Italian press hail ‘special’ Lazio boss Maurizio Sarri for winning the ‘festival of goals’ against Jose Mourinho’s Roma… with visitors accused of ‘surrender’ amid VAR moans during derby defeat
- Lazio won a Derby della Capitale match 3-2 against local rivals Roma on Sunday
- Former Premier League stars Pedro and Felipe Anderson scored for hosts Lazio
- Manager Maurizio Sarri was hailed by the Italian press for masterminding the win
- Roma boss Jose Mourinho, on the other hand, was left railing against referees
- Despite the ‘festival of goals’, Gazzetta dello Sport called it a Roma ‘surrender’
The Italian press has hailed ‘special’ Lazio manager Maurizio Sarri for masterminding a fine win against local rivals Roma on Sunday.
Lazio triumphed 3-2 in a ‘festival of goals’ in the Derby dello Capitale at the Stadio Olimpico, in part thanks to goals from former Premier League stars Pedro and Felipe Anderson.
Roma, meanwhile, were criticised for their ‘surrender’ as boss Jose Mourinho complained about VAR and referees following their defeat.
The Italian press hailed Lazio manager Maurizio Sarri after he masterminded a Rome derby win
The Eagles beat fierce rivals Roma 3-2 at a packed and partisan Stadio Olimpico on Sunday
Lazio winger Pedro – who moved between the clubs this summer – scored a controversial goal
Lazio’s Sergej Milinkovic-Savic scored a brave header from Anderson’s floated cross, before the most controversial moment of the match.
Roma’s Nicola Zaniolo was nudged in the back by defender Elseid Hysaj, and as they appealed Sarri’s side broke up the other end and scored through winger Pedro, 34, who moved between the rivals this summer after Mourinho froze him out.
Ibanez pulled one back with a header from a corner but Ciro Immobile unselfishly squared for former West Ham midfielder Anderson, who finished calmly, with Jordan Veretout’s penalty making the last 20 minutes interesting.
Roma boss Jose Mourinho complained after the match about the performance of the officials
Both the fouls on Zaniolo before the Pedro goal and for the Veretout penalty, appeared to have minimal contact, but Mourinho insisted the officials were ‘decisive’ and ‘not up to the task’.
Corriere dello Sport referenced the ‘excitement and controversy’, and quoted Sarri as saying: ‘So satisfying, we hope that we’ve found the right path’.
Tuttosport hailed the spectacle as a ‘festival of goals’, while Gazzetta dello Sport praised the former Chelsea and Juventus boss as ‘special’ and ‘eagle-eyed’.
The former Chelsea boss (centre) gave a speech to his players on the pitch following the defeat
Gazzetta dello Sport described Sarri as ‘special’ – his side now lie just one point behind Roma
Lazio are nicknamed ‘the Eagles’ and brought out a large bird to join their celebrations.
Gazzetta also described Roma’s ‘surrender’ against their fierce local rivals and their ‘fury’ at the decisions during the match.
The result leaves Roma in fourth with four wins and two losses from their opening six Serie A matches, with Lazio sixth, just one point behind. Up next in the league, Roma host Empoli and Lazio travel to Bologna, both on Sunday.