On his return to the Stadio Olimpico, a Hernanes brace accounted for a defiant nine man Lazio in a crucial game for both sides European aspirations.
Lazio started the better of the two sides, displaying their attacking intent early with Antonio Candreva on the end of a Felipe Anderson cut back to open the scoring in the eighth minute. The game turned on its head in the 23rd minute with Mauricio shown his marching orders for bringing down Palacio just outside the box. Former Lazio midfielder Hernanes curled the resulting free kick into the net to level the scores.
Miroslav Klose wasted a chance to return Lazio’s lead in a one on one soon after the interval and shortly after, Federico Marchetti was sent off for bringing down Mauro Icardi in the penalty area. Etrit Berisha came on to save Icardi’s penalty low to his left but Lazio were unable to hold on to the draw with nine men, Hernanes completing his brace with a clinical finish and leaving Lazio with only one win in their last five games and placing Inter back in Europa League contention.
Lazio
Federico Marchetti – 5: Made some solid saves in the first-half but his positioning was out for the Hernanes free-kick. He received a red card in the 61st minute after a clumsy lunge brought down an advancing Icardi in the penalty area.
Stefan Radu – 5: Rarely got forward from full back early in the game but after the Mauricio red card was switched to centre-back. He struggled to contain Palacio for much of the game.
Michael Ciani – 6.5: Withstood a number of Inter attacking waves and for the most part held Icardi well. Kept the defence organised despite the dismissal of Mauricio.
Mauricio – 3: Was troubled by Palacio early and was sent off for bringing him down outside the box in the 23rd minute.
Dusan Basta – 6.5: A sound performance from Basta winning multiple balls early and aiding in attacks down the right flank. He managed to keep Kovacic quiet for most of the game.
Marco Parolo – 5.5: Struggled to keep possession in midfield and with the closing down of Hernanes but helped the defence to make some crucial blocks in the penalty area and was unlucky not to score in the first-half.
Lucas Biglia – 7: The Argentine, when not winning balls screening the Lazio defence, he was cleverly distributing the ball in the forward-half. Had a very solid game in midfield and maintained a high work rate for the full game.
Felipe Anderson – 6: He was energetic early, troubling Inter’s fullbacks. Provided the cut back for Candreva’s early goal and showed his creativity intermittently for the rest of the game.
Stefano Mauri – 3: Was withdrawn after 23 minutes following the Mauricio red card for tactical reasons.
Antonio Candreva – 7: Tested Handanovic early and was on hand to score the opening goal. Involved in most of Lazio’s attacking moves, his tireless running and high work rate kept the opposition defence on their toes for most of the game.
Miroslav Klose – 5: Struggled with being marked once Lazio were down to ten men. Squandered some solid chances to score, could have put Lazio ahead after the interval with a one on one chance. He was withdrawn for tactical reasons after the second red card.
Substitutes
Edson Braafheid – 4.5: Was brought on after the Mauricio red card in the 28th minute and was pinned back in his own half for most of the game.
Etrit Berisha – 6.5: Saved a penalty in his first involvement of the game after the Marchetti red card. Looked confident under immense Inter pressure and made a classy save from Brozovic in injury time.
Balde Keita – 4: Was brought on for a tired Candreva in the 77th minute and failed to provide any energy going forward.
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Inter Milan
Samir Handanovic – 7.5: A superb game in goals, making some crucial saves whenever Inter were under pressure. His one on one save with Klose early in the second half was result defining.
Juan Jesus – 5.5: Struggled to contain Candreva and Anderson and only found himself getting forward once Lazio were down to nine men.
Nemanja Vidic – 7: Klose caused him some problems early in both halves but for the most part contained him well.
Andrea Ranocchia – 7: Made a great diving header save off the line to prevent Lazio going 2-0 up. He was rarely troubled after Lazio went down to ten men.
Danilo D’Ambrosio – 5: Another who found the run of Candreva and Anderson difficult to stop, not the best performance by the fullback
Mateo Kovacic – 6: Largely quiet for most of the game he did provide the through ball for Hernanes winning goal.
Gary Medel – 6.5: Dominated possession in the midfield and was the link man between defence and attack but created very little in terms of attacking chances despite the space and time he was afforded.
Fredy Guarin – 6: Had a solid first-half providing some width and attacking impetus. Brought out a good save from Marchetti from a well-executed free kick but was injured in the process and substituted at half time.
Hernanes – 8.5: A man of the match performance with a brace from Hernanes, who despite some quiet periods, stepped up when it counted. He scored a sublime free kick in the first-half before slotting home the winner with precision late in the second.
Mauro Icardi – 5.5: Wasted chances inside the box on at least two occasions, his poorly executed penalty was easily saved by Berisha capping off an ordinary night in front of goal.
Rodrigo Palacio – 7.5: Worked hard to trouble the Lazio defence on a number of occasions, he held the ball up well and won the free kick that resulted in the first goal. He was a menace for the Lazio defence all night.
Substitutes
Lukas Podolski – 4: Came on for an injured Guarin at half time and despite the numerical advantage found little space and struggled with both his shooting and passing.
Yuto Nagatomo – 5: Was brought on in the 65th minute for D’Ambrosio and provided Inter with the attacking thrust they needed out of their defence.
Marcelo Brozovic – N/A: Was brought on for Palacios in the 91st minute.
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