Lazio has a good laugh. © ANSA / Koen van Weel

Lazio beats Ajax and stays on course

The Italian clubs Lazio and AS Roma each achieved convincing victories in the Europa League.

12 December 2024

From: do

Lazio sent out another strong signal in the Europa League on Thursday evening with a 3-1 away win against Ajax Amsterdam. With this victory, the Romans secured the top spot in the table for the time being and will most likely go into the knockout phase in an excellent position. Their toughest competitor in the battle for the top spot remains Athletic Bilbao, who also have 2 points after a 0-16 win against Fenerbahçe Istanbul on Wednesday.

The match started perfectly for Lazio: In the 12th minute, Pedro played a precise pass deep to Loum Tchaouna, who scored the early lead with a well-considered low shot. After an even first half, Ajax came back shortly after the restart. Bertrand Traoré equalized in the 47th minute with a spectacular long-range shot into the top left corner.

Loum Tchaouna scored the 1-0 for Lazio. © APA/afp / JOHN THYS

The Biancocelesti, however, did not let this get them down and struck back just five minutes later. Mattia Zaccagni scored after a beautiful pass from Fisayo Dele-Bashiru, who confidently put the ball into the right corner. Pedro again put the finishing touches on the game in the 77th minute, scoring from distance to make it 3-1 after a pass from Tchaouna.

Roma's liberation

Their city neighbours AS Roma also celebrated a convincing 3-0 victory against Sporting Braga. After a season of mixed performances in the league and Europa League, the Giallorossi proved their effectiveness and plan on the international stage and put in a strong performance. With nine points from six games, the capital city team has one foot in the knockout round.

Saud Abdulhamid scored the goal to make it 2-0. © ANSA / ETTORE FERRARI

Claudio Ranieri's men took control from the start and took the lead in the 10th minute through captain Lorenzo Pellegrini, who confidently converted a pass from Zalewski. Shortly after the break, Abdulhamid increased the lead to 2-0. Braga then weakened itself when goalkeeper Matheus was shown the red card in the 74th minute for handball outside the penalty area. Mario Hermoso rounded off the game in injury time, firing home a rebound from a corner.

The results

AS Roma – Sporting Braga 3:0
Ludogorets Razgrad – AZ Alkmaar 2:2
Malmo FF – Galatasaray Istanbul 2-2
Olympiacos Piraeus – Twente Enschede 0-0
PAOK – Ferencvaros Budapest 5:2
TSG Hoffenheim – FCSB Bucharest 0-0
Union Saint-Gilloise – OGC Nice 2-1
Viktoria Plzen – Manchester United 2-2
Ajax Amsterdam – Lazio Rome 1:3
FC Porto – FC Midtjylland 3-0
FK Bodø/Glimt – Besiktas Istanbul 2:1
Glasgow Rangers 1-1 Tottenham Hotspur
IF Elfsborg – Qarabag Agdam 1:1
Maccabi Tel Aviv – Rigas FS 2:1
Olympique Lyon – Eintracht Frankfurt 3:3
Real Sociedad – Dynamo Kyiv 3-0
Slavia Prague – RSC Anderlecht 2:2