Serie A: Empoli vs Lazio Player Rating as Lazio hand a thumping 3-1 defeat to Empoli

Serie A: Empoli vs Lazio Player Rating as Lazio hand a thumping 3-1 defeat to Empoli

Empoli vs Lazio

It was the season’s opening game for Lazio and Empoli at Stadio Carlo Castellani. Empoli were up against Lazio and were under immense pressure right from the get go.

Despite being the one’s in full charge, Empoli managed to breakthrough the defences of Lazio and Filippo Bandinelli scored the opening goal in the 4th minute itself.

However, Lazio hand the upper hand right from the start and they took full advantage of the pressure they added on Empoli defenders and scored the equaliser in the next two minutes. The first half was an exceptional one for Lazio as they followed that brilliant attack with two more goals. In the 31st minute by Manuel Lazzari and a 41st minute penalty by Ciro Immobile.

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With all the goals being scored in the first half, the match ended with the scoreline reading 3-1, in the favour of Lazio. Lazio couldn’t have done it without the team’s contribution, helping towards a dominant win on opening day.

Let’s have a look at how the players performed in today’s encounter:

Lazio

Pepe Reina (GK) (6.7/10) : Despite conceding a goal first up, Pepe showed great courage and held on to his nerve to pick up some crucial saves later in the game.

Elseid Hysaj (7.6/10) : Hysaj was a rock solid when it came to Ariel or ground battles, he won them all with a 100% record at that. It was a task for the Empoli attackers to get past him.

Francesco Acerbi (7.6/10) : Acerbi was excellent at Ariel duels and it was difficult to win against him at those. He made as many as seven crucial clearences and his iron clad defence made life difficult for Empoli forwards.

Luiz Felipe (7.6/10) : Felipe paired up well with goalscorer Lazzari and was a valuable asset for the defence unit in this match-up. He was winning interceptions one after the other and his crucial blocks in the box were the one’s that majorly counted.

Manuel Lazzari (7.9/10) : The defender had the best matches ever as he scored the second goal to bring back Lazio in the lead. Lazzari was excellent with winning the balls & interceptions too.

Jean-Daniel Akpa Akpro (6.5/10) : The midfielder had a decent game. He contributed well with some good passes and his defensive attributes.

Lucas Leiva (7/10) : Lucas was in the heart of the midfield and did justice to his position by sending in some effective Long balls. He did a commendable job winning some necessary ground duels as well.

Sergej Milinkovic-Savic (8.7/10) : Sergej provided Lazio with their first goal which was the all-important equaliser. He also contributed with an assist to get his team’s second goal on the scoreline. He showed great aggression on the pitch and had remarkable pace along with a knack for excellent passes.

Felipe Anderson (7.7/10) : Felipe provided with the crucial assist to Sergej to bring around the team’s equaliser in the next couple minutes. He had an opportunity at goal but was blocked by the Empoli defence. Although, he lost a lot of possession early on.

Ciro Immobile (7/10) : Immobile was landed with the opportunity to take the Penalty and he took it with open hands. With a calm posture, he put the ball in the back of the net to make it 3-1. Overall, he had a good game.

Pedro (6.9/10) : Pedro had a decent game as compared to his other fellow attackers. He was subbed in the 60th minute facing an injury.

Substitutes:

Empoli

Guglielmo Vicario (GK) (5.6/10) : It was a disappointing effort from Vicario as he ended up conceding three goals in the first half itself. It was a difficult time with lack of coordination with defenders.

Riccardo Marchizza (6.2/10) : Riccardo played on the extreme left in the defence unit. He had a decent game with mostly unsuccessful attempts at winning tackles or interceptions.

Simone Romagnoli (6.5/10) : The captain led the defence unit but couldn’t help witness conceding two goals in front of his eyes. He gave his all in for the season opener but failed to see his team over the line.

Ardian Ismajli (7/10) : Ardian was undoubtedly the best defender amongst the remaining for Empoli in this match. He made 4 clearances, blocked a crucial shot, won an interception and four tackles. Adding to that, he won almost every Ariel or ground duel he came across.

Petar Stojanovic (6.8/10) : Petar was responsible for the far right side of the defence and midfield to stop the Lazio attackers. He did a fair job at winning duels on ground but couldn’t stop them from breaking through the defence unit.

Filippo Bandinelli (6.9/10) : Filippo had gotten Empoli off to a flyer with an opening goal in the fourth minute itself. Out of his two attempts, one was a goal while the other was way off target.

Samuele Ricci (7.4/10) : Ricci was in the heart of the midfield and he was to be seen everywhere, giving his 100% to move around with the ball trying to create chances.

Nicolas Haas (6.1/10) : It was a below par performance from Haas as he managed to lose possession on 14 occasions while barely winning any interceptions or making accurate passes.

Nedim Bajarami (6.5/10) : The forward’s crucial assist helped Empoli get their opening goal but apart from that, he failed miserably in the defence department. He failed on numerous occasions to win the ball.

Patrick Cutrone (6.7/10) : Patrick had a decent game. He made a few good passes and won a few balls for his team. He had an opportunity at goal but was way off target.

Leonardo Mancuso (6.5/10) : The Striker failed to impress after being fed balls on numerous occasions. He had a shy at goal two teams; one was completely off target while the other was denied by the goalkeeper.

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