Lazio secured their place in the UEFA Europa League round of 16 with a dominant 3-1 win over 10-man Real Sociedad at the Stadio Olimpico, extending their unbeaten run in the competition.
The Italian side came into the match after a 3-0 victory over Hellas Verona at the weekend, which helped them stay in the top four of Serie A. Lazio got off to a great start, taking the lead after just five minutes through Mario Gila. The goal came from a Lazio free-kick that Sociedad failed to clear, and Gila finished with a powerful first-time strike into the top corner from close range.
Sociedad almost equalised midway through the first half when Luka Sučić controlled the ball well in the box and bent a left-footed shot towards the top corner, but his effort hit the post. Things got worse for Sociedad in the 30th minute when Aihen Muñoz was shown a second yellow card for fouling Gustav Isaksen. Lazio quickly capitalised on their numerical advantage, doubling their lead just two minutes later through Mattia Zaccagni’s low shot. They made it 3-0 shortly after when Valentín Castellanos scored a brilliant header from a Nuno Tavares cross.
Sociedad struggled to get into the game after halftime, with Lazio dominating possession and simply looking to manage the game. However, they still created chances, with Pedro Rodríguez hitting the crossbar from close range with about 15 minutes left.
Sociedad did pull one back late on through Ander Barrenetxea, who headed in from close range, but Lazio held on to win 3-1. This victory took Lazio’s points tally to 19 from a possible 21, strengthening their position at the top of the group. Despite the defeat, Sociedad are almost certain to reach the play-off round, as only a heavy loss to PAOK and a series of other results going against them could eliminate them.
