Europa League | Galatasaray 1-0 Lazio: Strakosha howler is a gift
Lazio were wasteful in attack and started their Europa League campaign with a 1-0 defeat to Galatasaray, decided by a truly shocking own goal from Thomas Strakosha.
The Biancocelesti were still getting to grips with Maurizio Sarri’s tactics and fresh off a 2-0 Serie A defeat to Milan, but the coach didn’t rotate his squad much, giving Mattia Zaccagni his first start. Fatih Terim’s Turkish giants had Sacha Boey and Baris Yilmaz carrying injuries and struggling after twice throwing away 2-0 leads for 2-2 draws. Marcao was available, as his eight-match ban for attacking teammate Kerem Akturkoglu only applies domestically.
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Manuel Lazzari sprung the offside trap and sprinted towards goal after eight minutes, hacked down outside the penalty area by goalkeeper Fernando Muslera. It was only a yellow card and not a red, because Lazzari’s run was going more wide than straight at goal.
Luiz Felipe needed a desperate defensive block on Halil Dervisoglu, who had turned well from six yards, while unmarked Olimpiu Morutan smashed his strike against the underside of the crossbar on 23 minutes, bouncing back out.
DeAndre Yedlin needed a well-timed tackle on Ciro Immobile in the box, but Immobile had penalty appeals on the stroke of half-time for a Marcao nudge from behind.
Lazio were fortunate after the restart when Luiz Felipe was caught napping, but Thomas Strakosha rushed out to clear from Kerem Akturkoglu.
Muslera was at full stretch for a one-handed save on Luis Alberto after a great passing move, Marcao risking an own goal on the rebound.
Akturkoglu drilled wide following a Morutan mazy run, as did Alexandru Cicaldau moments later, while Vedat Muriqi’s heavy touch ruined a Felipe Anderson counter.
The deadlock was eventually broken by a moment of utter madness. Lazzari’s clearance looped straight up into the air, Strakosha seemed to be comfortably pushing it over his bar to be absolutely sure, but somehow mistimed it so badly that he instead shoved the ball under the bar from 5cm out. It was an astonishing howler and the Albania international looked understandably distraught.
Sergej Milinkovic-Savic should’ve equalised moments later when controlling a long Francesco Acerbi ball, but meekly prodded it straight at Muslera when one-on-one.
Strakosha got his fingertips to a Cicaldau daisy-cutter and turned it round the upright, while Muslera smothered a Pedro header.
Galatasaray 1-0 Lazio
Strakosha og 67 (G)