Lazio eliminate 2015 finalists Dnipro
Thursday, November 26, 2015
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Lazio 3-1 Dnipro
Last season's finalists are resigned to an early exit, with victory for the Biancocelesti confirming their place in the last 32 as Group G winners.
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- Lazio through as Group G winners; Dnipro resigned to early exit
- Antonio Candreva fires in opener from Lazio's first attack
- Bruno Gama levels with tidy first-time shot
- Deflected Marco Parolo strike restores home side's advantage
- Final Group G games: Dnipro v Rosenborg, St-Étienne v Lazio (10 December)
Last season's finalists Dnipro can no longer make it through to the UEFA Europa League knockout phase, with Lazio's success in Rome taking them to the round of 32 as Group G winners.
Needing a victory to be sure of having something to play for on matchday six, Dnipro made a positive start, Danilo flashing a shot wide from the edge of the box, but Lazio promptly scored with their first attack. Antonio Candreva slid the ball past Denys Boyko from a tight angle after darting through to receive Marco Parolo splendidly weighted pass.
Last term's finalists did not allow their heads to drop – Matheus, for one, letting fly – but the home team always looked like they could step up a gear when required. Miroslav Klose missed the target from the edge of the area and Santiago Gentiletti would have scored from a header had it not cannoned into a team-mate, enabling Boyko to claim.
There was hope for Dnipro when Bruno Gama equalised on 65 minutes, striding into the box to drive a first-time effort past Etrit Berisha after Léo Matos's pass came back off a defender, yet a deflection at the other end swiftly reversed their fortunes. Parolo's angled strike took a significant detour off a Dnipro man to squirm inside Boyko's left-hand post.
Yevhen Seleznyov looked genuinely distraught as his attempt narrowly missed with four minutes to go, but St-Étienne's draw at Rosenborg meant Dnipro would have required more than an equaliser to stay afloat. Lazio substitute Filip Djordjević scored on the turn in added time to hammer in the final nail.
