A brace from Alessandro Matri has guided Lazio to a 2-0 victory over Udinese in their Serie A clash this afternoon.
The visitors were the first to threaten when Bruno Fernandes lined up a strike on the edge of the box, but his effort was well saved by Federico Marchetti.
Lazio threatened when Antonio Candreva was afforded space and time outside the box, and with limited support, he opted to go for goal, although his effort sailed over the bar.
Candreva went closer before the break when he raided down the right after collecting a pass from Seydou Keita, but his effort went narrowly wide of the post, with Orestis Karnezis beaten.
In the second half, Lazio upped the ante and Marco Parolo found space for a strike, although his low drive was well saved by Karnezis.
The home side took the lead in the 64th minute when Matri pounced on a loose ball in the penalty area and smashed his effort into the roof of the net to notch his first goal for the club.
Matri scored his second goal of the game minutes later to secure the victory for the hosts when he curled his left-footed strike beyond the reach of Karnezis into the corner.
Simon Sinclair
