It was the perfect start to the second phase of the top flight of Italian women’s football for Lazio against Sampdoria this weekend, as three first-half goals saw the club take the top spot in the group of the ‘relegation round’.
Going into the game, there was a staggering 12 point gap between the two sides but the league has thrown up some surprising results so far this season, no winner was guaranteed.
For more on the second half of the Serie A Femminile season, click here
Within ten minutes, Lazio had broken the deadlock after a combination of a dominant start and a poorly organised Sampdorian team. It began with a lovely ball from Zanoli on the left wing which found the feet of Clarisse Le Bihan. The midfielder then drove forward and crossed the ball from the edge of the 6 yard box and it was Simonetti who was then able to beat her defender and nod the curling ball downwards over the line for 1-0.
Five minutes later and Sampdoria were again the creators of their own downfall as Larsen’s goal-kick was immediately intercepted and Lazio were on the attack again.
For the second time this afternoon it was Le Bihan who provided the assist as she flicked the ball over the top of the visiting defence for in-form striker, Martina Piemonte, to double the home side’s lead.
The forward out-paced the three Sampdorian defenders and let loose her right-footed shot. Larsen did incredibly well to block the initial strike but unfortunately the rebound fell back onto the feet of Piemonte who was able to convert the second attempt for 2-0.
Photo Credit: Solo La Lazio
As the match wore on, Lazio didn’t show any signs of stopping as the first goalscorer, Simonetti, almost made it 3-0 just after the twenty minute mark. The home side continued to look incredibly dangerous every time they held possession, forcing Sampdoria’s keeper, Larsen, to pull off some spectacular saves to keep the scoreline so low (and continued to do so for the rest of the game).
Although Simonetti’s goal didn’t cross the line, it was Martina Piemonte who was able to find a way through to officially make it 3-0; leaving a mountain to climb for the visitors.
Yet again, it was a poor clearance from the Sampdorian defence in the box which allowed the ball to land at Piemonte’s feet. The striker then took a touch and fired the ball into the bottom left corner. Larsen will feel aggrieved by this one, however, as she got a hand to it but there was too much power to stop the former Everton striker getting her brace.
However, after a well-placed goal-kick it was time for Sampdoria to have their first real chance of the game not too long after the second goal. Although the attack soon fizzled out as they reached the 18 yard box. Winning back possession, the ball landed at the feet of Piemonte as she drove forward to make something of the counter-attack but this time Larsen was wise to it and managed to deflect the shot with her right boot.
Just before the thirty minute mark, Giada Cimò registered Sampdoria’s first shot on target which Lazio keeper, Centinja, was alert to and saved it comfortably even though it was the first time she’d been called to action in this half.
It was clear Lazio weren’t finished with their goal tally, however, as Zanoli’s looping shot from distance should have made it 4-0 but the effort hit the woodwork! The visitors’ lax defence making it far too easy for the home side to get through on goal.
Just before half-time, Lazio could have been even further in front as a remarkable three chances were deflected in an incredibly messy goal-mouth scramble as Sampdoria struggled to clear their box once again. Luckily, the ball was eventually kicked out of play for the scoreline to remain at 3-0 at half-time after an incredibly dominant opening display for Lazio.
As the whistle blew for the second half, it was clear this was a re-energised Sampdorian team who weren’t going to make this half easy for Lazio to add to their goal tally.
Although the visitors still didn’t register too many chances on goal, they were certainly much tighter defensively and were able to frustrate and limit the home side’s chances.
This better control reflected in Lazio’s best chance of the half came just after the 60th minute when after taking a knock to the knee, Piemonte tried her luck but unfortunately the flag was raised for offside and she was denied her hat-trick for the afternoon.
Around the 75th minute, Oliviero was the latest Lazio player to try and test Larsen’s reflexes but the shot ultimately came to nothing.
Both teams started to visibly wind down in the dying minutes of the game but Lazio were able to have one more attempt at goal from substitute Martinovic, as she aimed a curling ball into the top right hand corner. Larsen, who deserves a lot of praise for her performance in this match, was able to get her fingertips to the ball, tipping it away just enough to keep the scoreline at 3-0 as the final whistle blew.
It was a very confident first half for Lazio who were able to comfortably secure the win, however, if Sampdoria can continue their second phase of the season like they played in the second half of this match, they might be able to frustrate teams enough to gain some points to hopefully get them out of the relegation zone as they sit a mere 2 points behind Napoli in the table.
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