ROME (Italy): Ciro Immobile scored his fifth Champions League goal this season as Lazio reached the last 16 for the first time in two decades on Tuesday with a 2-2 draw against 10-man Club Brugge.
Immobile scored Lazio’s second goal from the penalty spot at a rain-drenched Stadio Olimpico after Joaquin Correa had put the hosts ahead on 12 minutes.
But it was a hard-fought match with the Italians twice pegged back against a Belgian side who played nearly an hour a man down after Eduard Sobol’s sending off before the break.
Ruud Vormer had cancelled out Correa’s opener after quarter of an hour with a Hans Vanaken header on 76 minutes not enough for the visitors to advance.
Lazio finished second in Group F behind Borussia Dortmund, booking their spot in the knockout rounds for the first time since the 1999-2000 season when they reached the quarter-finals with current coach Simone Inzaghi a player on the team.
“Tomorrow the lads will probably realise what they have achieved,” said Inzaghi.
“We are back in the Champions League after 13 years, and it’s been 20 years since we’ve got into the second round.
“We are in the top 16 in Europe without ever having lost. It’s a deserved qualification that we have earned on the pitch.”
Lazio were the only unbeaten side in their group with four draws and two wins.
