Lazio keep Udinese at bay, Spezia draw with Cremonese
Lazio - Udinese 0-0
With both Lazio and Udinese sitting in the top-four and level on points ahead of kick-off, there was a sense of inevitably that this would be a close-fought contest. Although the hosts were edging possession, Udinese went closest in the opening 20 minutes when Lazar Samardžić rattled the crossbar with a curling effort. After being saved by the woodwork, Lazio began to cut through the visitors’ defence, although they were unable to find a way past the defiant Marco Silvestri. The Udinese goalkeeper utilised his feet to deny Felipe Anderson’s low strike before reacting well to push Sergej Milinković-Savić’s flicked header away from danger.
Just as Lazio were beginning to gain momentum, they were abruptly stopped in their tracks when their talisman Ciro Immobile was forced off through injury. The substitution ensured the contest remained goalless at HT, as the hosts struggled to quickly adapt to a system that did not contain a recognised central striker.
The competitive nature of the encounter continued after the interval, as both sides enjoyed promising spells of possession. Destiny Udogie was presented with the first meaningful chance of the second half, but the Tottenham Hotspur loanee was left to rue a poorly executed header. Udogie attempted to make amends for his miss, laying the ball into the path of Roberto Pereyra, whose powerful strike was smartly saved by Ivan Provedel.
While Lazio lacked a cutting edge without Immobile’s goalscoring attributes, their dependable backline repelled a number of Udinese attacks, and when the visitors’ finally broke through, the crossbar cruelly denied Gerard Deulofeu’s thunderous half-volley. The goalless draw may be regarded as a fair outcome, but results elsewhere could see the two sides slip out of the top four by the end of matchday 10.
Flashscore Man of the Match: Lazar Samardžić (Udinese Calcio)
See stats from the match at Flashscore
Spezia - Cremonese 2-2
Having fallen behind early in proceedings, two goals in three first-half minutes helped Spezia turn the game on its head. Already boasting five goals to his name this term, M'Bala Nzola added a sixth in stylish fashion, rifling a right-footed shot into the roof of the Cremonese net. That goal had restored parity for the hosts, but with the wind in their sails, Luca Gotti’s side took the lead moments later - this time Emil Holm squeezing home from close range inside the penalty area.
While this may have been the first top-flight meeting between the two sides, the home team had won five of the last six Serie B match-ups, with Spezia’s comeback coming as no surprise. However, it didn’t do much to remedy the Cremonese woes, with the side from Lombardy having taken the lead after two minutes, when Cyriel Dessers poked in the opener from close range. Alas, it would count for little, as the visitors trailed at the break.
Disappointed to have fallen behind before the interval, Cremonese regrouped after HT and found an equaliser shortly after the restart. Arriving late on to a whipped cross from Leonardo Sernicola's, Pickel’s bullet header left Spezia goalkeeper Bartłomiej Drągowski with no chance of making a save, while putting the away side back on level terms.
Despite their best efforts, Spezia were unable to keep up the tradition of the home side taking three points in this clash. They still hold on to their unbeaten record at home, but Gotti’s men will no doubt feel frustrated not to have taken three points against the newly promoted outfit.
Flashscore Man of the Match: Kelvin Amian Adou (Spezia Calcio)