Lazio and Roma played out a 1-1 stalemate in Sunday evening’s Derby della Capitale at the Olimpico, but I Biancocelesti boss Marco Baroni believes his side should’ve come away with a victory.
Marco Baroni says ‘it’s a pity’ that his Lazio side didn’t come out on top in Sunday’s Derby della Capitale against Roma, as he believes that they ‘deserved’ to come away from the match with a victory.
A cagey first period saw the pair head into the half-time break level at 0-0, but just two minutes into the second half, Alessio Romagnoli was on hand to head home the opener from Luca Pellegrini’s free kick.
I Biancocelesti were very clearly on top, however, Claudio Ranieri’s I Giallorossi drew level on the 69-minute mark thanks to a moment of magic from Matias Soule, who rifled a left-footed effort in off the underside of the crossbar.
Lazio were unable to find a winner across the last 20 minutes or so, despite accumulating an xG of 1.21 in comparison to Roma’s 0.24, while they also forced Mile Svilar into making a stunning seven saves.
The result leaves Baroni’s men in sixth place in the Serie A table, two points ahead of their local rivals in seventh, and they have now won just one of their last eight matches across all competitions.
Marco Baroni: Lazio ‘Deserved Victory’ vs Roma
Speaking to DAZN following the full-time whistle, Baroni said: “Roma put some pressure on but didn’t create very much really.
“It’s a pity, my team gave its all and created many scoring opportunities, but perhaps we lacked a little bit of luck to get the victory we deserved. We will take the point anyway, knowing the team tried everything. It’s a pity.”
He continued, praising the effervescent I Biancocelesti supporters, while also referencing their Europa League quarter-final second leg against Bodo/Glimt, and suggested that last week’s first leg may have negatively affected his players for the derby.
“I think we were doing well, we just had to keep the ball a bit longer, but we had balance throughout. Our fans are marvellous. I told the lads we need to believe on Thursday and soak up the energy from the crowd too, so the help the supporters can give us will be very important.
“I don’t like to look like we’re seeking alibis, but it was played on an artificial pitch. Bodo/Glimt played with incredible intensity and physicality in those conditions. We know it will be a completely different match at the Stadio Olimpico.
“I believe we all believe in our chances of going through because we’ve got what it takes to turn that around.”
Lazio welcome the Norwegian champions to the Italian capital at 3pm ET on Thursday, where they’ll be looking to overturn a two-goal deficit after last week’s 2-0 defeat at the Aspmyra Stadion.
