Matchday three in Italy’s Serie A and Lazio travelled to Stadio Artemio Franchi to face Sinisa Mihajlovic’s Fiorentina. In the Serb’s first two league games after taking over from Azzurri boss Cesare Prandelli Fiorentina have drawn with Napoli and lost at Lecce. Today’s opponents have three points on the board after beating Bologna last weekend.
Unfortunately for the Serbian coach, his side threw away a lead in Florence and now have just one point from three games after a 2-1 defeat in a disjointed match.
Fiorentina had the best of the first 15 minutes and in the 17th Alessio Cerci was tripped in the penalty area by Cristian Ledesma. 18-year-old Adem Ljajic stepped up and confidently planted the ball to Fernando Muslera’s right hand side to give the hosts a deserved early lead.
Lazio forced some good chances in the ensuing minutes, getting some joy with low crosses and quick passing patterns on the edge of the area. Alessandro Gamberini came to the Viola’s rescue on more than one occasion as Hernanes and Stephan Lichtsteiner caused problems.
And it was the Biancocelesti who got the important second goal on the half hour. The ball broke kindly for Stefano Mauri, who picked a pass back to Cristian Ledesma. The Argentine made amends for his foul on Cerci by finding the net with the help of a crucial deflection.
The superb Cristiano Zanetti thought he’d set up Fiorentina’s second with a delicious cross for Alberto Gilardino five minutes later. Gila nodded the ball past Muslera but had correctly been flagged offside as the game really started to entertain during the last part of the first period.
The first ten minutes of the second half got slightly bogged down in midfield and the flow of the game routinely stunted by fouls by both sets of players. It was punctuated by occasional inventiveness from the teenage Serb Ljajic as the home side began to pick a few holes in the Lazio defence.
Sadly for the home supporters Lazio played themselves back into the match and the Viola lacked ambition and aggression. Edy Reja’s side went ahead in the 66th minute. Mauri again wreaked havoc on the left, passing to Hernanes whose shot was parried right into the path of lanky substitute Libor Kozak for the simplest of finishes.
Fellow substitue Khouma Babacar should have equalised for Fiorentina five minutes later but the signs were positive for Mihajlovic with Juan Manuel Vargas getting more involved after a promising first half and Cerci’s half time replacement Marco Marchionni beginning to influence things on the opposite flank.
Fiorentina’s desperate pressure never really materialised into any kind of assault on Muslera’s goal and the lack of bite and quality in the final third explains the whistles of derision with which the Viola were met upon the final whistle.
Tags: Fiorentina, Lazio, Serie A