SS Lazio snatched a point in the dying moments of the match, when in the 95th minute netted the equaliser through a penalty kick that specialist Pedro confidently converted. The Tenerife-born stepped up to take the spot kick and made no mistake, scoring his 200th goal in top-flight football. This goal also saw Pedro claim the record for the oldest player to score a Serie A goal for SS Lazio, surpassing Klose. The streak keeps on going.
The first goal came on the second half, after a relentless first half where the home side pushed hard to take advantage at the Stadio Olimpico. But the opener had to wait until Cataldi’s skilled passing in the box, a perfectly executed move that allowed him to curl the ball across goal and beat David De Gea in one-on-one.
Gossens equalised shortly after, and the score remained 1-1 until the 89th minute, when a penalty awarded to Fiorentina was converted by Gudmundsson. With barely any time to react, Lazio threw themselves into the task of finding an equalizer, fighting on every inch of the pitch. In injury time, a penalty was awarded for a foul on Zaccagni, which Pedro promptly converted. Without hesitation, he struck the ball across goal, beating De Gea. Shortly after, the draw was converted into a point salvaged for SS Lazio.
This isn’t just another goal for Pedro, even though every goal that earns points is more important than any other before. His penalty converted against David De Gea was his 200th: 99 with FC Barcelona, 43 with Chelsea, 35 with SS Lazio, 17 with the Spanish national team, and 6 with AS Roma. It’s an extraordinary performance from a legendary goalscorer capable of netting in every way imaginable: left-footed, right-footed, or with a header, Pedro always has the goal in his sights, despite not playing as a center forward.
With this goal, Pedro also breaks Klose’s record as the oldest player to score for Lazio in Serie A, at 38 years and six months old. The Tenerife native also becomes the first Spanish player to score at least one goal in official competition in 17 consecutive seasons, spread across the three major European leagues (Spain, Italy, and England), as well as the Spanish national team, where he was part of the dream team that won the World Cup and European Championship in 2010 and 2012. Another milestone in a legendary career.
- Match stats:
SS Lazio(4-3-3): Provedel; Lazzari (80’ Hysaj), Gila, Romagnoli, Pellegrini; Guendouzi, Cataldi, Basic (30’ Vecino); Isaksen, Cancellieri (72’ Pedro), Zaccagni.
Fiorentina (4-1-4-1): De Gea; Dodo, Pongracic, Comuzzo, Gosens (68’ Solomon); Fagioli; Parisi, Ndour (68’ Ranieri), Mandragora, Gudmundsson; Piccoli (60’ Kean).
Bookings: Simone Sozza (sez. Seregno) amonestó a 20’ Pongracic (F), 21’ Gosens (F), 26’ Cancellieri (L), 55’ Parisi (F), 71’ Fagioli (F), 84’ Zaccagni (L), 90’+8’ Nicolussi Caviglia (F).
Goals: 51’ Cataldi (L), 56’ Gosens (F), 89’ rig. Gudmundsson (F), 90’+5’ rig. Pedro (L)
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