Lazio goalkeeper Thomas Strakosha scores CALAMITOUS own goal
Lazio goalkeeper Thomas Strakosha scores CALAMITOUS own goal, palming the ball into his own net – but Maurizio Sarri claims his side should ‘not be judged’ on their 1-0 Europa League loss against Galatasaray
- Lazio lost their Europa League opener by a single goal against the Turkish side
- Goalkeeper Strakosha pushed the ball into his own net under very little pressure
- Manager Maurizio Sarri admitted the Serie A side ‘paid the price’ for the mistake
- But the former Chelsea and Juventus boss called the defeat a ‘fortuitous result’
Lazio goalkeeper Thomas Strakosha scored a calamitous own goal in Lazio’s narrow defeat against Galatasaray in the Europa League, but Maurizio Sarri insisted his side should not be judged despite the result.
Albanian Strakosha’s unfortunate intervention led to the only goal of the game, with the Turkish Super Lig side holding on for a 1-0 win at the Turk Telekom Arena on Thursday evening.
And BT Sport’s tweet shows the 26-year-old’s error in painful technicolour.
Lazio goalkeeper Thomas Strakosha (above) scored a calamitous own goal against Galatasaray
Strakosha palmed the ball into his own net in his side’s 1-0 Europa League loss on Thursday
Their post read: ‘As far as goalkeeper errors go, that’s got to be up there… Thomas Strakosha has had an absolute nightmare’.
In the 66th minute with the score at 0-0, Galatasaray attacking midfielder Olimpiu Morutan bent in a seemingly harmless cross from the right wing, but under very little pressure Manuel Lazzari ballooned his clearance high into the air.
Despite the ball dropping dangerously close to his own goal, Strakosha seemed caught between catching the ball and tipping it over his own crossbar and in the end did neither, palming the ball onto the post and then back in off his body.
And after the match, boss Sarri told Sky Sports Italia that the error had cost his side but claimed it was a ‘fortuitous result’.
The distraught 26-year-old was consoled by team-mates (above) after Lazio’s narrow defeat
And manager Maurizio Sarri (shown centre) insisted his side should not be judged on the loss
He said: ‘I think we made progress, it was a different game compared to Sunday in a difficult atmosphere against a dangerous team, yet we never really suffered. The game was under control, then unfortunately errors are part of the sport and we paid the price for that tonight.
‘It’s disappointing to start with a defeat, because it becomes an uphill struggle, but we must look beyond the result and evaluate the performance.
‘I saw that some problems have not been resolved, we have issues with the timing and distances on passing channels, so we suffer in those situations. It’s a matter of centimetres and seconds, but they do ultimately make the difference.
‘I saw progress from the Milan defeat, as we were much tighter, intercepted the ball between the lines more and allowed fewer counter-attacks. We need to improve our attacking movements, moving without the ball, but I still saw steps forward and cannot let our judgment be swayed by a fortuitous result.’
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