Europa League, Lazio out with honor: Porto pass

Lazio touches the possibility of dragging Porto to extra time, but the illusion lasts only about ten minutes: those who pass between the goal of the advantage of the returning Ciro Immobile (20 / o goals in Europe with Lazio for him, like Simone Inzaghi, in front of them only Chinaglia) and the draw on a penalty – after a long consultation with the Var – of the guests led by the former Sergio Conceicao. The Lusitanians, who had already eliminated Juventus in the knockout stages of the Champions League last season, concede an encore with another Italian team. The game immediately goes well for Lazio, who are looking forward to an exciting evening. At 16 ‘Immobile immediately makes the difference, compared to the first leg: he takes advantage of a crazy back pass by Vitinha, slips away and then kicks a little to the side. Shortly after Luis Alberto serves him and Immobile hits the mark, it is a pity that he is in an irregular position. It is the general rehearsal of the goal, which arrives in the 19th minute thanks to an unleashed Immobile, who breaks away from Pepe and beats Diogo Costa, bringing Lazio the advantage. Lazio seems overflowing and Porto in serious difficulty, however it takes very little to reverse the inertia of a challenge that will eventually reflect the themes of the first leg. At 27 ‘the German referee Aytekin warns Taremi for simulation, after a contact with Milinkovic-Savic, then goes to look at the dynamics of the action at the Var and decides to grant the penalty to Porto, which the Iranian player himself transforms behind. Strakosha. The warning, of course, is canceled. The goal remains, and it weighs a ton. Lazio must start all over again and resume managing ball possession. The game gets nasty due to a couple of interventions by the Portuguese, who are punished with yellow, the confusion rises. The first half ends with an oversized Milinkovic-Savic header and opens with a thrill for Lazio: it is 2 ‘when Toni Martinez crosses for Pepe, whose gore ends up out of nowhere. Same fate for Luis Alberto’s conclusion on 4 ‘, who does not frame the goal for a matter of (a few) centimeters. Porto is alive and, in the short space of twenty seconds, Strakosha has to save three times (the first on Otavio) to avoid the knockout. Nothing can, however, the Albanian goalkeeper at 23 ‘, when – on the development of a triangulation with Talemi – the Colombian Uribe signs the 2-1 that eliminates Lazio. The biancocelesti, lost for lost, jumped into the opponent’s half and Porto struggled. contain them. Lazio are not even lucky, because Luis Alberto stamps the post and Cataldi’s equal goal reaches well beyond the 90 ‘. Too late to hope.