Crucial points in the qualifying race
Italian team Lazio managed to qualify for the round of 16 of the Europa League after its strong and convincing victory over Spanish team Real Sociedad with a score of 3-1 in the match that took place between the two teams in the last round of the group stage. This victory granted the Italian team the ticket to qualify for the next rounds amidst collective and individual brilliance.
Match details
Decisive goals
Lazio opened the scoring in the 14th minute through its striker Ciro Immobile, who took advantage of a wonderful cross and scored a distinctive goal with his head.
In the 33rd minute, Lazio added the second goal through Luis Alberto after a wonderful coordinated attack that ended with a powerful shot that settled in the top corner of the goal.
In the 50th minute, Real Sociedad managed to reduce the difference through Alexander Sørloth, who scored a wonderful goal after a perfect pass from the midfield.
But in the 74th minute, Latium concluded the match with a third goal through Felipe Anderson, who took advantage of a rebound and shot it directly into the net.
Lazio's outstanding performance
Strong defensive organization and effective attack
Lazio dominated the match from the start, presenting an outstanding collective performance that was represented by the balance between attack and defense. The defense was strong in closing the spaces in front of Real Sociedad's attackers, while the attacks were counter-attacks, fast and very effective.
Distinguished performance by the midfield and attackers
Luis Alberto and Sergej Milinković-Savić were the most prominent players in the match, as they led the midfield in a wonderful way and played a major role in building attacks and distributing the ball to the flanks.
Real Sociedad's performance
Attempts to comeback but ineffective
Although Real Sociedad managed to reduce the difference in the second half, they failed to create real chances to equalize. The Spanish team suffered from a lack of offensive effectiveness, especially in the moments of pressure that the match witnessed.
Fatal defensive errors
Real Sociedad conceded easy goals due to defensive errors that they were unable to address in a timely manner, which affected their hopes of returning to the match.
Coaches' statements after the match
Lazio coach
Coach Maurizio Sarri said after the match:
"We played a strong match, and the players were very focused. Qualifying for the last 16 is a big step for us, but we need to continue improving our performance."
Real Sociedad coach
For his part, Real Sociedad coach Emanuel Algoiz expressed his disappointment, saying:
"We fought in the second half, but we couldn't stop Lazio's progress. We will work on correcting the defensive errors and prepare for the upcoming matches."
The two teams' position in the group
By winning this match, Lazio secured qualification to the last 16 of the Europa League after raising their score to 12 points. As for Real Sociedad, they remained in third place with 7 points, and were eliminated from the tournament.
Conclusion
Lazio was able to confirm their qualification to the last 16 of the Europa League after a comfortable victory over Real Sociedad, who were unable to continue their revival in the tournament. Thanks to the balanced collective performance, the Italian team has become one of the strong clubs that will continue its journey in the European competition.