Lazio entered their match against Celtic needing to win and trailed behind CFR Cluj and Celtic in the group standings. The club had to play without Joaquin Correa, Stefan Radu and Adam Marusic, causing Simone Inzaghi to make changes to his starting 11. The Biancocelesti and the Bhoys each entered in good form winning their recent matches.  

The Biancocelesti got an early lead from Serie A’s leading goal scorer, Ciro Immobile. The striker continues to have an impressive season as the Italian scored to give Lazio a 1-0 lead. Manuel Lazzari crossed the ball into the box from the right side and Felipe Caicedo was able to head the ball straight to Immobile. The striker made no mistake scoring into the back of the net and gave the Biancocelesti the early lead at the seventh minute of the game.

Lazio had plenty chances to extend their lead in this match, however, their poor play in the back end eventually caught up with them and cost them their lead. At the 37th minute of the match, Sergej Milinkovic-Savic tried to play out from the back, yet he lost possession of the ball from Mohammed Elyounoussi who passed it to James Forest and he shot it from the right side into the far corner.

Odsonne Edouard had a great chance to make it 2-1 for Celtic after a poor pass from Lucas Leiva back to the defense. The forward picked up the pass, however, the attempt was blocked by Luiz Felipe after a strong slide tackle that blocked the shot and prevented a goal.

In the second half, Inzaghi brought on Luis Alberto and Senad Lulic hoping to give the team a spark and a change in the game. Late in the match, Alberto had one of Lazio’s best chances to score as he made a sensational turn between two defenders, only to be denied by Fraser Forster. Milinkovic-Savic followed up with a strong shot, however, it went wide right of the net.

Lazio continuously lose their matches the same way when it has come to the Europa League. Valon Breisha made a poor pass which went to Edouard, who set up Olivier Ntcham for the chip shot over Thomas Strakosha deep into stoppage time. The Bhoys won 2-1 ensuring that they will be in the round of 32 while Lazio’s chances of qualifying become much harder. Lazio’s failure to convert on their chances and concede goals cost them valuable points.

Takeaways of the match

Lazio continue to show their inconsistency this season as the Biancocelesti failed to convert on their opportunities throughout the match while their backend played poorly throughout the match. The first goal they gave up in the match was from being careless and giving up possession which resulted in a turnover and led to the tying goal. Le Aquile gave up valuable points and, possibly, an early exit from the Europa League which will leave Inzaghi very disappointed.

Celtic were relentless against Lazio right after they scored to tie the match. Lazio were playing very casual after opening the scoring and it allowed the Bhoys to take full advantage. Ryan Christie had a great performance for Celtic as he kept pressuring the back end of Lazio and made it difficult for the defense to exit from their backend.

Stand-out players

Immobile continues to impress for the Biancocelesti. Coming into their match against Celtic, the striker had scored in his past three matches and leads the Serie A in scoring. The striker’s goal was not enough to give them the win, yet the forward has been outstanding this season and gives Lazio a fighting chance every time he steps on the field.

Edouard’s assist led to the game winning goal for Celtic. The forward made it difficult on the backend of Lazio as he had two shots on target and also created chances for the Bhoys. The striker’s strong presence was felt in the box, however, he was unable to convert.

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