Lazio boss Marco Baroni has insisted that ‘qualification is still open’ despite a 2-0 loss to ‘fresh, brilliant’ Bodo/Glimt in the first leg of their Europa League quarter-final tie on Thursday.
Serie A giants Lazio fell to a bitterly disappointing defeat in the first leg of their Europa League quarter-final tie on Thursday, losing out 2-0 to Norwegian champions Bodo/Glimt at Aspmyra Stadion.
The hosts, who have now won four in succession across all competitions, took an early second-half lead through Ulrik Saltnes before the 32-year-old midfielder added a second on the 69-minute mark.
It leaves I Biancocelesti with it all to do in next week’s second leg at the Olimpico.
That doesn’t quite convey the whole story, however. Earlier in the day, there were some concerns that the match would have to be postponed due to heavy snowfall in the region, and as seen in the video below, the surface was unplayable.
Welcome to Bodø, Lazio
This morning …. pic.twitter.com/89JJSJvxwg
— Jan Aage Fjørtoft 🇳🇴 (@JanAageFjortoft) April 10, 2025
Thankfully, the pitch was cleared in time and was deemed adequate to host the fixture, but despite this, Lazio boss Marco Baroni felt as though the artificial surface had an effect on how the game played out.
Baroni: Lazio ‘Qualification Still Open’ Despite Bodo/Glimt Loss
Speaking to Sky Italia post-match, Baroni said: “They had speed in their exchanges because of the artificial pitch. I believe that the second leg will be a different game, and qualification is still open.
“They are a fresh, brilliant team. We will rebalance at the Olimpico in the second leg, and we believe that we can still secure qualification.”
He continued, pinpointing what his side can improve on ahead of the second leg: “We will have to press higher on their key players, we will put more pressure on them.
“Now, we have to regain our energy. We will prepare for this match well, we’ll give it our full strength.”
And finally, a word on the travelling I Biancocelesti supporters: “We don’t need to appeal to our fans. We all came here together, we have an important derby and then the second leg. We will go up against them in the best possible way.”
