A double from Darko Lazovic delivered an important three points for Hellas Verona on Matchday 17 of the 2022/23 Serie A campaign and saw him crowned Player of the Week.
The Gialloblu were 2-0 victors over Cremonese on Monday night and lifted them above their relegation rivals into 18th place, but still six points from survival as the season edges towards the halfway mark.
Lazer sharp Lazovic
It took the Serbian attacker just nine minutes to give Verona the lead at the Stadio Marc’Antonio Bentegodi, when controlling an awkward pass from Yahah Kallon and spinning around and firing past goalkeeper Marco Carnesecchi.
That gave the hosts some much needed confidence and 15 minutes later, Josh Doig led a counter-attack, which the 32-year-old finished expertly first time. It was exactly one year since Lazovic’s last Serie A goal, against Salernitana, and his first ever brace.
Recently departed Giovanni Simeone was the last Gialloblu player to score two goals in the first 30 minutes of match when facing Juventus on 30 October 2021.
Positive signs for Verona
It had been 127 days since Verona last tasted Serie A victory, against another side under threat of demotion to Serie B, Sampdoria, which has made those wins even more important. As did a first clean sheet of the campaign.
There are signs that the Gialloblu’s form could be on the turn for the second half of the season, though, and Kallon becoming one of the three youngest strikers to have both scored and assisted this term is a positive step.
