Lazio Suffer Major Injury Blow in Napoli Draw
Lazio hauled back a slender deficit to hold Serie A pacesetters Napoli to a 2-2 home draw yesterday but paid a hefty price. Star striker Taty Castellanos had to come off in the first half after sustaining a reported thigh injury.
Gustav Isaksen put Lazio in front in the opening six minutes with a long-range rocket, only for Giacomo Raspadori to draw Napoli level seven minutes later. However, disaster struck midway through the first half as Castellanos had to leave the pitch after going to the ground, clutching the inside of his thigh.
Lazio boss Marco Baroni had to take the former Girona center-forward off with less than 30 minutes on the clock, replacing him with Tijjani Noslin. Boulaye Dia would've likely been his first choice, but the Senegalese forward isn't fully fit yet after taking a knock to his ankle earlier this month.
However, Dia entered the fray in the second half and helped Lazio avoid defeat. He netted a crucial 87th-minute equalizer to undo Adam Marusic's own goal and salvage a point for the Serie A top-four hopefuls. Meanwhile, Lazio are expecting test results to determine the extent of Castellanos' injury with bated breath.
Indeed, Castellanos' availability for the upcoming clash between Lazio and Venezia is doubtful. Furthermore, it's uncertain whether he'd be at Baroni's disposal when the Bianconcelesti lock horns with Inter in the first leg of their Coppa Italia semi-final tie on February 25.
Furthermore, injuries to Matias Vecino, Elseid Hysaj, and Patric had already depleted Lazio for the Napoli game.
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