Shortly afterwards, a potential restart by the Bianconeri team was cleverly interrupted by the Spanish defender Mario Gila who managed to prevent his opponent Moise Kean from finishing on goal.
This phase of the match was characterized by a lot of confusion. In fact, both teams focused on individual initiatives rather than team play.
In the 80th minute, Allegri's tactical move backfired as Kean was removed and winger Nikola Sekulov came on in his place.
The Bianconeri were no longer able to restart on the counterattack. Perhaps the necessary conviction was also lacking given that the latest actions had not created favorable opportunities.
Therefore, the home team found greater determination to attempt a final siege.
This attitude has given its results. In fact, the 1-0 goal arrived in the last minute of the match.
dark. Next. FC Juventus. The goalposts and attentive Genoa defense stop lackluster Juventus
The French midfielder Matteo Guendouzi, not receiving any opposition, advanced close to the penalty area and made an insidious cross towards the far post which Adam Marusic headed, clearly surpassing his marker, the unfortunate Sekulov, and scoring the winner.