Ciro Immobile fired Lazio past Salernitana on Sunday evening, to keep pace with the clubs chasing Champions League qualification and was named our Player of the Week for Matchday 23 of the 2022/23 Serie A campaign.
The Biancocelesti are just two points behind reigning champions AC Milan in fifth and with just six points separating second and sixth, victories can quickly propel teams towards the riches on offer in Europe’s premier club competition.
Immobile crucial to Champions League chances
Although it surprised few to see the Italian international bag both goals during the 2-0 win at the Stadio Arechi, it was his first brace since September 2022 when facing Cremonese. However, the 33-year-old has now scored 32 doubles in Serie A for Lazio, with no other player coming close to that figure since he arrived in the capital.
On 60 minutes it was Immobile’s poaching instinct that saw him time a run perfectly to the back post to roll home a low Adam Marusic cross for the opener. Within minutes, the former Torino striker was winning and converting a penalty to put the game beyond the hosts.
Immobile rising up the rankings
Had coach Maurizio Sarri not replaced Immobile with Matteo Cancellieri just before the end of the game, the Italian may have grabbed himself a hat-trick when Lazio were awarded a second spot-kick in the final minute that Luis Alberto had saved by Luigi Sepe. The double still saw him move into eighth place in the all-time Serie A goal-scoring charts.
With 191 league goals during his time with Genoa, Torino and Le Aquile, Immobile overtook Fiorentina legend Kurt Hamrin by one goal and will now have his sights on Roberto Baggio and Antonio Di Natale, with 208 and 209 strikes each, respectively.
