Europa League | Lazio 2-0 Lokomotiv Moscow: Aquile take flight
Lazio made short work of Lokomotiv Moscow with Toma Basic and Patric goals, but really should’ve scored more and wasted some big chances.
The Aquile needed a win after losing 1-0 away to Galatasaray with a Thomas Strakosha howler, but confidence was boosted by a Derby della Capitale victory over Roma. Toma Basic was given his first start against a Lokomotiv side that held Marseille 1-1 in the opening game.
Luis Alberto saw his daisy-cutter fingertipped round the post, then on the resulting corner Ciro Immobile failed to nod in at the back stick.
It was the ideal start for Maurizio Sarri’s men, as Pedro dribbled to the by-line after a Felipe Anderson nutmeg and pulled it back for a Basic header from close range.
Immobile’s acrobatic volley whistled wide on a Manuel Lazzari cross, but Strakosha had to parry the Smolov toe-poke.
Guilherme made a sensational fingertip save to push the Felipe Anderson snooker shot round the far post.
However, the goalkeeper then made a hash of the resulting corner, allowing it to dip under his arm and it struck Patric on the hip to go in from a couple of yards.
Moments later, Immobile asked to come off with a slight knee issue, making way for Vedat Muriqi.
It was nearly 3-0 with the substitute’s first touch, as he and Felipe Anderson had efforts charged down.
Pedro was very unlucky on 65 minutes when he swept it first time from 12 yards on a Sergej Milinkovic-Savic assist and it bounced off the underside of the crossbar, back off the line and out.
Pedro also flashed an angled drive just wide, as did Felipe Anderson, while Milinkovic-Savic had done all the hard work only to dink his finish over from point-blank range.
Lazio 2-0 Lokomotiv Moscow
Basic 13 (La), Patric 38 (La)