Final score

6 January 2014 18:30

Lazio
36' (2nd half) Klose
1 - 0
Inter
Referee: Antonio Damato / Linesmen: Costanzo, Vuoto / Fourth official: Musolino / Assistants: Celi, Gervasoni
Watch highlights
Minute Text commentary
47' There is the half-time whistle. Still goalless here at the break: Lazio 0-0 Inter
47' Guarin picks out Jonathan nicely but the Brazilian overhits his pass for Palacio
45' Two minutes of added time
42' Alvarez's shot is charged down by the Biancocelesti rearguard
41' Nerves are flying now to the detriment of the spectacle. Inter try to start moving the ball around again in midfield
39' Damato's book is quickly filling up as Alvarez's name goes in for a foul on Gonzalez
36' Radu takes exception to Guarin's challenge and pushes the Colombian over, earning himself a caution
36' Guarin goes into the book for a foul on Lulic
35' Candreva's effort from the edge of the box is parried by Handanovic
35' Lazio are probing now, looking to channel their play down the flanks, but the Nerazzurri backline is holding strong
31' Another foul by Dias, again on Guarin. A nasty mistimed challenge that could have seen him awarded a second yellow
30' Inter keeping possession well in midfield and being fouled a lot: Lazio are playing a physical game
25' Handanovic is off his line in a flash to deny Klose a shot on goal
22' Alvarez takes the free kick and curls it just over
22' Guarin is bearing down on goal when Dias halts his run. Only a yellow though because Cavanda was tracking back
21' Juan Jesus is caught in possession in midfield and Candreva scoots away towards goal, but the Brazilian recovers brilliantly and wins it back
20' Decent ball in for Palacio, Cavanda puts the cross behind for a corner
20' The pace of the game is pretty slow at the moment. Inter are circulating the ball and Lazio are playing the waiting game
16' Lazio get the ball into the danger area but Rolando shows quick reactions to beat Klose to it and clear
15' Reja makes an enforced change: Cavanda comes on in place of Konko
13' Play is halted as Konko is down on the ground. He's conscious but needs to be stretchered off
10' Chance for the hosts: Jonathan gets his timing wrong and Handanovic is forced to dart off his line, Lulic flicks a lob over the keeper and out
9' Inter pass the ball around the Lazio area nicely before Juan Jesus tries his luck from range: too high
6' Nerazzurri with a spell of sustained possession in the Lazio half: it's a battle for every ball out there
4' Both sides are putting out feelers in this opening stage of the match, with much of the play taking place in the middle of the park
1' Welcome to the Stadio Olimpico for live commentary of tonight's 2013/14 Serie A Week 18 clash between Lazio and Inter
1' The hosts get us under way here at the Olimpico. Forza Inter!!!
1' Jonathan, Alvarez, Cambiasso, Kuzmanovic and Nagatomo make up the five-man midfield with Guarin slotting in the hole behind Palacio
1' Walter Mazzarri has gone with a back three of Ranocchia, Rolando and Juan Jesus in front of Handanovic's goal
Minute Text commentary
48' It's all over: Lazio 1-0 Inter the final score
48' A magnificent last-ditch tackle by Juan Jesus denies Klose his second
47' Inter keep pushing but Lazio hold firm
45' Two corners in quick succession for Inter but Lazio clear their lines both times. Kovacic then shoots wide
44' We'll have three minutes of stoppage time
43' Lazio substitution: Candreva off, Ederson on
42' Ledesma is cautioned
41' Hernanes' shot is deflected behind for a corner
38' Last change for Inter, as Zanetti comes on for Ranocchia
36' Goal for Lazio: a stunning finish from Klose, volleying Candreva's cross past Handanovic on the turn. 1-0 Lazio
33' Inter are harrying well and forcing Lazio into making errors
30' El Principe makes his second comeback of the season, Guarin the man to make way. A roar goes up from the travelling fans
26' Candreva whips a ball in towards the far post looking for Klose, the German can't quite get his head on the end of it
22' Juan Jesus completes another amazing recovery on Candreva, beating the Lazio man for pace
17' Another change for Lazio: Onazi replaces Gonzalez
16' Close for Inter! Nagatomo's delivery is met by Alvarez's stooping header but Berisha is well placed to turn it over the bar
15' Mazzarri's first substitution sees Kovacic brought on in place of Kuzmanovic
14' Inter have set up their stall in Lazio's half now but haven't been able to penetrate as of yet
13' Guarin's long-range effort sails over
11' Guarin slides a splendid ball into the path of Palacio, who controls well only to see it hacked away from him as he prepares to shoot
10' Jonathan and Ranocchia both attempt shots in rapid succession: the first is blocked, the second over
8' Smart move by Guarin there: he drives through the middle and lays off for Kuzmanovic, who's crowded out by Lazio defenders
5' Inter are edging their way deeper into Biancocelesti territory
1' The Nerazzurri get us going again
1' The two sides are taking a while to settle into their stride in this second period
Zanetti
4.51
4.51
Cambiasso
4.57
4.57
Milito
4.57
4.57
Ranocchia
2.77
2.77
Nagatomo
4.2
4.2
Alvarez
3.48
3.48
Jonathan
3.86
3.86
Jesus
5.48
5.48
Guarin
4.22
4.22
Palacio
4.66
4.66
Handanovic
4.59
4.59
Kuzmanovic
3.43
3.43
Kovacic
4.32
4.32
Rolando
5.35
5.35
Average rating 4.29
3 shots on target 1
5 shots off target 9
11 fouls committed 16
6 corners 4
4 offsides 2
44% ball possession 56%
One win in eight for Lazio

Lazio have managed just one win in their last eight matches: a 2-0 home success against Livorno on 15 December; their other results in that period have been three draws and four defeats.

Palacio the man

Rodrigo Palacio is one of the two most decisive players in Serie A 2013/14 as his goals have earned the Nerazzurri 13 points (Juventus' Vidal is the other with the same record). Palacio has scored the key goals in Inter's away wins at Catania and Udinese (both 0-3), Sassuolo (0-7), the home victory over AC Milan (1-0) and the 3-3 draw at Torino.

Inter's firepower at the back

Inter are the Serie A side with the most goals from defenders this term. Eight have been provided by the Nerazzurri rearguard: Nagatomo (4), Jonathan (2), Ranocchia and Rolando.

Nerazzurri on 11-game scoring streak

Walter Mazzarri's men have found the net in each of their last 11 competitive fixtures, racking up 24 goals in all. They haven't drawn a blank since 5 October (Inter 0-3 Roma).

DA IMPLEMENTARE
wins(23) draws(29) defeats(30)

ROME - The new year started on the wrong foot for Inter as they slipped to defeat at the hands of Lazio in the Stadio Olimpico tonight. Klose struck gold for the hosts with a splendidly taken volley in the 81st minute.

Walter Mazzarri started with his favoured three-man system defensive system, Ranocchia, Rolando and Juan Jesus lining up in front of Handanovic, and five across the middle: Jonathan, Alvarez, Cambiasso, Kuzmanovic and Nagatomo. Palacio led the line once again with Guarin in support.

After a slow start, the first decent chance fell to Lazio in the 11th minute: Jonathan and Ranocchia struggled to clear their lines and Handanovic had to rush out to disturb Lulic, the wideman's lob fortunately dropping wide of the far post.

Guarin was then brought down by Dias as he charged towards goal but the Lazio man was only shown a yellow. Alvarez curled the resulting free kick just over.

Handanovic reacted smartly once again to deny Klose with a low stop on 25 minutes, before Dias was let off for a nasty foul on Guarin when a second yellow might well have been given.

Candreva's effort from the edge of the box was parried by Handanovic before time was called on the first 45 minutes.

Ten minutes after the restart, Palacio was agonisingly close to pulling the trigger in front of Berisha following a delightful through ball from Guarin but Biava  performed a perfectly timed interception to clear the danger.

Inter finally took a grip on the game at this stage - aggressive in attack and alert at the back - while Juan Jesus made up for earlier errors with some fantastic defensive work.

Milito came on to a roar from the travelling Nerazzurri faithful but it was another veteran striker who settled the encounter. Klose slipped away from Ranocchia and latched onto Candreva's delivery to hit a magnificent volley on the spin past Handanovic's despairing dive.

With Inter piling forward seeking an equaliser, the German frontman almost made it 2-0 in the dying seconds, but Juan Jesus slid in with a last-ditch tackle.

Lazio 1-0 Inter (HT: 0-0)
Scorer: Klose 81.

Lazio: 1 Berisha; 3 Dias, 8 Hernanes, 11 Klose, 15 Gonzalez (Onazi 62), 19 Lulic, 20 Biava, 24 Ledesma, 26 Radu, 29 Konko (Cavanda 15), 87 Candreva (Ederson 88).
Subs not used: 55 Guerrieri, 95 Strakosha, 2 Ciani, 5 Biglia, 7 Felipe Anderson, 14 Keita, 27 Cana, 85 Novaretti, 99 Floccari.
Coach: Edy Reja.

Inter: 1 Handanovic; 23 Ranocchia (Zanetti 83), 35 Rolando, 5 Juan Jesus; 2 Jonathan, 11 Alvarez, 19 Cambiasso, 17 Kuzmanovic (Kovacic 60), 55 Nagatomo; 13 Guarin (Milito 75); 8 Palacio.
Subs not used: 30 Carrizo, 12 Castellazzi, 6 Andreolli, 7 Belfodil, 9 Icardi, 16 Mudingayi, 18 Wallace, 25 Samuel, 31 Pereira.
Coach: Walter Mazzarri.

Referee: Damato
.
Booked: Dias 21, Guarin 36, Radu 36, Alvarez 39, Ledesma 87.
Added time: 2+3 minutes.




starting lineups

Berisha 1 1 Handanovic
Dias 3 23 Ranocchia
Hernanes 8 35 Rolando
Klose 11 5 Jesus
Gonzalez 15 2 Jonathan
Lulic 19 11 Alvarez
Biava 20 19 Cambiasso
Ledesma 24 17 Kuzmanovic
Radu 26 55 Nagatomo
Konko 29 13 Guarin
Candreva 87 8 Palacio

substitutes

Guerrieri 55 30 Carrizo
Strakosha 95 12 Castellazzi
Ciani 2 4 Zanetti
Biglia 5 6 Andreolli
Felipe Anderson 7 7 Belfodil
Ederson 10 9 Icardi
Keita 14 10 Kovacic
Onazi 23 16 Mudingayi
Cana 27 18 Wallace
Cavanda 39 22 Milito
Novaretti 85 25 Samuel
Floccari 99 31 Pereira