ROME: Ciro Immobile shot Lazio to the verge of qualification for the last 16 of the Champions League with a late brace in Tuesday’s 2-0 win over eliminated Celtic.
Italy forward Immobile struck twice in the final 10 minutes at the Stadio Olimpico in Rome to move Lazio top of Group E, two points ahead of Atletico Madrid who are at third-placed Feyenoord later on Tuesday.
Lazio will be through to the next round if Feyenoord lose to their Spanish opposition as the Dutch outfit are four points behind the new group leaders.
Immobile’s double, which took his all-competitions tally for the season to seven, was a rare high point for Lazio who are 11th in Serie A.
“When a team goes through a difficult period, your personal situation should take second place,” assured Immobile.
“When I was on the bench, I just tried to see how I could help my team. We now need to find in the league the enthusiasm that we show in the Champions League.”
Defeat in the Italian capital confirmed Celtic’s exit from Europe’s top club competition.
Brendan Rodgers’ side will finish bottom of Group E following the defeat which left the Scottish champions with a single point from their five group matches.
Veteran striker Immobile broke the deadlock of a tense match in the 82nd minute when Gustav Isaksen’s shot was deflected right into his path with only befuddled goalkeeper Joe Hart to beat.
And the 33-year-old made sure of the points three minutes later, taking down Isaksen’s pass and shrugging off the Celtic defense before rolling home a neat finish.
Any hope of a Celtic comeback was finished once referee Halil Umut Meler denied their appeal for a stoppage-time penalty following a review of the pitch-side monitor.
Immobile fires Lazio past Celtic and to brink of Champions League knockouts
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Immobile fires Lazio past Celtic and to brink of Champions League knockouts
- Italy forward Immobile struck twice in the final 10 minutes at the Stadio Olimpico in Rome
- Immobile’s double was a rare high point for Lazio who are 11th in Serie A
Napoli hope to halt slide as Inter and Milan turn up the pressure
- “We have only 13 outfield players available, and Lukaku has at most 15 minutes in his legs,” Conte said
- Inter hold a five-point lead over city rivals AC Milan in second place and Cristian Chivu’s side travel to Cremonese on Sunday
ROME: After their Champions League exit, Napoli’s season is teetering on the edge — with a mounting injury list and a growing gap to Serie A leaders Inter Milan — but Saturday’s home clash against strugglers Fiorentina offers them a chance to steady the ship.
Eliminated from Europe following a 3-2 home defeat by Chelsea on Wednesday, Serie A champions Napoli may benefit from a less gruelling schedule, but coach Antonio Conte is unlikely to see the silver lining with his side dealing with multiple injury absences.
While Conte has recently welcomed Romelu Lukaku back from a long-term injury, Kevin De Bruyne, Billy Gilmour, David Neres, Matteo Politano, Amir Rrahmani, Andre-Frank Zambo Anguissa and Vanja Milinkovic-Savic are all sidelined.
“I’ve never seen a situation like this anywhere in the world, we have only 13 outfield players available, and Lukaku has at most 15 minutes in his legs,” Conte, whose side are nine points adrift of Inter, said.
“These are situations we must face with heads held high, with courage and hunger, trying to play our game without sitting back in defense. We want to understand if we are on the right track and how much distance separates us from that level. We must forget about being Champions of Italy.”
Fiorentina, sitting 18th in the table after securing just three league wins, are dealing with their own difficulties, including Moise Kean’s reported unavailability due to a hamstring injury.
Inter hold a five-point lead over city rivals AC Milan in second place and Cristian Chivu’s side travel to Cremonese on Sunday.
Cremonese were the early-season surprise package, but have picked up just two league wins since November.
“The whole team has reached a level of maturity where hard work and humility are decisive, no matter who we are up against. We can win or lose, but we must never lose our mentality,” Chivu said after Wednesday’s 2-0 win at Borussia Dortmund in the Champions League.
NO EUROPEAN DISTRACTIONS FOR MILAN
Milan, meanwhile, prepare to face Bologna on Tuesday, as they aim to continue their unexpected chase for the Scudetto. Massimiliano Allegri’s side have no distractions from European competition this season.
Despite the manager’s insistence that the club’s ambition is merely a top-four finish this season, they sit in second place with more than half the campaign completed, four points clear of chasing AS Roma in third and Napoli in fourth.
The weekend offers Juventus and Roma a chance to strengthen their push for next season’s Champions League qualification spots.
Gian Piero Gasperini’s Roma boast one of the league’s strongest defensive records, but their lack of attacking firepower has often made it difficult to turn solid performances into wins.
Evan Ferguson is unlikely to feature in Monday’s trip to Udinese as he continues to struggle with an ankle problem, while Artem Dovbyk is not expected back any time soon after suffering a hamstring injury earlier this year, leaving Roma short of attacking options.
Juventus travel to Parma on Sunday needing a win to keep pace in the top-four race. They sit fifth, one point behind Roma and Napoli.
