Lazio feeling the blues after Empoli comeback, stalemate in saturated Spezia

Lazio - Empoli 2-2

Following a wonderful minutes applause for the sad passing of Italian striker Gianluca Vialli and for former Lazio player Siniša Mihajlović, the hosts scored within 90 seconds of the whistle when a corner was whipped in at the near post and Felipe Anderson flicked the ball into the net. There was some confusion as it appeared to come off Empoli player Francesco Caputo into his own goal, but later Anderson was credited with the goal. The visitors had never beaten Lazio at the Stadio Olimpico, and going a goal down within the opening two minutes was the worst possible start to changing that historical record.

The Eagles threatened twice minutes later, firstly when captain Ciro Immobile fired over the bar from a difficult angle, and then Mattia Zaccagni shot wide when he really should have scored. Time and time again Lazio kept swarming forward into the opposition half, but despite being dominant in terms of chances and possession, the hosts couldn’t break through the Empoli rearguard a second time in the first half.

Less than ten minutes into the second half, Maurizio Sarri’s side doubled their lead when Anderson’s shot was deflected into the path of Zaccagni who chipped the ball over Azzurri goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario. Empoli nearly fought back into the game when Caputo almost equalised from a delightful cross, but the striker headed over. Lazio nearly put the game out of sight when Sergej Milinković-Savić saw his shot tipped onto the post by Vicario.

With 15 minutes to go, Empoli had a resurgence and eventually pulled a goal back when Paolo Zanetti’s side counter-attacked through Caputo who smacked his shot past Lazio goalkeeper Ivan Provedel. The visitors then drew level in stoppage-time when from a corner, Răzvan Marin fired home to secure a vital point for the Azzurri. The draw provided another blow to Lazio’s European aspirations, following their defeat midweek too.

Flashscore Man of the Match: Mattia Zaccagni (S.S Lazio)

Spezia - Lecce 0-0

It was a timely return for Polish stopper Bartłomiej Drągowski, who remarkably recovered in less than eight weeks from ankle surgery after suffering an injury in the final game before the FIFA World Cup, and he will have known early on that it was not going to be an easy afternoon against a side buoyed by an impressive turnaround in midweek against Lazio. With three in his last four, Lecce’s Lorenzo Colombo tried his luck from long range, stinging the palms of the Spezia shot-stopper. Moments later, the away side were unlucky not to move in front from a corner, hitting the woodwork twice in succession - first via Alexis Blin’s towering header, followed by a left-footed effort from Joan Gonzàlez.

It wasn’t all one-way traffic, however, with the hosts’ top marksman M’Bala Nzola a danger Lecce always needed to keep an eye on. After scoring just twice in SA last term, the Angolan had previously found the back of the net eight times this time out - which equates to 57% of Spezia’s total goal tally - and his header from Mehdi Bourabia’s cross was only fractionally over.

With both sides keeping just one clean sheet apiece this season, fans inside the Stadio Alberto Picco were within their rights to expect goals. Shortly after the break, Nzola was set free on the counter, but after being marshalled well by Samuel Umtiti he could only offer up a tame effort. Late on, the hosts' Emmanuel Gyasi appeared to have been presented with a big opportunity after being played through one on one, but could only fire down the throat of Wladimiro Falcone - in any case, Gyasi was in an offside position.

Both sides seemed content with the point, which consolidated their respective league positions. The result, though, puts Spezia six points clear of the relegation zone, while the two teams are now unbeaten in their last four outings.

Flashscore Player of the Match: Bartłomiej Drągowski (Spezia Calcio)