FLORENCE, Oct 11: Fiorentina got a blast of Lazio’s impressive domestic form when the visitor won 4-0 and moved into third place in Serie A on Monday.
Ciro Immobile scored one and set up another while Sergej Milinković-Savić also starred with two assists in a fourth straight league victory for Lazio, which has 14 goals in those matches and conceded none.
Lazio moved three points behind Serie A leader Napoli and one below Atalanta. It is above Udinese and defending champion AC Milan on goal difference. Head-to-head is the first tiebreaker at the end of the season.
Fiorentina, in contrast, has won just one of its last eight Serie A matches and sits 13th, just four points off the bottom three.
Matías Vecino headed in a corner at the near post in the 11th minute and Mattia Zaccagni doubled the lead in the 25th with another header on a Milinković-Savić cross.
Immobile hit the crossbar in the second half then set up substitute Luis Alberto late on and capped a great night in stoppage time when Milinković-Savić ran onto a through ball and backheeled it for the Italy forward to slot home.
It has been a different story in Europe for Lazio, which beat Feyenoord in its Europa League opener but was thrashed at Midtjylland 5-1 and drew at Sturm Graz 0-0.
Dybala at risk of missing Qatar World Cup
For Paulo Dybala, the joy of scoring a penalty quickly had turned into the anguish of potentially missing the World Cup.
As the Argentina forward turned away to celebrate converting his spot kick for Roma against Lecce in their Serie A match on Sunday, he suddenly grimaced, clutched his left thigh, and hobbled as teammates mobbed him.
Dybala limped off the field and appeared to have tears in his eyes as he sat on the bench, the upcoming World Cup likely in his thoughts.
“I’ll say it’s not looking good, rather than say it’s looking bad,” Roma coach José Mourinho said. “Unfortunately, it’s probably looking closer to bad than it is to not good.”
Mourinho was then asked if Roma fans would see Dybala before the end of the year. “I am not a doctor and I have not talked with the doctor,” he said, “but, from experience and from what I’ve understood from speaking with Paulo, it’s difficult.” (AP)
