Late Marin strike snatches point for Empoli at Lazio

Romania midfielder Marin lashed home the leveller in the fourth minute of stoppage time to stun Lazio who are three points from the Champions League positions in fifth following the second lead thrown away in the space of a week. Lazio looked set for a comfortable win when a neat finish from Mattia Zaccagni eight minutes after the break added to Felipe Anderson's second-minute glancing header.

Lazio were playing without the support of their hardcore fans after the Curva Nord section of the stadium was closed as punishment for racist chants directed at Samuel Umtiti during Wednesday's defeat at Lecce. And Maurizio Sarri's team didn't look in need of their vociferous support against 13th-placed Empoli until Francesco Caputo pulled one back with an expert finish, setting up the away side to take a precious point with Marin's fine effort.

Empoli are one point ahead of Monza and Salernitana following the latter's 1-1 home draw with Torino in the day's opening match. Later on Sunday Napoli will try to go seven points clear at the top of Serie A at Sampdoria, who will pay tribute to deceased former greats Sinisa Mihajlovic and Gianluca Vialli.

Napoli are trailed by Juventus, winners over Udinese on Saturday, and AC Milan who are five points back in third ahead of their home match with Roma on Sunday night. Sampdoria will wear a shirt which bears both former players' names for the clash at the Stadio Luigi Ferraris after Vialli lost a long battle with pancreatic cancer on Friday at the age of 58.

Mihajlovic, who played for Sampdoria in the mid-1990s, succumbed to leukemia last month and Sunday's match is their first home fixture since he passed away. Fans have made a shrine to Vialli, one of Sampdoria's best ever players who won the club's one and only league title in 1991, at the gates of the Stadio Luigi Ferraris since his death.

Sampdoria opened 2023 with a win at Sassuolo on Wednesday but are in 18th, six points behind Spezia who sit just outside the relegation zone and drew 0-0 with Lecce in soaking conditions.

 

January 8, 2023