There is a threshold that Maurizio Sarri’s Lazio cannot overcome: it is that of five victories in a row, a limit that the defeat at the Olimpico against Turin has highlighted again. The Biancocelesti hadn’t lost in the league for more than two months, since 11 February against Atalanta, and were returning from four consecutive victories, including those in the derby and against Juventus. Yet Toro manages to slow down the race of the capitolini, always second at 61 points but now at risk of overtaking by Juventus, which is just two points below and will face Napoli tomorrow. Against the grenade, the last four matches for Lazio had been as many draws, three of which with Ivan Juric on the Piedmontese bench: the Croatian coach finds Mattia Zaccagni, his protégé at Verona, and manages to cage the inventiveness not only of the number 20 biancoceleste but also of Milinkovic and Luis Alberto with a suffocating pressing and a fair dose of foul interventions or at the limit. It starts with the thrill, given that Zaccagni heads Vanja Milinkovic-Savic, Sergej’s brother, after just one minute of play: the goalkeeper lets the ball slip, then recovers it on the line. It’s a tough match, with many tackles that Ghersini doesn’t boo and Lazio are protesting about. The grenades show themselves around the biancoceleste goal with Radonjic, but Provedel instinctively saves with his foot. The pace of play was slowed down by many interruptions, then in the 43rd minute the result changed: left-footed by Ilic from outside the area, Provedel wasn’t flawless and let himself be punched. In the second half, the scoring chances increased (first Zaccagni sent off just wide, then Radonjic was stopped by Provedel) and also the bookings, given that Ghersini made up for the generous yardstick of the first half. To shake Lazio’s spirits, Sarri plays the Immobile card: just six days after the car accident that had seen him involved together with his two daughters, the captain enters for Pedro and is greeted by an immense roar. On the other hand, love for the attacker has never been lacking these days, as evidenced by the banner “Ciro, man, father, champion on the field and in life”. Immobile’s entry, however, does not straighten Lazio’s fortunes, given that Turin holds out until the end despite the almost siege suffered. For the eaglets it is a defeat that does not compromise the Champions League race, but turns on a warning light: to remain in the top four, no further defeats against mid-table teams will be allowed.
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