Lazio Drop Points in Bitter Fashion to Resilient Monza

Lazio twice conceded from winning positions to drop points in a frustrating Serie A clash with a mid-table Monza.

The Biancocelesti quickly started to find their footing under new coach Igor Tudor following his arrival back in March, picking up four wins in a row across all competitions ahead of their trip to the U-Power Stadium.

More Stories / Lazio Match Reports

Things have been more difficult for Monza in recent weeks, with Raffaele Palladino’s side only managing to pick up two points in their five matches prior to the Biancocelesti’s visit. Stuck in the mid-table, the team have little to play for in the final weeks of the season.

Lazio got off to a strong start at the U-Power Stadium, taking a 1-0 lead after just 11 minutes when a Daichi Kamada shot from outside the box was saved by a diving Michele Di Gregorio, whose block saw the ball ricochet off the crossbar before bouncing out to Ciro Immobile, who pounced and easily poked the ball into the back of the net.

The Biancocelesti maintained their momentum in the first half and did well to limit Monza’s chances, allowing them to protect their 1-0 lead heading into the half-time break.

The home side were more fired up in the second half and their pressure eventually led to an equaliser in the 73rd minute, when a Marco Pessina header was parried by Christos Mandas into the path of Milan Djuric, who easily passed it into the back of the net to make it 1-1.

Lazio restored their lead 10 minutes later. Matias Vecino pounced on a misplaced pass and did well to break into the box before placing it past Di Gregorio to put his side 2-1 up with less than 10 minutes to go.

Just as it looked likely that the Biancocelesti would edge out victory, Djuric found his second in the 92nd minute with a towering header, forcing the two sides to share a point at the U-Power Stadium.