BBrazil international Lucas Leiva believes Lazio can go all the way and lift the Europa League title this term. The 31-year-old bagged his second European goal of the season in the 2-0 win at Dynamo Kiev, and this ensured that Lazio progressed to the quarter-final stage of the competition with a 4-2 aggregate win over their Ukrainian rivals.
Speaking after the game, Leiva was happy to have helped his side in their progression, and feels Lazio have it in them to win this season’s Europa League, he said: “I could’ve scored on Sunday against Cagliari too, but then the deflection made it an own goal. I am happy for the goal and that I helped the team. It was important to win, but now we want to keep going, because we can go far in this competition. Lazio’s performance today was very similar to the kind we put in at the start of the season. When results aren’t arriving, we must give our all and today we did everything right.”
The likes of Arsenal, Atletico Madrid, and Lazio have received favourable ties for the quarter-final stage, with Simone Inzaghi’s side being pitted against Red Bull Salzburg. Lazio have not had the best time in their domestic campaign since January, but they should have the quality within the ranks to see off Salzburg, who continue to present surprises with their excellent recruitment policy.
Leiva may be intent on making a strong run for European success, but Lazio also have the league to look upon, given the fourth position offers a route to the Champions League. The Capital outfit are presently one point behind fourth-placed Inter Milan, having played an extra game more, but based on their remaining fixtures, the hunt for the final Champions League spot could go down to the wire. Lazio could alternatively qualify for the elite competition by clinching the Europe League crown.