Lazio win despite early red card to Mauricio

Updated: May 17, 2023, 06:11 am

Lazio overcame a sixth-minute red card to defeat Rosenborg 3-1 in Group G of the Europa League.

The Italians were facing an uphill challenge when Mauricio was dismissed early on, but they converted the few chances that came their way, claiming a 2-0 lead inside 54 minutes through Alessandro Matri and Felipe Anderson.

Alexander Soderlund pulled one back with 21 minutes to go but Antonio Candreva restored the two-goal cushion late on with a followed-up finish after his penalty had been saved.

The visitors' woodwork was struck twice in the opening exchanges, first through a header from their own defender Johan Laedre Bjordal and then Lazio captain Stefano Mauri's rebound, before Mauricio saw red.

He tried to make amends for allowing the ball to slip under his boot and upended Jorgen Skjelvik with a slide challenge as the last man in Lazio's defence.

Alessandro Matri, right, scored Lazio's opening goal on Thursday.
AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia

However, Stefano Pioli's 10 men went ahead through Matri's first-time finish in the 28th-minute after a fine pass from Candreva split three Rosenborg defenders.

The Norwegians hit both of goalkeeper Etrit Berisha's posts before the interval through Skjelvik and Soderlund, yet Matri teed up Anderson to sweep in a second Lazio goal nine minutes into the second period.

Soderlund reduced the deficit by heading in a left-wing cross from the overlapping Skjelvik but any hope of a comeback went away when Yann-Erik de Lanlay got the wrong side of Stefan Radu and tripped him to the ground inside the area.

Although Candreva's spot-kick was saved by Andre Hansen, he pushed it straight back to the Italian international, who placed the rebound into the middle of the goal.

Rosenborg's miserable night was complete when, with the final act of the night, Berisha saved Soderlund's penalty after Abdoulay Konko had fouled substitute Anders Konradsen.