Bologna 1-1 Lazio: Aquile Dethrone Coppa Italia Holders on Penalties | OneFootball

Lazio knocked Bologna out of the Coppa Italia quarter-finals by beating them 4-1 in the penalty shootouts following a 1-1 draw at the Renato Dall’Ara.

Lazio Starting Lineup

Maurizio Sarri only made four changes to the lineup that tied with Juventus on Sunday. Alessio Romagnoli regained his place in the team alongside Mario Gila, while Luca Pellegrini returned to the left flank after serving a one-match ban, and Adam Marusic completed the backline.

In midfield, Nicolo Rovella made his first start since September, dropping Danilo Cataldi to the bench. Fisayo Dele-Bashiru also got the nod due to Toma Basic’s knock, while Kenneth Taylor and the attacking trident of Gusav Isaksen, Daniel Maldini, and Pedro all kept their places.

Chances for Nicolo Cambiaghi & Fisayo Dele-Bashiru

Bologna had the bulk of possession early on, and they came extremely close to breaking the deadlock after 15 minutes, but Nicolo Cambiaghi’s attempt was denied by an excellent save from Ivan Provedel. The Italian winger then tried again on the rebound, but his effort crashed against the post.

Lazio’s first real chance of the match came following a series of slick passes in their own area. Luca Pellegrini’s sublime through goal caught Bologna’s high defensive line off guard. Dele-Bashiru was heading straight towards goal, but his first touch was too heavy, and he then went down to the ground too easily after being deranged by Lewis Ferguson.

Santiago Castro Puts Bologna Ahead

After 30 minutes of play, the home side took the lead through a corner kick played by Nikola Moro, who managed to pick up Santiago Castro. The young Argentine striker put himself in front of Mario Gila. While his connection was far from ideal, it was enough to beat Provedel, who couldn’t react in time.

Lazio also tried to respond from a set-piece situation, as Pedro chipped the ball over the defenders. Maldini did well on the volley, but Lukasz Skorupski produced a good stop.

Tijjani Noslin Makes Swift Impact

While the first half ended with a painful injury for Pedro, which prompted the introduction of Tijjani Noslin, the Dutchman turned out be Lazio’s savior, scoring the equalizer a few minutes following his introduction.

Marusic freed Dele-Bashiru with a precise vertical play, and the Nigerian did well to keep his composure this time, sending a square ball to the mouth of the goal, and it was smashed home by Noslin.

The contest then saw limited chances on both ends of the field, as neither side was willing to launch a genuine onslaught. Therefore, the tie had to be decided by penalty shootouts.

Lazio Win 4-1 in Spot-Kicks

Nuno Tavares stepped up for the first penalty, and gave Lazio an early boost. On the contrary, Bologna captain Lewis Ferguson saw his effort comfortably handled by Provedel. Boulaye Dia then successfully converted his attempt, although Skoruspki guessed it right. Afterwards, Thijs Dallinga put the Rossoblu on the board as he slotted it to the middle.

Marusic’s attempt was relatively tame, but Skorupski still couldn’t catch it, despite guessing the direction once more. Riccardo Orsolini further doomed Bologna by missing the target. Finally, Kenneth Taylor sent Skorupski in the opposite direction to put a swift end to the shootouts.

Lazio have thus eliminated the cup holders, setting up a double header with Atalanta in the semi-finals.

Bologna 1-1 Lazio

Goals: 30′ Castro (B), 48′ Noslin (L)

Bologna (4-2-3-1) : Skorupski; Zortea, Vitik, Lucumì (80′ Helland), Miranda; Moro (61′ Freuler), Ferguson; Orsolini, Odgaard (70′ Sohm), Cambiaghi (70′ Bernardeschi); Castro (80′ Dallinga).

LAZIO (4-3-3) : Provedel; Marusic, Gila, Romagnoli, Pellegrini (Tavares, 79′); Dele-Bashiru, Rovella (Cataldi, 61′), Taylor; Isaksen (Cancellieri, 79′), Maldini (Dia, 61′), Pedro (Noslin, 45′).

Referee: Daniele Chiffi (Padua section); Linesmen: M. Rossi – Ceccon; Fourth official: Piccinini; VAR: Paterna; AVAR: Paganessi

Yellow cards: 9′ Gila (L), 47′ Castro (B), 74′ Miranda (B), 86′ Tavares (L), 91′ Vitik (B).