|
|
Played
December 14, 2011 1:00 PM EST
Stadio Olimpico — Roma
Referee: M. Dean
Attendance: 8295
December 14, 2011 1:00 PM EST
Stadio Olimpico — Roma
Referee: M. Dean
Attendance: 8295
Lazio 2-0 Sporting CP: Italians progress to Europa League knockout phase with straightforward win
Goals from Libor Kozak and Giuseppe Sculli, combined with victory for Zurich over Vaslui, mean that Edy Reja's side will be in Friday's draw for the last 32
Getty Images
Lazio qualified for the knockout stages of the Europa League with a 2-0 victory over a weakened Sporting CP on matchday six at the Stadio Olimpico.
Goals in each half from Senad Lulic and Giuseppe Sculli proved enough for the home side to progress as Zurich beat Vaslui 2-0 at the Stadio Letzigrund.
The hosts were required to better Vaslui's result in order to progress to the knockout stages, due to their head-to-head record against the Romanians, but fielded a much-changed team, as did the visitors.
In front of a sparsely-populated Olimpico, Edy Reja's men enjoyed the majority of the possession and chances on goal in the opening stages, attempting to break down the Portuguese, who were already guaranteed top spot in the section.
The deadlock was finally broken three minutes from halftime. Excellent play out wide from Senad Lulic led to the Bosnian flicking a teasing delivery into the center, and Libor Kozak met the ball powerfully to head past Marcelo and into the net.
The capital club ensured that it fulfilled its task for the evening by adding a second goal 10 minutes into the second half. A marauding run from Modibo Diakite through the center led to him feeding Giuseppe Sculli with a well-timed pass, and the forward did the rest, drilling the ball home.
Goals in each half from Senad Lulic and Giuseppe Sculli proved enough for the home side to progress as Zurich beat Vaslui 2-0 at the Stadio Letzigrund.
The hosts were required to better Vaslui's result in order to progress to the knockout stages, due to their head-to-head record against the Romanians, but fielded a much-changed team, as did the visitors.
In front of a sparsely-populated Olimpico, Edy Reja's men enjoyed the majority of the possession and chances on goal in the opening stages, attempting to break down the Portuguese, who were already guaranteed top spot in the section.
The deadlock was finally broken three minutes from halftime. Excellent play out wide from Senad Lulic led to the Bosnian flicking a teasing delivery into the center, and Libor Kozak met the ball powerfully to head past Marcelo and into the net.
The capital club ensured that it fulfilled its task for the evening by adding a second goal 10 minutes into the second half. A marauding run from Modibo Diakite through the center led to him feeding Giuseppe Sculli with a well-timed pass, and the forward did the rest, drilling the ball home.
While Sporting didn’t exactly roll over, its weakened XI rarely looked likely to break down Lazio more than once, with decent showings from the likes of Andre Santos and Andre Martins in vain.
The victory means Lazio progresses after Zurich picked up its first victory of the campaign thanks to second-half goals from Xavier Maigaraz and Oliver Buff which proved costly to Vaslui. The Biancolesti's nine points earn them second spot ahead of the Romanian outfit on six, and it is they who will join already-qualified Sporting in the hat for the last 32 on Friday.
Follow Goal.com on 
to get the latest soccer news directly. Check out Goal.com's 
page; be part of the best soccer fan community in the world!
Goal
Own Goal
Penalty
Penalty Missed
Yellow Card
Assist
Penalty Save
Penalty Shootout Goal
Penalty Shootout Miss
Yellow Card / Red Card
Red Card
Substitution IN
Substitution OUT
Injury
Goal.com Rating
Goal.com Man of the Match
Goal.com Flop of the Match
Top & Flop Global Ranking
Fans' Man of the Match
Fans' Flop of the Match
Match News
Top Scorers
| Player | Goals | Penalties | |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Klaas-Jan Huntelaar
Striker Schalke |
14 | 3 |
|
Radamel Falcao
Striker Atlético de Madrid |
12 | 1 |
|
Adrián
Striker Atlético de Madrid |
10 | 0 |
|
Fernando Llorente Torres
Striker Bilbao |
7 | 2 |
|
Jonatan Ezequiel Cristaldo
Striker Metalist Kharki |
7 | 0 |