Lazio came back from 2-0 and 3-2 down, even after Ciro Immobile’s saved penalty and Patric’s disallowed goal, to seal a 3-3 draw with impressive Empoli thanks to Sergej Milinkovic-Savic in stoppages.
These were the only two sides in Serie A without a single COVID-19 case going into the January 6 round, although they did have some over the Christmas break. Ciro Immobile and Sergej Milinkovic-Savic were back in the starting XI, while the Tuscans were fresh from a shock win away to Napoli.
It was a disastrous start for Maurizio Sarri’s men, because Thomas Strakosha ran off his line and clumsily clattered into Federico Di Francesco at the by-line for a penalty, which Nedim Bajrami converted to give Empoli an early lead.
The Lazio defence was all at sea on the second goal moments later, swarming down the right and the first Bajrami attempt charged down before Szymon Zurkowski fired in the rebound.
It was a chaotic start to the match, the hosts getting back into it with Immobile’s glancing header on a Sergej Milinkovic-Savic cross into the far bottom corner.
Francesco Acerbi intercepted an Andrea La Mantia assist that Liam Henderson was waiting to tap in, but the defender had been in doubt with a muscular problem and aggravated it here.
Lazio threatened an equaliser on the counter-attack with the Luis Alberto back-heel flick finding Felipe Anderson, only for his shot to smack against the crossbar.
There was another huge opportunity moments later, Guglielmo Vicario blocking a Milinkovic-Savic header, with the Luiz Felipe looping follow-up cleared off the line by Sebastiano Luperto.
Parisi went off with a hamstring strain, while Pedro’s curler flashed just over the bar. Lazio had two chances in the opening minute of the second half, with Immobile and Pedro not far off target, and the equaliser finally arrived with a Felipe Anderson cross from the right for Milinkovic-Savic’s sweeping volley from 12 yards.
It was almost 3-2 to Lazio just 120 seconds later after a chaotic move that saw Adam Marusic pull-back from the by-line, shots charged down and parried, until Milinkovic-Savic fired over.
Mattia Zaccagni also had penalty appeals, but seemed to just cross paths with Filippo Bandinelli and there was precious little contact.
Empoli restored their lead instead, as Riccardo Marchizza skipped away from Luiz Felipe down the left and pulled back from the by-line for unmarked Federico Di Francesco to tap in.
Lazio thought they’d made it 3-3 moments later with an in-swinging Luis Alberto corner that hit Vicario and was turned in by Patric from point-blank range. However, it was disallowed after VAR showed Patric scored with his wrist.
The entertainment still wasn’t over, as Immobile went down under a Luperto high arm and the referee opted for a soft penalty. Immobile stepped up, but the spot-kick was very central and saved by Vicario.
There were seven minutes of stoppages, during which Zaccagni dinked a cross into the six-yard box from the left for Milinkovic-Savic’s towering header and 3-3.
Lazio weren’t sated and tried to the final whistle for the win, pumping crosses into the box, but ultimately it was a six-goal thriller.
Lazio 3-3 Empoli
Bajrami pen 6 (E), Zurkowski 8 (E), Immobile 14 (L), Milinkovic-Savic 66, 93 (L), Di Francesco 75 (E)
Saved penalty: Immobile 87 (L)