Lazio 3-1 Venezia: Lazio survive early scare to see off Venezia

Marco Baroni commenced his tenure as the new manager of Lazio with an impressive 3-1 comeback victory against newly promoted Venezia, marking the fifth win in the last six Serie A opening matches for the Biancocelesti.

It has been seven years since Lazio managed to secure a clean sheet in their first home match of the league season. Given the significant changes the club underwent during the pre-season, it was perhaps not unexpected that this streak was extended after just three minutes of play.

Nicolo Rovella mishandled a throw-in from Venezia, which allowed Magnus Kofod Andersen to seize the opportunity and deliver a stunning strike into the top corner, well out of reach of goalkeeper Ivan Provedel.

One notable change for Lazio this summer was the departure of their key striker, Ciro Immobile. However, Taty Castellanos demonstrated his worth as a replacement by intercepting Michael Svoboda and converting a one-on-one opportunity to equalize just moments later.

Following this, the home side dominated possession, and it was only a matter of time before Castellanos made his mark again. Although he missed a couple of early chances, including a close-range header that went wide, the Argentine earned a penalty when he was fouled by Svoboda while attempting to connect with Tijjani Noslin’s cross.

Mattia Zaccagni confidently converted the penalty, placing the ball into the bottom-right corner. Before the halftime whistle, Lazio threatened once more, but neither Fisayo Dele-Bashiru nor Adam Marusic could breach the defenses of Venezia's goalkeeper, Jesse Joronen.

A response was anticipated from Eusebio Di Francesco’s squad following the halftime interval; however, Lazio maintained their momentum and were unfortunate not to increase their advantage when Castellanos’ attempt was deflected towards the upper corner, only for Joronen to make a remarkable save, tipping the ball onto the crossbar.

Substitute Ridgeciano Haps then squandered a clear opportunity of his own creation for the visitors, a miss that would prove costly as Lazio secured their victory with just 10 minutes left on the clock.

Matteo Guendouzi delivered a perfectly weighted through ball, which Manuel Lazzari slid across the goal, leading to Giorgio Altare’s unfortunate own goal, compounding an already dismal defensive performance from Venezia.

In the final moments, Castellanos struck the post, as the hosts ultimately failed to enhance their scoreline further. Nevertheless, the supporters of Lazio will be optimistic that this strong start can serve as a catalyst for a more successful campaign, aiming for a finish closer to second place in 2022/23 compared to last season’s seventh position.

On the other hand, Venezia should not be disheartened, as their record of seven victories in the last 10 Serie B matches at the end of the previous season suggests they possess the capability to avoid a repeat of their last tenure in the top division.