Lazio 1-0 AC Milan: Zaccagni’s Header Puts Aquile in Coppa Italia Quarter-Finals | OneFootball

At the Stadio Olimpico in Rome, Lazio exacted revenge over AC Milan by eliminating them from the Coppa Italia Round of 16, just five days following their controversial Serie A defeat at San Siro.

Lazio & Milan Starting Lineups

While press reports had envisioned a major rotation, Maurizio Sarri only made two changes, with the returning Taty Castellanos replacing Boulaye Dia, and Christos Mandas making his first appearance of the season. Gustav Isaksen and Mattia Zaccagni completed the attacking trident, while Matteo Guendouzi and Toma Basic worked alongside Matias Vecino in midfield.

On the other hand, Max Allegri made a few more changes to his 3-5-1-1 lineup, as Ruben Loftus-Cheek was brought in to support Rafael Leao in attack. Ardon Jashari started in midfield between Adrien Rabiot and Samuele Ricci, giving Luka Modric some much-needed rest.

Lazio the More Dangerous Side in Tepid First Half

The first period was a forgettable affair, with both sides adopting a cautious approach. While Milan never truly generated a genuine goal-scoring chance, Lazio threatened Mike Maignan on a couple of occasions.

In the middle of the first half, Mandas played a risky through ball down the middle, but a deft flick from Zaccagni freed up Basic, who went charging towards the goal, but his low drive whistled past the far post.

The dying embers of the first half witnessed another good chance for the home side. Maignan came out of his goal to punch away a corner kick, but it was a rather poor clearance, allowing Isaksen to pounce on the loose ball with a powerful volley. Luckily for the French goalkeeper, his positioning allowed him to block the attempt with his body.

Milan Threaten Lazio Early in the Second Half

The opening minutes of the second half witnessed Milan’s first dangerous attempt. Pervis Estupinan’s cross was met by Loftus-Cheek’s towering header, but it sailed just over the crossbar. Afterwards, Jashari picked up Estupinan with an inch-perfect through ball, and the wing-back cut it back to Leao, who took it on the half-volley, but couldn’t hit the target from a promising position.

Mattia Zaccagni Heads it Home

While the contest appeared to be heading towards penalty shootouts, the Aquile found the breakthrough in the 80th minute. Nuno Tavares, who had come off the bench a few minutes earlier, picked up Zaccagni from the corner kick. The captain didn’t put too much power behind his header, but the precision was enough to beat Maignan and give Lazio a deserved lead.

Lazio Qualifies for the Coppa Italia Quarter-Final

A moment later, the hosts had the opportunity to double their lead, but Maignan pulled off a remarkable save to deny a solid shot from Tijjani Noslin. At the other end of the pitch, Milan came close to finding an equalizer through Christian Pulisic’s bouncing shot, but Mandas dived across his goal to save the day and seal Lazio’s spot in the Coppa Italia’s quarter-final.

Lazio 1-0 Milan

Goalscorer: 80′ Zaccagni (L)

Lazio (4-3-3): Mandas; Marusic, Gila, Romagnoli, Pellegrini (71′ Tavares); Guendouzi, Vecino (57′ Dele-Bashiru), Basic; Isaksen (83′ Cancellieri), Castellanos (57′ Noslin), Zaccagni (83′ Pedro).

AC Milan (3-5-2): Maignan; Tomori, De Winter, Pavlovic; Saelemaekers (64′ Nkunku), Ricci, Jashari (81′ Modric), Rabiot, Estupinan (86′ Bartesaghi); Loftus-Cheek (81′ Pulisic), Leao.

Referee: Marco Guida (Torre Annunziata region); Linesmen: Lo Cicero – Dei Giudici; 4th official: Doveri; VAR: Pezzuto; VAR: Aureliano

Yellow cards: 2′ Pavlovic (M), 84′ De Winter (M)