After a historic night in the Champions League, Lazio has to swiftly turn its attention to domestic matters to ensure it qualifies for next season’s competition.
Lazio hosts Bologna on Sunday in a direct fight for fourth place in Serie A.
Bologna — one of the Italian league’s surprises this season — is level on points with fourth-placed Atalanta after beating another rival in Fiorentina on Wednesday.
Lazio is five points further back but, along with Atalanta, it has played a match less.
And Lazio will be brimming with confidence after the shock 1-0 win over Champions League juggernaut Bayern Munich on Wednesday in the first leg of the round of 16.
That was only Lazio’s second ever victory in the Champions League knockout phase.
“The most important (thing) is to play together, to fight together and to be together,” Lazio midfielder Mattéo Guendouzi said after the match. “If we play like we play tonight we can win a lot of games and we can be better in the league.
“We can achieve good things.”
Guendouzi was named the player of the match. He won nearly all of his tackles, and his passes had a pinpoint accuracy. The France international showed why he has become an indispensable part of Maurizio Sarri’s team.
Lazio was runner-up to Napoli last season in Serie A but had a disappointing start to this campaign before appearing to have turned things around. However, a run of five straight wins — including victory over city rival Roma in the Italian Cup — was halted by a trip to Saudi Arabia for the Italian Super Cup, a tournament that Sarri was particularly scathing about.
Lazio suffered a hefty 3-0 loss to Inter Milan in Riyadh, and on its return was held to a draw at home by Napoli and then lost at Atalanta 3-1 before getting back to winning ways last weekend at relegation-threatened Cagliari.
“We won two games so now we are very happy,” Guendouzi added. “But we need to improve and we need to play like we played tonight if we want to win against Bologna, because Bologna is a very good team and we know this will be a difficult game again.
“But if we fight like we fight together tonight we can win the game for sure.”
However, Sarri doubted they can replicate that effort in Serie A.
“No team has this ability,” Sarri said. “The teams that manage it do so because of their technical abilities, not mental.
“This Lazio would have another position in the league if that was the case, that’s without a doubt, but it comes with the package.”
Ciro Immobile converted a penalty on Wednesday after Bayern defender Dayot Upamecano was sent off, and Sarri admitted to “regrets” that Lazio didn’t manage to make more of its other chances.
Bayern didn’t have a single shot on target and Lazio goalkeeper Ivan Provedel was never really tested. His counterpart Manuel Neuer had to make a couple of saves.
Lazio takes just a one-goal advantage into the second leg in Munich on March 5.
Sarri added: “We’ll enjoy this victory but in the knowledge that there we’re going into the inferno.”
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AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/Soccer
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