Lazio 2-2 AC Milan: Moreira Ends Gattuso’s Perfect Start in a Tale of Two Halves | OneFootball

At the Stadio Olimpico in Rome, Lazio squandered a two-goal lead as they registered a draw against AC Milan, who ended the Biancocelesti’s perfect Serie A record.

Lazio & AC Milan Starting Lineups

Gennaro Gattuso made three changes to his 4-3-3 starting lineup, with Tijjani Noslin leading the attack instead of Andrea Pinamonti, flanked by Mattia Zaccagni and Matteo Cancellieri, who came in for Gustav Isaksen. The manager also gave Josip Sutalo his Lazio debut due to Danilho Doekhi’s injury.

The Croatian joined Romano Floriani Mussolini, Oliver Provstgaard, and Nuno Tavares in the backline, while Davide Frattesi, Reda Belahyane, and Kenneth Taylor constituted the midfield trio.

On the opposite side of the pitch, Ruben Amorim maintained his 3-4-2-1 system, spearheaded by Goncalo Ramos. The Portuguese striker was supported by Ruben Loftus-Cheek and Alphadjo Cisse, with Luka Modric and Adrien Rabiot occupying the double pivot. Samuel Chukwueze and Pervis Estupinan acted as wing-backs, while Mario Gila joined Koni De Winter and Strahinja Pavlovic at the back.

The First Half Starts With a Bang

Straight after the kickoff, the two sides threw caution to the wind, with both teams keen on opening the lead. Milan drew first blood when Modric found Chukwueze with a delicate cross. The Nigerian’s header was directed to the bottom corner, but Christos Mandas pulled off a superb reaction save.

Afterwards, it was all Lazio, with Taylor running the show. The Dutch midfielder found Zaccagni with a lovely through ball, but the captain’s angle was too acute to beat Maignan. Taylor then released Floriani on the right flank, and the full-back fed Noslin with an inch-perfect square ball, but the latter should have done better in front of goal, as his shot was too central to trouble the Milan goalkeeper.

Matteo Cancellieri Breaks the Deadlock

After a couple of warnings, the Biancocelesti seized the lead in the 10th minute from an excellent play launched by Tavares, who found a channel in the centre of the pitch and pushed forward before finding Zaccagni on the left side of the box.

Gila gave his former captain just enough time and space to deliver a square ball across the face of the goal. Cancellieri’s connection wasn’t the purest, but he only had to direct it into the empty net.

Lazio Kept Pushing for a Second

The Aquile almost gave away their lead cheaply due to a poor pass from Mandas, but Belahyane came to the rescue by denying Ramos a shooting opportunity.

Two minutes later, Lazio almost doubled their lead instantly with another gorgeous play. Noslin cut it back to Frattesi, who put Zaccagni through on goal, but Maignan raced off his line to produce an astonishing save and keep Milan in the game. Frattesi then almost scored his fourth of the season as he tried to find the far corner from a difficult angle, but his attempt whistled past the post.

Tijjani Noslin Doubles the Lead

Lazio eventually rounded off a superb first-half display with a well-deserved second goal. Zaccagni, Tavares, and Taylor combined on the left wing, and the latter tried to feed his Dutch compatriot Noslin with a square ball that caused a major goalmouth scramble.

The ball deflected off Estupinan and into the post. De Winter tried to clear it, but his shot hit Noslin, who was brave enough to put his face in the path, and was repaid with his first goal of the campaign.

Diego Moreira Scores Twice in Two Minutes

After the break, the visitors took the initiative following a triple substitution from Amorim, who brought in Christian Pulisic, Yunus Musah, and, more importantly, Diego Moreira. The Rossoneri dominated possession as Lazio retreated into their own areas. Mandas made two solid saves on Pavlovic and Pulisic, but was finally beaten by Moreira.

In the 65th minute, the Belgian wing-back got on the end of a cross from Chukwueze and smashed a volley from a tight angle. The powerful shot went through the Lazio goalkeeper’s legs and into the net. Two minutes later, Moreira completed his brace after receiving a back pass from Rabiot into his stride. The new Milan signing struck the ball first time, expertly placing it in the far corner to restore parity.

Afterwards, the two sides seemed content to share the spoils, with neither relentlessly pushing for a winner, even though Moreira tried to complete a hat-trick from an impossible angle. Omari Hutchinson also tested Mandas with a long-range effort in the final minute of the game, but it was too central to trouble the Greek international.

At the final whistle, Milan were obviously the more satisfied team after cutting a two-goal deficit. On the other hand, Lazio will rue a poor second-half performance that cost them two points, but Gattuso’s men continue to exceed expectations, as they temporarily climb to the top of the Serie A table while awaiting the rest of the weekend’s results.

Lazio 2-2 Milan

Goals: 10′ Cancellieri (L), 39′ Noslin (L), 65′ – 67′ Moreira (M)

LAZIO (4-3-3): Mandas; Floriani Mussolini (83′ Lazzari), Sutalo (83′ Leite), Provstgaard, Nuno Tavares; Frattesi, Belahyane, Taylor (74′ Gudmundsson); Cancellieri (58′ Isaksen), Noslin (58′ Pinamonti), Zaccagni.

MILAN (3-4-2-1): Maignan; Gila, De Winter, Pavlović; Chukwueze, Modrić (45′ Musah), Rabiot, Estupiñan (45′ Moreira); Loftus-Cheek (45′ Pulisic), Cissé (77′ Hutchinson); Ramos (85′ Camarda). 

Referee: Marcenaro (Genoa section); Linesmen: Rossi C. – Di Gioia; 4th Official: Guida; VAR: Meraviglia; AVAR: Aureliano

Yellow cards: 59′ Pulisic (M), 63′ Belahyane (L), 64′ Pavlovic (M), 78′ Zaccagni (L), 86′ Gila (M)