Felipe Anderson scored once and set up two other goals as SS Lazio beat visiting UC Sampdoria 3-0 on Monday in a key match for third place and Serie A’s final UEFA Champions League berth.
Lazio took sole possession of third, three points ahead of Sampdoria and SSC Napoli.
In the first Serie A match after the holiday break, the 21-year-old Anderson provided a cross from the left flank that Marco Parolo used one touch to redirect inside the near post in the 38th minute.
Photo: EPA
Three minutes later, Anderson scored himself with a splendid, curving, low shot from well beyond the area.
It was more Anderson in the second half as the Brazilian dribbled by three defenders before providing a cross in the 66th for Filip Djordjevic to tap in.
Anderson has been involved in eight of Lazio’s last nine league goals, scoring four and assisting in the rest. He scored twice in a 2-2 draw at Inter in the Biancocelesti’s final match before the winter break.
“This year I’m healthy and with the support of my teammates, my coach and my family I’ve been able to express my talent,” said Anderson, who joined Lazio from Brazilian club Santos.
It was only the second loss of the season for Sampdoria, who produced just two shots at the Stadio Olimpico.
“Felipe Anderson seemed like Cristiano Ronaldo,” Sampdoria coach Sinisa Mihajlovic said. “They were just better than us.”
“Anyhow, if we’re going to lose, better to do it against Lazio than any other club,” added Mihajlovic, who helped Lazio win a Scudetto 15 years ago as a player.
The rest of the league was to play yesterday, with leader Juventus hosting Inter, second-placed AS Roma at Udinese, Napoli traveling to AC Cesena and AC Milan hosting US Sassuolo.
Juventus hold a three-point lead over Roma, who are provisionally six points in front of city rivals Lazio ahead of Sunday’s Rome derby.
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