Lazio defender Patric does a Suarez, sent off after biting Lecce's Guilo Donati: Watch

Lazio’s efforts to cut short their point deficit with Juventus in Serie A suffered a major setback after their shocking defeat against Lecce. Besides the scoreline, the game made headlines for a controversy that erupted in the injury time when Lazio defender Patric was sent off after biting Lecce star Guilo Donati.

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Lazio defender Patric bites Guilo Donati

The infamous incident happened in the injury time when the score was ticking at 2-1 in favour of Lecce. An unprovoked Patric simply vented out his frustration on Guilo Donati by biting him, with the latter almost caught unaware initially. The Lecce defender spun back his arm in anger before going down holding his arm. Although the referee did not see the incident, he consulted Video Assistant Referee (VAR) after an appeal from Lecce players, which confirmed the incident and he was subsequently sent off.

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Patric bites Guilo Donati: Caicedo scores for Lazio, but fails to bag win

Lazio started off the game well, bagging the opener within five minutes. The goal scored by Felipe Caicedo was an outcome of a goalkeeping debacle, followed by intense pressure from Ciro Immobile. Minutes later, Lazio got another opportunity with Immobile directly at goal, but Gabriel produced a decent save to deny the striker. 

Khouma Babacar headed home the equaliser in the 30th minute followed by a penalty to Lecce, which was hit awfully by Marco Mancosu, missing the net. However, Lecce bagged the lead just two minutes into the second half after a thumping header from Fabio Lucioni. Despite efforts, Lazio failed to net the equaliser in the game, marking their second consecutive defeat, with the previous one against AC Milan. The victory for Lecce gains significance, as they were on the losing side in the previous six games. 

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Serie A standings: Lazio fail to cut point deficit

The defeat for Lazio puts a temporary halt on their hopes to cut the seven-point deficit over league leaders Juventus. On the other hand, Juventus had the opportunity to extend the lead to 10 points in the Serie A standings, but blew off a 2-0 goal lead, to lose 4-2 against AC Milan. As things stand at the moment, Juventus have bagged 75 points in 31 games, while second-placed Lazio have 68 points to their credit.

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Image courtesy: Serie A YouTube