ROME: Lazio fell to a 1-0 loss at home to Genoa and missed the chance to move fourth in Serie A on Monday after playing most of the match with 10 men following goalkeeper Federico Marchetti’s sending off in the first half.

The capital side remained sixth on 34 points following a second successive defeat, two points and a place above Genoa, who arrested their slide down the table with a first win in eight rounds.

Juventus lead on 53 points, seven points ahead of AS Roma with third-placed Napoli a further four adrift after the top three all won over the weekend. Firoentina are fourth on 35 points and lead fifth-placed Sampdoria on goal difference.

“Results aren’t going our way at the moment,” Lazio coach Stefano Pioli said. “I can’t reproach the lads at all for their performances. Now’s the moment to be united and to believe in what we are doing because we have good qualities.

“It was a balanced match, we had 10 players but we could still have drawn. I’m upset for the team because they wanted to forget last Sunday’s defeat at Cesena, but we come out of this with a lot of determination.”

In front of a meagre crowd at the Stadio Olimpico, Lazio had made a bright start testing visiting goalkeeper Mattia Perin on a couple of occasions first deflecting a shot by Lucas Biglia onto a post and then got down well to deny midfielder Antonio Candreva.

The match turned shortly before the half-hour mark when Marchetti was sent off following a rash challenge on M’Baye Niang.

Danilo Cataldi was taken off to make way for Etrit Berisha and the Albanian keeper’s first job was to pick the ball out of the net after Diego Perotti converted the spot kick.

With their backs against the wall there was little chance for the Lazio players to impress watching Italy coach Antonio Conte.

Genoa should have sealed the match early in the second half when Niang sent Iago Falque clear on goal, but the Spaniard fired narrowly past the right upright.

They were almost made to rue their missed opportunities as Lazio went close to levelling when Stefano Mauri was sent through by Miroslav Klose, but his 66th minute effort hit the right post.

“We played well but we weren’t very clinical and in the future we need to be if we want to remain up there,” Genoa coach Giampiero Gasperini said. “It was an important win after picking up so few points in the last few matches.”

Published in Dawn, February 11th, 2015

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