MILAN vs LAZIO 1-2 | HIGHLIGHTS | Pedro Scores Winner in Drama-filled Finale | Serie A 2024/25
MILAN vs LAZIO
In a pulsating encounter at the San Siro on Sunday, Lazio emerged victorious with a dramatic 2-1 win over AC Milan, sealed by an added-time penalty that underscored the hosts’ struggles in a season spiraling out of control, while the visitors capitalized on their resilience and clinical finishing to climb the Serie A standings. The match, which saw Milan equalize despite being reduced to 10 men, unfolded against a backdrop of palpable tension, with the home crowd’s frustration boiling over into a hostile protest against the club’s ownership, epitomized by the Curva Sud ultras leaving their sector empty for the first 15 minutes as a pointed rebuke of owner Gerry Cardinale, manager Sérgio Conceição, and a squad that has failed to meet expectations. This victory propelled Lazio into fourth place with 50 points, overtaking Juventus—who face Hellas Verona on Monday—by a single point, while Milan slipped to ninth with 41 points, leapfrogged earlier in the day by AS Roma after their 2-1 triumph over Como. The game encapsulated Milan’s woes and Lazio’s growing confidence, with the late penalty proving decisive in a contest that swung wildly between moments of brilliance and costly errors, leaving Conceição’s tenure at Milan under increasing scrutiny as the Rossoneri’s hopes of salvaging their campaign continue to fade.
The atmosphere at the San Siro was subdued from the outset, the empty Curva Sud a stark visual of the disillusionment gripping Milan’s fanbase amid a season that has seen the club lurch from one disappointment to another, their early promise under Conceição—highlighted by an Italian Super Cup triumph in January—dissolving into a string of setbacks, including a Champions League exit to Feyenoord and now a third consecutive league defeat. The home supporters who delayed their arrival missed little in terms of action from their side, as Lazio dominated the opening exchanges with an intensity and purpose that Milan struggled to match. Boulaye Dia nearly gave the visitors an early lead when Nicolo Rovella’s incisive pass sent him racing through on goal, only for Milan goalkeeper Mike Maignan to react swiftly, spreading himself to block the shot with his foot in a moment of individual brilliance that briefly kept his team in the contest. Lazio’s pressure was relentless, however, and they came agonizingly close again when Nuno Tavares’s pullback from the byline forced Milan defender Strahinja Pavlovic into a panicked clearance that nearly resulted in an own goal, while Gustav Isaksen’s long-range effort whistled just wide of the upright. The breakthrough finally arrived in the 28th minute, a deserved reward for Lazio’s dominance, as Adam Marusic’s shot was palmed away by Maignan, only for the ball to fall invitingly to Mattia Zaccagni, who tapped in from close range at the back post, sending the traveling Lazio fans into raptures and exposing Milan’s defensive frailties in a half they were fortunate to end only one goal behind.
Milan’s response was tepid, their performance drawing jeers from the returning ultras as they trudged off at halftime, prompting Conceição to make an early change by introducing João Félix for the ineffective Yunus Musah in a bid to spark a revival. Yet it was Lazio who continued to threaten, Zaccagni volleying just wide of the mark in a warning shot that suggested a second goal was imminent, while Milan’s attempts to regain a foothold in the game were stifled by their own lack of cohesion and Lazio’s disciplined pressing. The second half saw Milan muster a more determined effort, spurred on by the growing urgency to salvage something from the match, with Félix firing over the bar from a tight angle and Santiago Gimenez glancing a header narrowly wide—missed opportunities that hinted at a potential turnaround. However, their hopes were dealt a crippling blow in the 67th minute when Pavlovic, already on thin ice after his earlier near-miss, was shown a straight red card for a clumsy foul on Isaksen as Lazio launched a swift counter-attack, reducing Milan to 10 men and seemingly extinguishing their chances of a comeback. Despite this setback, Milan summoned a moment of defiance six minutes from time when Samuel Chukwueze rose to meet Rafael Leão’s pinpoint cross with a powerful header that beat Ivan Provedel, igniting the San Siro with a flicker of hope and suggesting that the hosts might yet escape with a point against the odds, their resilience in adversity momentarily silencing the discontent in the stands.
That hope proved fleeting, however, as Milan’s resistance unraveled in the dying moments of the game, a microcosm of their season-long struggles with discipline and concentration under pressure. In added time, Maignan, so often a savior for his team, turned villain when he rashly brought down Isaksen in the penalty area, conceding a spot-kick that handed Lazio the chance to snatch victory from the jaws of a draw. Up stepped Pedro, coolly converting the penalty past the despairing dive of Maignan to secure a 2-1 triumph that sent Lazio’s bench into delirium and condemned Milan to yet another defeat, their third in a row in Serie A, a run that has seen them plummet down the table and effectively end their aspirations of qualifying for next year’s Champions League. The final whistle was met with a chorus of boos from the Milan faithful, their frustration directed not just at the result but at a broader sense of decline that has enveloped the club since their Super Cup success, a stark contrast to the upward trajectory of a Lazio side that has found form at the right moment. Conceição, whose managerial honeymoon has long since faded, now faces mounting pressure to arrest this slide, his post-match demeanor reflecting a man acutely aware that his initial goodwill has evaporated amid a campaign that has veered disastrously off course.
For Lazio, the victory was a testament to their ability to seize opportunities and maintain composure in a hostile environment, their fourth-place standing a reward for a performance that blended attacking flair with defensive solidity, even as Milan briefly threatened to steal a result. Zaccagni’s opener and Pedro’s decisive penalty bookended a display that showcased the depth of Marco Rossi’s squad, with players like Dia, Tavares, and Isaksen contributing to a collective effort that overwhelmed Milan at key moments. The win keeps Lazio firmly in the hunt for a Champions League berth, their 50 points placing them just one ahead of Juventus, who will look to reclaim fourth spot on Monday, while Milan’s drop to ninth highlights the scale of the task facing Conceição as he attempts to salvage something from a season that once promised so much. The Rossoneri’s fans, whose protests set the tone for the evening, left the San Siro with their discontent unabated, their team’s latest capitulation a bitter reminder of the gulf between their ambitions and their current reality—a reality that Lazio exploited with ruthless efficiency to claim a victory that could prove pivotal in their push for the top four. As Milan lick their wounds, Lazio march on, their sights set on greater heights, while the San Siro echoes with the sound of a fanbase demanding answers that, for now, remain elusive.
