As you’d probably expect from one of Europe’s most fiercely contested derbies, it was a frantic start to proceedings and a real power struggle to wrestle control of the game. When the two sides did eventually settle, they traded blows in search of the opener, with Georginio Wijnaldum firing narrowly over for Roma and only a smart stop from Rui Patrício denied Felipe Anderson from nosing Lazio ahead.
That was only a temporary reprieve for Roma, who despite knowing this fixture was about who could keep their heads better, saw one of their players make the sort of rash decision you see in these derbies. Having already been booked in the early stages, Roger Ibañez felled Sergej Milinković-Savić on the counter and was handed his second yellow, prompting scenes like that of Lazio scoring a goal in the Stadio Olimpico.
One man who was still on the pitch, but perhaps a little fortunate to be, Luis Alberto was keen to take full advantage of his reprieve and came tantalisingly close to firing Lazio ahead, but his ferocious drive from the edge of the box was beaten away by Patrício. The Roma stopper was called into action not long after too as pressure began to build on his goal, this time denying Pedro as you got the sense a goal was on its way.
So it proved too, as Zaccagni darted off the inside-left before curling home a sumptuous effort past Patrício, but that wasn’t the end of the story. Almost straight from kick-off Roma thought they had hit back when a goalmouth scramble resulted in Nicolò Casale putting through his own goal, only for a VAR offside call to spare his blushes.
Even with a man light, Roma still carried a brief threat from some set-pieces but as the game ebbed into it’s dying stages their prospects of finding an equaliser that would’ve sent the maroon half of the Stadio Olimpico into raptures were shortening by the minute. But with Lazio keeping 15 clean sheets this term, that was never likely to be the case and it proved that way as they saw out the three points that moved them into second place before Inter’s clash with Juventus tonight.
Flashscore Man of the Match: Mattia Zaccagni (Lazio)
