Verona vs. Lazio: Winners and Losers from Serie A Game
Mistakes at either end produced goals for both sides on Thursday as Hellas Verona and Lazio played to an entertaining 1-1 draw at Stadio Marc'Antonio Bentegodi.
Lazio took the lead in the 42nd minute when Verona defender Vangelis Moras failed to clear Antonio Candreva's cross, but Lazio right-back Luis Pedro Cavanda offered the hosts a lifeline when he committed a penalty offense on Juanito Gomez in the 69th minute.
The final match of Serie A's ninth round featured a handful of individual performances worth mentioning, and the next few slides will highlight just a few of them.
Following are the winners and losers from Thursday's encounter.
Winner: Luca Toni, Who Rallied the Troops
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Even before he scored what proved to be the equaliser, Luca Toni was rallying his teammates as they looked to pull back to level terms with Lazio.
Early in the second half, the Hellas Verona striker had a pair of chances to find the back of the net, the best of which saw him hit the side-netting on a right-footed volley.
Moments later he could be seen shouting encouragement to his teammates, who followed his lead.
In the 69th minute, and just seconds after Juanito Gomez had been fouled in the Lazio box, Toni stepped up and beat Federico Marchetti from 12 yards.
Loser: Luis Pedro Cavanda, Who Tossed Verona a Lifeline
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Through much of the first half Bosko Jankovic ran at, and often past, Luis Pedro Cavanda.
The Lazio right-back was an obvious weak spot for the hosts in the opening period, and after the restart, Hellas Verona continued to run at him.
Juanito Gomez, who was introduced at the break, forced Cavanda to bring him down in the 69th minute, and as a result of the foul, the 24-year-old both gave away a penalty and got himself sent off.
Winner: Ogenyi Onazi, Who Never Should Have Been Substituted
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Things were going to plan for Lazio while Ogenyi Onazi was on the pitch.
While Marco Parolo struggled to complete a pass and Lucas Biglia blew hot and cold, Onazi offered some much-needed consistency for the guests and imposed himself on both the offensive and defensive sides of the ball.
In the 56th minute, for example, he muscled Juanito Gomez off the ball, and overall he completed an impressive 91 percent of his passes (all statistics courtesy WhoScored.com).
But he was withdrawn in favour of Alvaro Gonzalez just before the hour-mark, and 10 minutes later Verona were level.
Who knows how Lazio would have finished the encounter had Onazi remained in the match. His value was underlined by how his teammates fared in his absence.
Loser: Massimiliano Irrati, Who Presented Cards for Fun
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Massimiliano Irrati set himself up for a difficult night when he showed needless yellow cards to Ogenyi Onazi and Ivan Martic in the first half.
The referee, based on the standard he imposed, was then forced to book Luis Pedro Cavanda for a slight challenge in the 50th minute and Gustavo Campanharo for nary a nudge in the 88th.
His decision-making was exposed for the farce it had become just two minutes later when Campanharo went in for one of the nastier challenges of the night, only to escape sanction.
Based on what Irrati had done previously, the Verona midfielder should have been sent off.
Winner: Juanito Gomez, Who Changed the Tempo of the Game
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Andrea Mandorlini's deployment of Juanito Gomez to start the second half was among the key decisions of the game.
Right from the get-go, the Argentine proved a handful for Luis Pedro Cavanda, and in the 69th minute he won a penalty off the Lazio right-back.
By then Gomez had brought an element of spark to the Hellas Verona attack, and his manager will no doubt have him in mind for a starting role against Cesena on Monday.
Loser: Vangelis Moras, Who Gifted Lazio the Opener
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It looked as though Hellas Verona were about to sneak out of the first half without conceding when Vangelis Moras gifted Lazio the opening goal of the match.
Getting only part of Antonio Candreva's cross as he swung wildly at the ball in front of goalkeeper Rafael, Moras could only watch on in horror as Senad Lulic proceeded to lift the ball into the back of the net.
Thankfully for the Verona defender, Luis Pedro Cavanda's mistake at the other end of the pitch eventually allowed his side to pull level.
