Lazio – Atalanta 1-3 (0-2)
LAZIO (4-3-3): Thin 6; Zazza 6, Bordon 6, Dutu 5, Milani 6.5; Sardo 6 (14′ st Napolitano 7), Nazzaro 5.5 (39′ st Cuzzarella sv), Di Tommaso 6 (39′ st Bigotti sv); Serra 5.5 (14′ st D`Agostini 6), Sulejmani 6 (32′ st Kone 6.5), Sana Fernandes 6.5. Available: Gioele Bosi, Kone, Tredicine, Ferrari, Cappelli, Bordoni. Coach: Stefano Sanderra 6.
ATALANTA (3-4-1-2): Pardel 6.5; Guerini (ch.) 7, Tavanti 6.5, Tornaghi 6; Ghezzi 6.5, Colombo 7, Riccio 7.5 (23′ st Bonanomi 6.5), Armstrong 6.5; Manzoni 7 (42’st Cassa sv); Vlahovic 7, Fiogbe 7 (23′ st Vavassori 6). Available: Torriani, Obric, Simonetto, Mensah, Camara, Jonsson, Orlando, Castiello. All.: Giovanni Bosi 7.
Referee: Gianquinto from Parma 6.5 (Lisi and Linari from Florence).
GOALS: 28′ pt Riccio (A), 43′ pt Vlahovic (A), 10′ st Manzoni, 42′ st Kone (L).
Notes: sunny morning, spectators 100. Guerini, Tornaghi and Cassa booked for incorrect play. Goal chances 9-9, total shots 11-13, saved 2-3, blocked/deflected 1-2, woodwork 1-0. Corner 4-6, injury time 2′ and 4′.
Formello (Rome) – Riccio puts his mind to it and the Atalanta Primavera raises it together with Vanja Vlahovic, who returned after almost three months from the Under 23s and is able to get back into his habit in a category where he scores like no one else. Mindful of the double in Monza on 26 January, the last match with Samp on the 6th of the following month before ten days without him, the Serbian scores 19, facilitating the counter-overtaking operation against Lazio (55 points to 54) in third place. Manzoni closes the score in the tenth of the second half by recovering Dutu’s outgoing error, before Kone’s falling flag goal by crossing the ball brought to him by Napolitano in the middle of the area. The mini-crisis of the pair of knockouts with Cagliari and Juventus is over, from here to the gong of the regular season, the trio of Bologna-Verona-Inter tests with the Alzanese test at home halfway through.
If the Manzoni-Fiogbe axis forces Magro to suddenly exit with his foot (2′), the next risk is taken by the future assistant Ghezzi, unbalanced by the movement of Sana Fernandes who then kicks very high on Sardo’s returning cross from a throw-in of Zazza. We are at the 5th stop and to see another half chance we have to wait for the quarter of an hour, when the aforementioned home right midfielder breaks away from the parish priest accompanied by the rev counter of the super-under Milani. Two generous hands later, here is the number one shot on goal, always from the others, when Colombo loses the ball and it is always Sardo who combines some interesting ones, directing it to Serra who, while running, crosses the diagonal so to speak. The advantage doesn’t seem to be in the air, yet from the bell tower of the Grassobbio pendulum emerges a curious game of towers with the Beninese striker which rewards the imperious third time at the edge of the post of the midfielder, son of art. The same specialty, however, does not reward Di Tommaso, who cuts in front of the far post with the same results as his teammate thirteen from the break, without taking advantage of the calibrated ball from his left winger. But the former Partizan player is relentless in the mid-height diagonal from a tight position towards the right, seizing the ball on the rebound with Colombo’s extension one quarter before the break.
The second half begins with two chances wasted by the Aquilotti, with Serra who cuts well but raises his aim at the top of Milani’s serpentine and then hands it to the ungrateful Sardo who also shoots a left-handed shot at the pigeons (7′). For Baby Dea, however, Colombo’s run into the nave was enough to get back into gear with a sharp right-footed shot from the line that was rejected in two stages by Magro to pass the next time. Between 23′ and 27′, the opportunities to drop the poker were not exploited by Vlahovic in split on Armstrong’s shot which became an assist in cahoots with the author of the trio and Bonanomi who had the post blocked by the local goalkeeper on the side of Vavassori. About ten minutes from the ninetieth minute, the assist man stationed at the “Mirko Fersini” in Formello releases it for D’Agostini who tests Pardel’s foot reflexes. Vava managed to save it thanks to the momentum of Manzoni (37′) and Vlahovic (47′). In the middle of the Lazio goal, again at eighty-two Tavanti deflects Zazza’s conclusion onto the crossbar with a sure shot.
