Mattia Zaccagni was the hero for Lazio upon his return from injury, punishing his old club Hellas Verona in a positive 1-0 win.
The Biancocelesti have started to develop a strong rhythm since the arrival of Igor Tudor last month, only disappointing in their Coppa Italia semi-final first leg to Juventus and the Derby della Capitale with Roma, both coming just weeks into the Croatian coach’s time in charge.
Hellas Verona have been in poor form for large parts of the season but have started to find some confidence in the tail-end of the season, picking up a 1-0 win over Udinese and 2-2 draw with Atalanta prior to their trip to the Stadio Olimpico.
Lazio did not want to disappoint in front of their home fans and started quickly against Hellas Verona, having a few early chances through Gustav Isaksen and Felipe Anderson in the first half, but they were unable to break the deadlock.
The Gialloblu had a chance of their own in the 35th minute, when Christos Mandas came out for a high ball but failed to grab it, giving Karol Swiderski a beautiful chance in front of a mostly open net. He spooned his shot wide, letting the home side off the hook.
Lazio came out swinging in the second half and Felipe Anderson almost put his side ahead with a lovely shot from outside the box, which just ricocheted off the crossbar before flying out to safety.
The Biancocelesti had more close chances through Pedro and Valentin Castellanos before a slick Mattia Zaccagni flick put the home side 1-0 up in the 72nd minute after a clever pass from Luis Alberto.
A scramble in the Lazio box in the 82nd minute caused some concern for the fans at the Stadio Olimpico but Mandas managed to snatch the ball to kill the move.
In the 85th minute, Pedro almost closed out the game with a wonderful free kick from outside the box, but his attempt unluckily bounced off the post, keeping things 1-0.
Despite the tight scoreline, it was an incredibly positive and enjoyable match for Lazio, who have clearly started to find their footing under Tudor, setting up an exciting 2024-25 season.
