Lazio Secures Champions League Position Following Hard-Fought Victory Against Empoli

SS Lazio maintained their impressive record against struggling Serie A side Empoli, extending their unbeaten streak in head-to-head clashes to 13 matches following a hard-fought 1-0 win at Stadio Carlo Castellani. This victory keeps their hopes of securing a spot in next season’s UEFA Champions League very much alive.

With Empoli’s situation becoming increasingly dire as the season approaches its conclusion, the Azzurri Empolesi were desperate to secure a win to safeguard their top-flight status.

However, the home team faced an uphill battle, having not tasted victory in any of their last 12 encounters with Lazio, who were driven by their own ambitions of clinching a top-four finish.

The visitors couldn’t have asked for a better start, taking the lead within the first minute. A chipped ball from Elseid Hysaj eluded the Empoli defence and found Boulaye Dia, who skillfully controlled it before slotting it past Devis Vásquez for a dream opening goal.

The home side responded positively to the early setback, but their task was made even harder when striker Lorenzo Colombo was shown a second yellow card just six minutes before halftime.

This left Empoli facing a daunting challenge for the remainder of the match. They thought they had equalised shortly after the break when Junior Sambia’s free-kick was deflected off a Lazio player and fell perfectly for Mattia Viti, who calmly slotted it home. However, VAR intervened and ruled the goal out for offside.

Desperate for inspiration, Empoli did receive a glimmer of hope when Hysaj received a second yellow card, bringing the sides back to even numbers late in the game.

Despite their efforts to find an equaliser, Empoli struggled to break down the resolute Lazio defence, though the Biancocelesti managed to threaten on the counter in the closing moments.

In the end, Lazio secured what could be three pivotal points in their quest for UEFA Champions League qualification, temporarily rising to fourth in the standings.

Meanwhile, Empoli remains in 19th place, now two points adrift of safety with only three league matches left to play.

Catch a summary of the match here