Lazio's late implosion against Inter could haunt the club for years to come | Paolo Bandini


Inter-bound Stefan De Vrij was at the centre of a wild collapse as Lazio surrendered a Champions League place to Inter

Stefan De Vrij folded himself up small and hid his face underneath a training top, but he could not stop the cameras from honing in on him as he sat for the final time in Lazio’s home dugout. The curtain was coming down on the 2017-18 Serie A season, and the team whose shirt he was still wearing had just lost its Champions League spot to the one he will play for next year.

A messy situation under any circumstances, but even more so for how events unfolded. Lazio had led 2-1 with 12 minutes remaining against Inter, in a game they only needed to draw. That was before De Vrij gave away a penalty, scything down Mauro Icardi. The Argentinian converted, and the Nerazzurri went on to win 3-2.

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Juventus 2-1 Verona, Lazio 2-3 Inter, Sassuolo 0-1 Roma, Milan 5-1 Fiorentina, Cagliari 1-0 Atalanta, Chievo 1-0 Benevento, Napoli 2-1 Crotone, Spal 3-1 Sampdoria, Udinese 1-0 Bologna, Genoa 1-2 Torino.

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