Giornata 17,SS.Lazio 3-2 Udinese

SS.Lazio snatched after the super late own goal by Zapata

Lazio moved to within three points of Serie A leaders AC Milan by beating Udinese at the Stadio Olimpico on Sunday.

Hernanes put the home side in front in the second minute, but Alexis Sanchez equalised for the first time five minutes after the break. Giuseppe Biava restored Lazio's lead immediately, but German Denis replied with his first touch of the game 10 minutes later.

An own goal from Christian Zapata then gave Lazio all three points and allowed them to take full advantage of Milan's defeat by Roma on Saturday to reduce the deficit at the top to three points.

Given the number of chances, it was surprising that there was only one goal in the first half, and that came as early as the second minute. Tommaso Rocchi touched the ball to his side into the path of Hernanes, who was arriving like a train to place his shot into the bottom right-hand corner from 20 yards.

Udinese responded well and Antonio Di Natale missed the chance to level in the 11th minute when he beat the offside trap, but shot wide of the near post with only Nelson Muslera to beat.

Minutes later, Mauricio Isla beat the offside trap but shot across the face of goal with Di Natale screaming for the ball square of him. Armero then missed Udinese's best chance of the half in the 19th minute when he somehow shot wide from five yards out with the whole goal to aim at from Isla's low cross.

Hernanes' 25-yard shot cannoned back off the crossbar as the chances continued to rain down at both ends of the field as Stephen Lichtsteiner's shot was saved by Samir Handanovic before Hernanes fired the rebound straight at the Udinese goalkeeper.

The goals that had been lacking in the first half arrived in the second 45 minutes, starting with Udinese's first equaliser in the 50th minute. Di Natale sent in a cross with the outside of his boot and Sanchez found room to head in from close range.

Their joy at levelling was short lived as Biava responded immediately, volleying the ball into the roof of the net after a corner was headed down to him by his central defensive partner Dias.

Di Natale missed the chance to level immediately at the other end as he again failed to score with only Muslera to beat, but substitute Denis provided the second equaliser of the match in the 61st minute. Muslera slipped as he attempted to get across to reach Denis' header, which nestled in the back of the net.

The game was not over, however, and Lazio clinched all three points in the 88th minute when Zapata inadvertently headed a corner past his own goalkeeper while under pressure from Libor Kozak.