Immobile fires Lazio second as striker matches scoring mark in Serie A

Ciro Immobile achieved a goalscoring feat not seen in Serie A for 61 years as Lazio thumped SPAL 5-1 to go second in the table.

A double each for the Italy international and Felipe Caicedo, plus a first goal for 20-year-old Bobby Adekanye, moved Simone Inzaghi’s side to within five points of league leaders Juventus with a game in hand.

Immobile has scored 25 of Lazio’s 52 league goals this season and leads the race for the European Golden Shoe ahead of Bayern Munich star Robert Lewandowski and RB Leipzig’s Timo Werner.

Indeed, no player has ever managed more than 25 goals after the first 21 matches of a Serie A season. The only other player to equal that tally was former Inter, Roma and Milan attacker Antonio Valentin Angelillo back in 1959.

Immobile has scored 123 Serie A goals over the past 10 seasons, which is more than any other player – a record that seems more remarkable given the 29-year-old spent unsuccessful spells with Borussia Dortmund and Sevilla between 2014 and 2016.

Lazio were held to a 1-1 draw by Roma in the derby last Sunday, but they have won 12 of their past 15 league games and have not failed to score since a 1-0 loss at Inter on September 25.

“We talk about the Champions League in the dressing room,” Immobile told Sky Sport Italia after the win. “We have to keep our feet on the ground and give the fans some fun. We’re happy.”

Inter will look to move above Lazio and back into second when they take on Udinese at Stadio Friuli later on Sunday.