Champions League: Lazio held to 1-1 draw by Club Brugge

Pepe Reina-Lazio

Joaquin Correa’s early strike cancelled out by an equaliser from Brugge.

Lazio have been held to 1-1 draw against Club Brugge in the matchday 2 of the Champions League.

Joaquin Correa provided the breakthrough for Lazio in the 14th minute after a brilliant left-footed finish. But it was only to be equalized by Brugge before the half-time. VAR detected a foul in Lazio’s defensive third and a penalty was awarded eventually, later converted by Vanaken.

Brugge went on to dominate the game in the second half, building upon the first goal. However, Pepe Reina stood firm to deny a couple of good chances from the hosts.

Lazio also nearly scored their second goal when Sergej Milinkovic Savic’s effort was saved by Simon Mignolet.

The Serie A outfit picked up a deserving draw in the absence of stars like Ciro Immobile, Luis Alberto and Luiz Felipe, all of whom have reportedly tested positive for COVID-19.

Although their form in Serie A has been below par, Lazio have hit the ground running in Champions League this season, winning the first encounter against Dortmund and now followed up with a hard-fought draw.

Meanwhile, Brugge are also off to a promising start as they are yet to face a defeat in the Champions League.

Lazio also secured an important win against Bologna on Sunday despite their struggles in Serie A this season. The Partenopei has suffered a 3-0 hammering against Sampdoria and 4- 1 defeat against Atalanta at the start of the last month.

It remains to be seen how Simone Inzaghi will manage the workload of his side in both league and European games.