Serie A, Atalanta-Lazio 0-2: Zaccagni and Felipe Anderson decide

THE MATCH
Atalanta collects the first defeat of the season and certifies the growth and climb in the standings of Lazio. This is the verdict of the Gewiss Stadium. A fair verdict for what has been seen on the pitch, with the Biancocelesti masters of the dribble, of the game and able to make the most of the qualities of individuals in duels. All keeping the clean sheet for the sixth consecutive game in the league and without being able to count on Immobile. A remarkable result, accompanied by a compact and solid team performance and by the connection to the Goddess immediately behind Milan. Champions stuff, so to speak. Different speech instead for Atalanta, which came out a bit downsized by the confrontation with Lazio. Without thrust, ideas and harnessed in the construction, the pressure was not enough for Gasperini’s team to make Sarri’s men go haywire. On the contrary. The Nerazzurri pressure, in fact, was perhaps the element that allowed the Biancocelesti to bring the game exactly on the studied tracks, showing off a safe, precise and relentless dribble. A dribble that defused the Goddess and hurt Gasperini’s gang, unable to tactically redesign the team with the changes and to change the match.

For the high-altitude challenge against Lazio Gasperini at Gewiss Stadium recovers Zapata for the bench and in front he relies on the tandem Muriel-Lookman with Pasalic in support and Soppy and Hateboer on the outside lanes. Without Immobile, Sarri instead places Felipe Anderson in the center of the trident with Pedro and Zaccagni and in the median flanks Cataldi and Vecino with Milinkovic-Savic. With short and compact teams at the start of the match everything is played in the middle of the field with many duels and one-on-one. Under pressure, Atalanta attacks high, immediately attacks the bearers and leans on Lookman in depth. An attitude that clashes with the accuracy and quality of the biancoceleste dribble in the strait. After ten minutes of equilibrium, Sarri’s team comes out perfectly from the Nerazzurri pressing with four passes from before and takes the lead with Zaccagni, good at deflecting a cross with Pedro’s tachometer on the development of a hole by Lazzari. Play that unlocks the match and lights up the race. On the one hand Vecino nearly doubled on a couple of occasions, on the other Muriel did not find the heel and Hateboer sent high with his head. Occasions that keep the pace high and highlight the differences between the teams on the pitch. Worse on the second balls in the median, Sarri’s team unloads the maneuver on the outside and widens the game relying on the incursions of Pedro and Zaccagni, the dynamism of Felipe Anderson and the physicality of Milinkovic-Savic. Having trouble building from behind, the Goddess instead leans on De Roon and Koopmeiners as director and tries to move the ball quickly with game changes. Tactical theme that does not undermine the biancoceleste bunker and allows space for the restarts of Sarri’s men. Zaccagni tries from the edge, but Demiral & Co. reject, then Vecino does not hit the goal from an excellent position and the first portion of the game ends with zero shots on goal by the Goddess.

The recovery begins with the entry of Djimsiti and Malinovskyi in place of Okoli and Pasalic. Changes that do not, however, change the inertia of the match. After a good combination with Felipe Anderson, Pedro does not hit the big target, then Sportiello deflects a venomous right from Marusic for a corner. Flashes that prepare the ground for the biancoceleste doubling. Held in the game by Scalvini, Marusic breaks through on the restart on the left and Felipe Anderson scores the 2-0 with a high school number. Magic that concretizes the game of Sarri’s gang, changes the match a little and triggers the reaction of the Goddess. After a great vertical action, Zaccagni engages Sportiello, then Lazio is lowered and the Nerazzurri try to increase the laps and react. Koopmeiners heads high in the area, then Romagnoli & Co. repel the attempts of Lookman and Muriel. To give more weight to the attack Gasperini brings in Zapata and Ederson. Sarri, on the other hand, removes Cataldi and Lazzari and throws Basic and Hysaj into the fray. Moves that do not give a change to the match, but freeze a bit the positions on the field and the result. The last attempts towards Provedel’s goal are by Malinovskyi and Hateboer, but the biancoceleste defense does not tremble and Lazio flies to third place.

REPORT CARDS
Okoli 5: Zaccagni’s dynamism suffers and the action of the Biancoceleste winger’s goal does not mean Soppy leaving the man free in the middle of the area. Yellow card and substitution in the interval
Muriel 5: Atalanta is slow to verticalize and is barely seen there in the first half. Better in the second half, but that’s not enough. The red in the 90th minute weighs on the performance balance and on the next race
Lookman 5.5: less bright and incisive than usual. The Goddess attacks the depth a little and in the tight struggle to make her way through the tight meshes of Lazio
Felipe Anderson 7.5: it is not Immobile, but plays the role of the false nine to perfection. He runs, tears and creates space for the insertions of his teammates. Great performance crowned by a high school magic that closes the match
Zaccagni 7: pushes and attacks space, creating havoc to the left. Always ready to support the maneuver and also to concentrate to go to the shot or cut in the area as in the action of the goal
Pedro 7: when the ball is between his feet he is in the safe. He starts to the right in the trident and dominates on his side, managing possession in the offensive phase with quality and personality. Perfect assist for Zaccagni, then many other good plays
Milinkovic-Savic 6.5: usual physicality and power in the median. Scalvini tries to keep up with him, but he often arrives a moment late and “Il Sergente” has time and space to maneuver, set up and throw himself into the spaces

THE TABLE
ATALANTA-LAZIO 0-2
Atalanta (3-4-1-2): Sportiello 6; Okoli 5 (1 ‘st Djimsiti 5.5), Demiral 6, Scalvini 5.5; Soppy 5 (19 ‘st Maehle 5.5), Koopmeiners 6, De Roon 5.5 (30’ st Ederson sv), Hateboer 6; Pasalic 5 (1 ‘st Malinovskyi 5.5); Lookman 5.5 (25 ‘st Zapata 5.5), Muriel 5.
Available: Musso, Rossi, Boga, Hojlund, Zortea, Ruggeri. All .: Gasperini 5
Lazio (4-3-3): Provedel 6.5; Lazzari 6.5 (31 ‘st Hysaj 6), Casale 6, Romagnoli 6, Marusic 6.5; Milinkovic-Savic 6.5, Cataldi 6 (25 ‘st Basic 6), Vecino 6; Pedro 6.5 (39 ‘st Cancellieri sv), Felipe Anderson 7.5, Zaccagni 7.
Available: Maximiano, Adamonis, Patric, Marcos Antonio, Luis Alberto, Kamenovic, Romero, Radu, Gila. All .: Sarri 7
Referee: Abyss
Markers: 10 ‘Zaccagni (L), 7’ st Felipe Anderson (L)
Ammonites: Okoli, Soppy (A); Cataldi, Milinkovic-Savic (L)
Expelled: 90 ‘Muriel (A) – double yellow

THE STATISTICS
Before today (six games in a row without conceding a goal), Lazio had recorded at least six clean sheets in a row only once in its history in Serie A: seven between February and March 1998 with Sven-Göran Eriksson at the helm.
Lazio is the team that has not conceded goals in the most games in a row (six) in the top five European championships in progress.
It was since March 2015 that Lazio hadn’t won three straight away matches in Serie A without conceding a goal.
It was from May against Empoli (even in that case at home and without scoring) that Atalanta had not lost in a Serie A match.
Mattia Zaccagni has already equaled after 11 days the same score (four goals) put together in the whole of last season with the shirt of Lazio (29 appearances) – he had scored two with Verona before moving to the capital.
Since last September, no player has taken part in more goals than Mattia Zaccagni in Serie A: seven (four goals and three assists), like Rafael Leão and Sergej Milinkovic-Savic.
Mattia Zaccagni is the player who has scored the most goals (three) in the first quarter of an hour of play in this league.
With Felipe Anderson the Lazio players with at least two goals scored in this league become six: only Napoli (7) have more.
Among those who have scored at least two goals and provided at least two assists this league, only Rebic (278) has played fewer minutes than Pedro.
Lazio scored five goals in the first 15 minutes of the first half, only Inter (6) have more goals this season in Serie A.
It was since April against Torino (Sanabria in the 4th minute) that Atalanta had not collected a goal in the first 15 minutes of a Serie A match.
Lazio have not conceded a goal in the first half in nine of their 11 games, no team has done better this season in Serie A.
Today Alessio Romagnoli plays the 250th match in Serie A: he is the first player born from 1/1/1995 onwards to cross this milestone in the top league.
50th match of Mattia Zaccagni with the Lazio shirt, counting all the competitions. And 50 also for Hysaj.
It was since December 2021 against Venezia that Marusic had not provided a winning assist in Serie A: the number 77 provided at least one winning pass in each of the six championships played with the Lazio shirt.
Third expulsion in Serie A for Muriel: the other two in May 2017 in Udinese-Sampdoria and in November 2011 in Cesena-Lecce