First Serie A meeting of the day in Italy - truly special. Two capital clubs faced each other, with "gialorossi" even stepping onto the pitch wearing special kits.
However, "Lazio" players were not afraid of their opponents' attire, and Balde Keita scored the first goal in the 12th minute.
The team from "Roma", coached by Simone Inzaghi, completely pressed and dominated the opponents in terms of ball control, which resulted in a penalty just before halftime when Wallace fouled Kevin Strootman. Daniele De Rossi converted the penalty to equalize the score.
Luciano Spalletti's side did not reduce the pace in the second half, but a dangerous shot by Edin Dzeko was saved by the goalkeeper at the beginning. On the other hand, "Lazio" broke the deadlock after a few minutes as De Rossi made a mistake, which Dusan Basta took advantage of.
Later on, the situation on the pitch remained unchanged, but the most dangerous opportunities to score were created by "Lazio" players Balde Keita and Felipe Anderson. In the end, Keita succeeded in utilizing a pass from Senad Lulic and sealed the clear victory in this match.
The defeat for "gialorossi" was particularly painful, as with only four rounds left in the season, Turin's "Juventus" had already escaped by nine points. On the other hand, "Lazio" strengthened their chances of clinching the fourth place.
Afternoon matches also took place.
Atalanta from Bergamo missed the opportunity to gain points against "Milan", who managed to secure just one point from their game against "Crotone". Marcelo Trotta scored for the home team as early as the eigth minute.
"Rossoneri" dominated in terms of ball possession, but only managed to equalize the score at the beginning of the second half, when defender Gabriel Paletta scored. However, this was the only goal of the match and was crucial for "Crotone".
The latter team also received good news from another stadium, where the 17th-placed "Empoli" team lost to "Sassuolo".
Meanwhile, "Palermo" kept their theoretical chances of remaining in the Serie A alive, as they unexpectedly defeated Florence's "Fiorentina". The hosts took an important lead with a penalty goal by Alessandro Diamanti, and Haitam Aleesami secured the victory at the end of the match after Davide Astori was sent off.
Finally, in the evening match in Milan, the local "Inter" and "Napoli" players met. The fans gathered at the San Siro stadium witnessed a truly interesting and fierce battle.
However, the goal-scoring of the teams did not please, and a goal by Jose Callejon, taking advantage of Yuto Nagatomo's mistake, was the only one in this match. The Spaniard scored at the end of the first half and secured three important points for the Southern Italian club.
Now Maurizio Sarri's team has approached the struggling "Roma" and has very realistic chances of reaching the second place and securing a guaranteed ticket to the UEFA Champions League. On the other hand, the game of "nerazzurri" in Europe seems further away.
