LAZIO SHORTENS IN THE RANKINGS OVER ROMA WHICH IS NOW ONLY ONE POINT

The Biancocelesti distance themselves from Napoli who follow by eight points and secure a place in the next European competitions

article by Massimo Catalucci

www.massimocatalucci.it

With two matches remaining in the championship, Lazio has secured participation in the least sought-after European competition, the Conference League but he has the obligation to continue playing it to the end because mathematics says that he could still hope for a better placement to participate in one of the two most important European cups: the Europa League and the Champions League.

While the first could be probable because the Biancocelesti have only the one in front of them Rome at one point, for the second, too many things would have to fit together, so that the sixth place useful for bringing six Italian teams into the top European competition is also freed up.

Meanwhile it was important to reach the finish line of qualifying for the European cups, an objective that was achieved and which a few Sundays ago seemed to have disappeared for the 2024/2025 season. Now the Tudor boys will have to give it their all and hope that something happens up front that goes to their advantage to grab, with the help of Lady Luck, a better place in the standings.

Lazio-Empoli

Yesterday’s match was very tactical in the first part of the game, with the Tuscans also worrying, quite seriously, the Biancoceleste goal, calling Mandas to overtime.

The second Lazio goalkeeper, who has little as a second because he is proving to be a number one” by all rights, he contributed to the Biancocelesti’s victory yesterday, leaving his own clean sheet throughout the match. Great interventions from a great goalkeeper: a cat between the posts and a security for the defense.

But yesterday was the day of another boy who earned the respect through sweat and work, first of the coaches who trained him here in the capital and today of all the fans, in particular those who had to change their minds about the reliability of this player. We are talking about Patricthe Spaniard playing for Lazio who yesterday with an entry to “Karate Kid”with great opportunism and anticipating the Empoli players in the opponent’s area, on a cross from a corner kicked by Zaccagni and with his right foot, on the fly, he put the ball in the bag at the end of injury time (2), I awarded fromreferee Aureliano in the first half of the game.

L’Empoli in the second half he had to change pace and no longer wait for Lazio but tried to attack them to try to at least reach a draw. But Tudor he relies on some substitutions and with the new arrivals he adds more strength to the team which a little later reaches the goal of tranquility, going on to double the lead with a nice team action which led to the shot from the new substitute Matias Vecino for the doubling of Lazio. With this goal, the Uruguayan reached 6 this year.

The Olimpico party for the Heroes of ’74

Great emotion was experienced before the match against Empoli, when they took to the pitch to collect the homage of the friendly public, the heroes of the legendary Lazio directed by Maestro Tommaso Maestrellihere first 70’s.

Pulici, Petrelli, Martini, Wilson, Oddi, Nanni, Garlaschelli, Re Cecconi, Chinaglia, Frustalupi, D’amico… This is how the stadium speaker remembered that team “good guys” who in those years (too few, unfortunately) were able to keep up with more renowned teams from the north.

It was a great one emotion that the many faces of the fans crowded on the steps of the Olympic stadiumthey demonstrated without hiding their tears which, as was to be expected, came out abundantly, caressing the cheeks of many at the memory of the exploits of that handful of boys that only a Master like Tommaso Maestrelli could manage, drawing the best out of each of them.

L’hug that the Biancocelesti fans reserved for their favorites of that team that has become legendary, was full of lovea infinite love that will never cease and will continue to be passed down from Father to Son for years to come.

The tribute from the entire stadium was beautiful when the representatives of Lazio, still alive today, Nanni, Martini, Oddi, Garlaschelli, Petrelli, together with the children of their companions who are no longer with us, they lined up on the field exactly as they did fifty years ago, in that match that marked the history of Lazio: Lazio Foggia of 12 May 1974.

And then, it is necessary to point out the two banners that the Curva Nord displayed in homage to their heroes of a past that will never fade, the first: THE FUTURE IS ONLY THE MEMORY OF A WONDERFUL PAST – and the second: 1974-2024 BEYOND TIME…IMMORTALS! This last banner was accompanied by photos of the eleven of that historic feat.

1974 medals and 250,000 stamps to celebrate the victory of the first Lazio scudetto

They were only produced 1974 medal silver commemoratives, . This one, produced by State Mint, where the logos of the 1973/74 and 2023/24 Società Sportiva Lazio are depicted on one side and, in the background, the 11 players are written in miniature; the coach Tommaso Maestrelli and the assistant coach Roberto Lovati. On the other side of the medal, there is the official photo of the team.

A was also produced stamp printed in 250,000 units where, on a white and light blue background, the current and current company logos are imprinted, while at the top right is the tricolor shield. The stamp is accompanied by an accompanying sheet, which shows a photo of the Scudetto-winning team, flanked by the coach and assistant coach.

The coaches’ statements after the match

TUDOR – “I told Vecino to do what he had to do, he is a golden boy and has scored two goals in less than one half in two games. He is an important guy for the locker room, he does uncommon jobs. He’s a good guy, he scored an important goal that closed the match. We have been taking measures with the new football for a while, today it was difficult against a super organized Empoli who played on our mistake. Then it was very hot, it was difficult to go at a high pace. But the boys were good and with the right mentality until the end, I congratulate them.”

“Zaccagni? Nothing happened in Monza, things on the pitch that are talked about in the locker rooms. It’s a sport of emotions, these are emotions. He’s a good guy and he had a great race today. Provedel? I didn’t say he should return to Inter but that it’s coming back 100% because he wasn’t ready yet. Now we’ll see for these two races. Mandas was amazing today, on two or three occasions. It’s important, because then during the course of a season there are always moments in which the goalkeeper has to do what he did today.”

“The Champions League? There’s little left, there is no time to dream but to do two races and see where we get. Today at the end of the race my daughter was on the field, it was a nice moment because it was a beautiful, exciting day and crowned by a great victory that ended the day on a high note. Luis Alberto? He returns to the team normally on Tuesday we will prepare Inter in the best possible way”.

NICOLA – “There is the regret of not having scored. The amount of game built was huge, I look at the performance as well as the detail itself. We need to maintain the right commitment and the right emotional detachment from the goal. The performance was remarkable, we deserved to collect something: the boys have shown that there isn’t that much distance in the standings. Now let’s fight until the end.”

“We conceded three/four goals from set pieces. However, we are in order. We certainly could have been more reactive today, but even they weren’t in some circumstances even if there was always someone who patched things up. In the sum of the events of the game one cannot do everything perfectly. Then we still need the episode in favor of it, even if we don’t watch it and we don’t get attached to these things.”

The match scoreboard

LAZIO-EMPOLI 2-0

Markers: 45°+2′ Patric, 89° Vecino

LAZIO (3-4-2-1): Mandas; Patric, Romagnoli, Hysaj; Lazzari, Guendouzi (65th Vecino), Kamada (87th Cataldi), Marusic; Felipe Anderson (65th Rovella), Zaccagni (75th Pedro); Immobile (65° Castellanos).

Available: Provedel, Renzetti, Pellegrini, Casale, Isaksen, Gonzalez.

Annex: Igor Tudor

EMPOLI (3-5-2): Caprile; Bereszynski,, Ismajli, Luperto (76th Shpendi); Gyasi, Maleh (76th Fazzini), Marin, Bastoni (55th Cambiaghi), Pezzella (63rd Cacace); Cancellieri, Caputo (66th Right).

Available: Perisan, Seghetti, Goglichidze, Walukiewicz, Grassi, Kovalenko, Niang, Cerri, Zurkowski.

Annex: Davide Nicola

Referee: Gianluca Aureliano (Bologna section)