Lazio legend brings up 300
Stefano Mauri had his chance to celebrate a largely successful career with the Biancocelesti on Sunday night after making his 300th appearance for the club, which international legend Miroslav Klose ensured the home side would leave with a win.
The 36-year-old has spent 10 seasons at the Stadio Olimpico with the blue side of Rome, where he fast became an integral part of the starting XI and has remained that way throughout his time with Lazio. Some of the highs Mauri has experienced are successes in the Coppa Italia on two occasions, one as the captain of the club, also helping the club to qualify for the 2007-08 UEFA Champions League.
The lows include a nine-match ban for failing to report match fixing, to which his return was not appreciated by some fans. In his first match back, he captained a win in the Rome Derby to get the fans back onside.
Bologna keep it tight in the first half
Although it is rare for the Rossoblu to experience any success in the top division, a win at the Renato Dall’Ara is not always an easy task for the travelling side. A robust and compact defensive setup is hard to break down mostly due to the efforts from Daniele Gastaldello and Domenico Maietta.
Bologna currently sit healthily in mid-table and this is largely due to the the players mentioned, who have steered the club to a record of 24 matches out of 29 not conceding a goal within the first half, the most in Serie A. This can be viewed in a positive fashion, where the compact formation employed works, or in a negative one, a lack of concentration after the half time break for the second 45 minutes.
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