Rome, 14 Mar A goal by Italian Ciro Immobile was enough for Lazio on Monday to win against a relegation Venice (1-0) and raised 'Los Águilas' to fifth place, in the Europa League, in the match that closed the twenty-ninth round of the Serie A at the Olympic Stadium in Rome. Lazio had the opportunity to storm the 'first place' of the battle for Europa League and Conference League positions after the Atalanta and Roma draws. And his captain, also the league's pichichi, did not miss the appointment. The team led by the Italian Maurizio Sarri did not have too many occasions, but they dominated Venice from the start, which little by little sees how the opportunities to leave the relegation zone escape them. Serbian Serjeg Milinkovic-Savic was about to open the score with a direct foul shot, in the 19th minute, which was narrowly diverted, and Brazilian Felipe Anderson crossed the ball too much in a heads-up in the 33rd minute, in what were the clearest for some 'laziali' who seemed stuck. But Sarri's team came out for the match in the second half, aware that they could be placed in fifth place. Immobile, who again along with Anderson and Spaniard Luis Alberto was the most outstanding man in the attack, scored a goal for the squad as soon as he left the locker room, but the VAR canceled the goal due to irregular position. Six minutes later, the referee pointed out -VAR through- maximum penalty for the locals. The ram took responsibility from the eleven meters and defined with power on the goal that Finnish Niki Maenpaa defended to be 'capocannoniere' of the Serie A with 21 targets, one more than Serbian Dusan Vlahovic. Since the goal, Lazio's ineffective dominance of the first half turned into a carousel of chances and good combinations to expand the lead on the scoreboard over a Venice that could not defend the attempts of the 'laziali'. This match will serve the Roman team to arrive with good feelings and positive dynamics to the big match next day, the derby against Roma of the Portuguese José Mourinho, in what is expected to be a battle to stay at the top in the struggle for European positions. With these three important points, Lazio moves Atalanta out of European positions - although Bergamo have one less match - and Roma to sixth place in the Conference League; while Venice remains three points away from reaching Cagliari, a team that marks salvation.
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