Lazio 4-0 Ostiamare: Ratkov Extends Pre-Season Purple Patch | OneFootball

At the Formello training centre, Lazio kept their perfect summer record intact by beating fellow Roman club Ostiamare in their fifth pre-season friendly.

Lazio Starting Lineup

Gennaro Gattuso opted for a 4-3-3 formation with Edoardo Motta in goal. Despite his uncertain future, Alessio Romagnoli donned the captain’s armband, while the young Ricardo Bordon joined him at the heart of the backline. Manuel Lazzari started at right-back, shifting Romano Floriani Mussolini to the opposite flank.

In the middle of the park, the manager opted for the young trio of Reda Belahyane, Bruno Galassi, and Valerio Farcomani, while Petar Ratkov led the line, with Federico Serra to his right, and Tijjani Noslin on the left wing.

Ostiamare Hit the Post, Lazio Responds

The Serie C boys almost stunned their hosts by taking the lead in the 15th minute. Riccardo Tonin found himself in front of Motta’s goal and went for the near corner, but was denied by the post.

A few minutes later, Ratkov picked up a poorly played throw-in from Ostiamare, and set up the unmarked Noslin, who had a golden opportunity to score, but the Dutchman took too much time before applying the finish, allowing Pietro Gioardani to pull off a goal-line clearance.

Petar Ratkov Bags First-Half Brace

From the following corner kick, Noslin made amends by picking up Ratkov with a delicate cross. The uncontested Serbian striker nodded the ball with ease to extend his pre-season goal-scoring run.

Lazio added another goal before the interval, courtesy of the same author. Noslin picked up Serra at the edge of the box, who in turn found the overlapping Lazzari on his right. The full-back played a low but powerful square ball to the mouth of the goal, and Ratkov only had to put his foot in front of it to guide it home.

Gattuso Ring the Changes in the Second Half

After a rather unenventful 15 minutes that followed the restart, Gattuso made 10 changes to the lineup at once, with Ratkov the only survivor. Mattia Zaccagni and Matteo Cancellieri took the wings, while Nicolo Rovella played between Fisayo Dele-Bashiru and Kenneth Taylor in midfield. Adam Marusic, Danilho Doekhi, Oliver Provstgaard, and Alfonso Pedraza formed the backline, with Davide Renzetti in goal.

Mattia Zaccagni Scores Twice

In the 73rd minute, Lazio were awarded a spot kick-when Gioardini handled the ball while trying to block Ratkov’s shot. Zaccagni’s initial attempt hit the crossbar, but Ratkov’s rebounded header gave his skipper a second chance. Although the goalkeeper was able to reach it, the power took it beyond him.

Six minutes later, Zaccagni completed his brace. Taylor found his captain with a backpass from the byline, and the latter took his time before coolly slotting the ball into the bottom corner. The Aquile had several opportunities to add to their lead, but Doekhi, Dele-Bashiru, and Sana Fernandes couldn’t finish off their chances, so the score remained 4-0.

Lazio 4-0 Ostiamare

Goals: 19′, 41′ Ratkov, 73′, 79′ Zaccagni

Lazio (4-3-3): Motta (Renzetti 60′); Lazzari (Marusic 60′), Bordon (Doekhi 60′), Romagnoli (Provstgaard 60′), Floriani Mussolini (Pedraza 60′); Farcomeni (Dele-Bashiru 60′), Galassi (Rovella 60′), Belahyane (Taylor 60′); Serra (Cancellieri 60′), Ratkov (Sana Fernandes 84′), Noslin (Zaccagni 60′). Subs: Mandas, Dia. 

Ostiamare (4-3-3): Vertua (Morlupo); Spinosa (Ferrari); Badje (Parisiani); Subs: Fabiano, Mohamed, Korosa, Menichelli, Mirra, Galastri, Prette. Coach: D’Antoni.

Referee:  Livio Marinelli (Tivoli section)

Linesmen: Dei Giudici – Yoshikawa