Lazio’s statement hitting back at Jose Mourinho today was a sign of the bitter race between them and Roma for 5th in the Serie A table.
The latest controversy initially stems from Lazio’s 4-3 win over Spezia on Saturday; the Biancocelesti’s last minute winner was scored by Francesco Acerbi, who appeared to be standing in an offside position. This was not noticed, and the goal stood, securing the three points for Lazio.
Jose Mourinho alluded to this goal in his post-match press conference yesterday. He was already annoyed following the 0-0 draw with Bologna, and had this to say: “Another thing that never changes is that 22 years ago, you could win a match with a goal that is offside and you can still do it today. Yesterday, a team won a match with a goal that was offside.”
Lazio’s statement today responded to Mourinho’s comments, essentially telling Roma to focus on their own problems and highlighting how they never complain when decisions go against them. They used Sandro Tonali’s foul on Francesco Acerbi in Lazio vs. Milan or Roger Ibanez’s elbow on Sergej Milinkovic-Savic in the return leg derby as examples of this.
Roma’s failure to beat Bologna means that Lazio have now leapfrogged in the Serie A table, and sit 5th. The two teams are tied on points and now they’ll both have to fight as hard as possible in the remaining four games as they look to secure the Europa League qualification spot.