Immobile hits hat-trick as Lazio thump Verona

Serie A leading scorer Ciro Immobile scored a hat-trick, taking his tally to 34 league goals this season, as Lazio came from behind to thump Verona 5-1 away on Sunday.

The 30-year-old converted two penalties and scored with a majestic curling shot to leave him two goals short of Gonzalo Higuain's record of 36 goals in a Serie A season with two matches to play.

Fourth-placed Lazio gifted the hosts a penalty in the 38th minute when Luiz Felipe allowed Valentin Eysseric to steal the ball off him and then tripped the Verona player. Morocco midfielder Sofyan Amrabat converted to claim his first goal for Verona.

The visitors levelled with another penalty in the fifth minute of first-half stoppage time after Darko Lazovic clattered into Immobile and handled in the process.

After consulting the pitchside monitor, the referee pointed to the spot and Immobile placed his penalty beyond the reach of Verona's debutant goalkeeper Boris Radunovic.

Sergej Milinkovic-Savic put Lazio ahead in the 56th minute from a free kick which took a deflection that wrong-footed Radunovic and Joaquin Correa added another seven minutes later with another deflected shot.

Immobile then produced the best goal of the evening, side-footing a curling shot into the net from Jordan Lukaku's pass before winning and converting another penalty in stoppage time.

With two games left, Lazio have 75 points, below Atalanta on their head-to-head record and five behind leaders Juventus who need a win at home to Sampdoria later on Sunday to wrap up the title.