In a closely-contested football game at Bentegodi, Verona and Lazio locked horns for the 15th day’s scheduled outing in Serie A, 2023/24.
The match kicked off with Verona in charge. Although Lazio was awarded three corners at the 12-minute mark, they failed to capitalise on the opportunity – a common occurrence throughout the day.
A heavy clash between Marusic and Ngonge at the 19-minute mark left the Lazio defender with a problematic left eye. Shortly after, Lazio put the first goal on the scoreboard, thanks to a skilful back-heel finish by Zaccagni at the 23rd minute. The first forced substitution for Lazio saw Hysaj replace the injured Marusic at the 29-minute mark.
As the first half winded down, Verona missed a potential breakaway opportunity with Ngonge failing to connect with a long pass from a teammate. Two minutes of extra time graced the first half before it ended towards closure.
With the commencement of the second half, Sarri’s squad appeared to be in full control of the game. Lazio’s Luis Alberto delivered a dangerous through pass to Immobile, only to be thwarted by Coppola at the 55-minute mark.
At 71 minutes, a dramatic twist unfolded as Thomas Henry scored for Hellas Verona to level the game 1-1. A few minutes later at the 74th, Lazio’s Casale briefly put Lazio back in advantage, only for the goal to be disallowed following a VAR review due to a foul on Duda.
The match intensified further as Verona’s Duda received a red card for a second offence at the 77th minute. As the game reached its final stage, a numerically superior Lazio pressed the advantage on Verona but couldn’t find the back of the net.
After five minutes of additional time, the match ended in a 1-1 draw. Lazio’s Zaccagni was declared as the “Man of the Match”.
The Verona line-up featured 4-2-3-1: Montipò; Terracciano, Coppola, Amione, Tchatchoua; Folorunsho, Duda; Ngonge, Suslov, Serdar, Djuric. Their coach for the day was Baroni.
The Lazio line-up saw them deploy a 4-3-3 formation: Provedel; Lazzari, Casale, Gila, Marusic; Guendouzi, Rovella, Luis Alberto; Felipe Anderson, Immobile, Zaccagni. Sarri was in charge of the team for this match.