Lazio defeated Juventus 2-1 in a tight Serie A battle for Champions League qualifying places on Saturday.
Mattia Zaccagni scored what turned out to be the winner early in the second half after Adrien Rabiot canceled out Sergej Milinković-Savić’s controversial opener.
The victory moved Lazio five points clear of third-placed Roma, which won 1-0 at Torino, while they are six points ahead of AC Milan and seven ahead of fifth-placed Inter Milan, who both dropped points on Friday.
Despite the point deduction, Juventus closed in on the top four with a run of seven wins in eight matches. However, Juventus remains in seventh place, eight points below Milan.
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Lazio broke their deadlock in the 38th minute when Milinković-Savić chested down a pass from Zaccagni and fired into the back of the net. Juventus protested, claiming that Milinković-Savić had one hand on Alex Sandro’s back, causing him to fall.
The referee consulted the VAR and allowed the goal, much to the dismay of Juventus.
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Juventus quickly equalized four minutes later, taking advantage of a corner floated into the box that was parried away by Lazio’s goalkeeper, Ivan Provedel.
Rabiot scored on the rebound after Provedel saved the first two attempts. Lazio regained their lead in the second half with a beautiful team goal.
Luis Alberto flicked on Felipe Anderson’s cross with a backheel, and Zaccagni finished it off by sweeping the ball into the bottom right corner of the net.
The victory gives Lazio an excellent chance of finishing in the top four, while Juventus will need to keep winning and hope for other results to go their way if they want to secure a spot in the Champions League next season.