Venezia-Lazio 0-2 in the fifth round of Serie A

GOALS and KEY MOMENTS

At 60' Venezia-LAZIO 0-2. Noslin doubles the lead, heading into the net from a cross from the left by Nuno Tavares, who combines perfectly with the ever-present Zaccagni!

At 51' Venezia-LAZIO 0-1. Goal by Zaccagni, who cuts inside with his right foot and beats Stankovic.

At 17' Venezia miss a penalty kick. Lazio goalkeeper Mandas saves the shot from Yeboah.

LIVE MATCH REPORT

MATCH PREVIEW

Focus on the pitch, without being distracted by anything or anyone. This is the request Gennaro Gattuso made to his Lazio squad ahead of the match against Venezia which, taking advantage of the big clash between Roma and Inter, could allow the Biancocelesti to head into the international break at the top of the table, albeit not alone. For this reason, the Lazio manager wanted to make clear that, in the away game against Stroppa's side, his players must not "fall into the trap of arrogance — we must not think we've suddenly become great. A month ago everyone was saying we needed to avoid relegation, and against Mantova we put in an embarrassing performance," he also stressed that against Venezia "it will be a tough match against a team that deserved to pick up more points, but we need to build on the second half we put in against Milan. Right now we must not make the mistake of being presumptuous — if we've got to where we are, it's because we've had that edge playing as a team and keeping our heads down."

There is no room, therefore, for thoughts unrelated to the pitch and the team's performance. Not even those linked to the investigation into the alleged scheme against Lotito aimed at forcing the president to sell Lazio — a matter which, Gattuso assures, will have no psychological impact on performances, because "I want us to avoid talking about things that don't concern us. We need to prepare for matches by training, and as long as the wages come in, we need to think about doing our job," the Biancocelesti manager said bluntly.

Against the Venetians, Gattuso will therefore look to resume the winning run interrupted by the draw against Milan, fielding the same starting XI from the last home game at the Olimpico and counting on the backing of the supporters, who will continue to cheer their favourites away from home. On the subject of the fans, Gattuso also wanted to "apologise to those who were in the stadium" during the Milan match because "I didn't thank them." But with the focus firmly on football, the manager also found time to dismiss the latest transfer rumour, linked to the possible arrival of Mauro Icardi. An eventuality that does not exist, Gattuso reiterated, because "no one questions his quality, but we made our choices earlier by signing Pinamonti and Gudmundsson. When you give your word to players, you can't go back on it. I spoke with the president and the sporting director — it's right that we stay as we are," he admitted. A further demonstration of how Gattuso is counting on the group he has built since his arrival at Formello, and from which he now asks not to be distracted before the break — so they can enjoy the pause in a position that, just a month ago, not even the most optimistic Lazio fan would have dared to imagine.

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