On 17 December, one of the matches of the 16th round of the Italian Football Championship took place. Lazio (Rome) and Inter (Milan) met.
Italian Championship, 16th round
Lazio ( Rome) - Inter (Milan) - 0:2 ( 0:1)
Goals: Lautaro Martínez (40), Thuram (66).
Warnings: Thuram (26), Barella (61), Nicolo Casale (81).
Lazio hosted Inter in a thrilling Serie A encounter at the legendary Stadio Olimpico. The match was highly anticipated as both teams were fighting for valuable points in the standings. With the score 0:1 in favour of Inter, the second half promised to be exciting. In the 26th minute, Inter player M. Thuram received a yellow card, adding an early blemish to his performance. Tension mounted as time went on and both teams showed their prowess in attack. However, in the 40th minute, it was Inter who managed to break the deadlock. L. Martinez left no chance for the Lazio goalkeeper with a powerful shot and put Inter ahead - 0:1. With the start of the second half the tension did not subside. In the 61st minute Inter's N. Barella received a yellow card, which further fuelled the heat of the match. Lazio, wanting to equalise, made the first substitution in the 65th minute. D. Kamada came on in place of Luis Alberto, hoping to bring fresh energy into the attacking game, but Inter had other plans. Just a minute after the substitution, in the 66th minute, M. Thuram struck again, increasing Inter's lead to an impressive 0:2. Lazio's hopes of returning to victory were diminishing with every minute.
Both teams made further substitutions in an attempt to turn the tide of the match. In the 70th minute, Inter introduced F. Dimarco and D. Frattesi, replacing Carlos Augusto and N. Barella respectively. Lazio responded with a double substitution in the 75th minute: M. Zaccagni and Pedro came on the pitch, replacing two tired players. The match became increasingly tense as time went on. In the 81st minute, Lazio's N. Casale received a yellow card, adding another disciplinary offence to an already heated match. In the 86th minute, Lazio's M. Lazzari received a red card, aggravating the situation. In the 89th minute, when time was running out, Inter decided to make the last substitution. L. Martinez came on in place of D. Klaassen and H. Calhanoglu replaced K. Asllani. Fresh energies allowed Inter to keep control of the game until the final whistle. When the referee blew the whistle to end the half, Inter were celebrating a hard-fought victory with a final score of 0-2. The match displayed skill, passion and drama, showing why Serie A is one of the most exciting leagues in the world. This result allowed Inter to climb further up the standings, while Lazio were able to reflect and work on themselves ahead of their next match.
The following matches await the opponents in the next round: Empoli vs Lazio, Inter vs Lecce.
| Lazio | Inter | |
|---|---|---|
| 4 | Kicks in the box | 4 |
| 13 | Kicks | 12 |
| 4 | Blocked shots | 3 |
| 12 | Penalty kicks | 10 |
| 1 | Kicks from outside the penalty box | 2 |
| 13 | Offences | 15 |
| 8 | Corner | 7 |
| 1 | Offsides | 0 |
| 48% | Ball possession | 52% |
| 1 | Yellow cards | 2 |
| 1 | Red cards | 0 |
| 2 | Keeper saves | 4 |
| 484 | Total assists | 543 |
| 420 | Accurate assists | 477 |
| 87% | Accuracy of passes | 88% |