Three see red as Lazio dump rivals Roma out of Italian Cup
Lazio reached the semifinals of the Italian Cup on Wednesday after coming out on top of a fiery derby with Roma 1-0, a match which finished with three red cards.
Mattia Zaccagni’s penalty five minutes after the break set up a two-legged semifinal clash with either Juventus or Frosinone, who play on Thursday, in April.
The Italian’s spot-kick decided a match which featured plenty of tension but little in the way of goalmouth action.
Rival fans launched flares at each other before and during the match while Roma midfielder Edoardo Bove was hit by an object, reportedly a beer bottle, when substituted for Stephan El Shaarawy in the 76th minute.
On the pitch Matias Vecino forced a save from Rui Patricio shortly before Zaccagni’s decisive spot-kick, which was given for a foul by Dean Huijsen on Valentin Castellanos.
And Vecino twice went close afterwards as Roma struggled to create chances despite having star attackers Paulo Dybala and Romelu Lukaku on the field.
The best Jose Mourinho’s men could muster was Andrea Belotti’s half-volley which was well saved by Christos Mandas, who then did brilliantly to stop Lorenzo Pellegrini poking in on the rebound.
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Lazio forward Pedro and his Roma counterpart Sardar Azmoun were both sent off in stoppage time as tempers flared, while Roma defender Gianluca Mancini was also dismissed for dissent after the final whistle.
Later AC Milan host Atalanta in the second of two quarterfinal clashes on Wednesday, with the winner facing Fiorentina, who beat Bologna on Tuesday.