Keita Balde Diao got the only goal as Lazio beat Bayer Leverkusen in the Champions League play-off, but there are two new injuries.
See how all the action unfolded on our LIVEBLOG.
Keita Balde Diao got the only goal as Lazio beat Bayer Leverkusen in the Champions League play-off, but there are two new injuries.
See how all the action unfolded on our LIVEBLOG.
The second leg of the Champions League play-off is in Germany on August 26, the losing side going into the Europa League instead. Stefano Pioli missed Federico Marchetti, Filip Djordjevic, Edson Braafheid and the suspended Stefan Radu, but Stefan de Vrij recovered from a fever in time to start. Bayer Leverkusen won both official games this season with Stefan Kiessling on target. The Aquile lost five consecutive summer matches, including the 2-0 Italian Super Cup to Juventus in Shanghai.
An early Miroslav Klose strike was deflected over, but the hosts didn’t make the 15 minutes of domination count. Karim Bellarabi turned Dusan Basta inside out only to fire off target from a tight angle, while Etrit Berisha was almost caught out by a long ball for Son Heung-Min.
Both sides rattled the woodwork in the space of 60 seconds at the 26th minute. First a Lars Bender rocket from 20 metres smacked against the upright, then Felipe Anderson threaded through for Klose to hit the outside of the post as he slid in and ran out of room.
Wendell went into the book for an extremely late tackle on Ogenyi ‘Eddy’ Onazi, but risked a second yellow card before the break for blocking off Felipe Anderson.
Hakan Calhanoglu tried to surprise Berisha from the centre-circle, but his lob sailed just wide. Klose sustained a muscular problem and made way for Keita Balde Diao, as Lazio had no more centre-forwards.
Keita made an immediate impact, his shot blocked and penalty appeals waved away for the following Jonathan Tah challenge. Mauricio only got a yellow card for a ludicrously high tackle on Bellarabi.
Sergej Milinkovic-Savic made his debut, but Lazio got away with a Felipe Anderson error when three Leverkusen players left the ball rather than go for goal.
Berisha got his fists to a fierce Calhanoglu free kick under the bar, while Keita again failed to make the most of a Kyriakos Papadopoulos error by blasting over.
Admir Mehmedi drilled wide and Berisha got his fingertips to a Calhanoglu free kick. Calhanoglu thought he had scored on 70 minutes from a Bellarabi pull-back, but it was disallowed because Kiessling was offside and behind the goalkeeper when the ball struck him.
Moments later Lazio wasted an incredible opportunity, as Felipe Anderson pulled back for Keita, but the finish from seven yards was denied by a combination of Wendell and Bernd Leno.
Cristoph Kramer was sent clear through the middle, but his first touch was disastrous to let Lazio off the hook.
The deadlock was finally broken by Keita, whose position at the club is in serious doubt this season. He gathered from a Papadopoulos error in the centre-circle and turned on the turbo to fly past Tah, his angled drive going in off the inside of the far post.
Keita was wreaking havoc and Papadopoulos risked a straight red for hauling down the Spaniard when clear on goal.
Stefan de Vrij was stretchered off with a neck brace after a nasty clash of heads with Kiessling. It could’ve been 2-0 in stoppages, but Felipe Anderson fired straight at Leno.
Lazio 1-0 Bayer Leverkusen
Scorers: Keita 77 (L)
Lazio: Berisha; Basta, De Vrij (Gentiletti 89), Mauricio, Lulic; Onazi (Milinkovic-Savic 53), Biglia, Parolo; Candreva, Klose (Keita 46), Felipe Anderson
Bayer Leverkusen: Leno; Hilbert, Papadopoulos, Tah, Wendell; Kramer, Bender; Bellarabi, Çalhanoğlu (Brandt 84), Son (Mehmedi 46); Kiessling (Kruse 93)
Ref: Eriksson (SWE)