Lazio striker Boulaye Dia expressed deep disappointment following his side’s dramatic elimination from the UEFA Europa League at the hands of Norwegian underdogs Bodø/Glimt, after a tense quarter-final second leg that ended in a penalty shootout.
Having gone into the match trailing 2-0 from the first leg, Lazio mounted a stirring comeback at the Stadio Olimpico.
The Italian side overturned the deficit with a 3-1 victory in regular time, pushing the tie into extra time and then penalties.
But despite the spirited performance, the dream ended painfully as Bodø/Glimt edged the shootout 3-2, advancing to the semi-finals.
Dia, who ended his personal goal drought by scoring Lazio’s crucial third goal in the match—his 12th of the season—could not hide his anguish after the final whistle.
Speaking to Sky Sports Italia, the Senegal international described the exit as “difficult to accept.”
“It hurts to finish the Europa League like this,” said Dia. “We played a perfect match, we came back, gave everything, and believed until the end.
The goal in the last minute of regular time, going 3-0 up in extra time—it felt like we had it. But then we conceded and went to penalties.
That’s hard to accept, especially after all the effort we put in tonight.”
Lazio had dominated much of the second leg, with Dia playing a central role in the comeback. His goal, which restored Lazio’s aggregate lead in extra time, came after an 11-match run without scoring.
Yet his celebration was short-lived, as Bodø/Glimt responded with a goal that levelled the tie on aggregate once more, forcing a shootout.
In the penalty decider, Lazio faltered under pressure, converting only two of their spot-kicks, while the visitors held their nerve to complete an unlikely turnaround.
Dia did find the net in the shootout, but his contribution was not enough to prevent Lazio’s exit from the competition.
A visibly emotional Dia acknowledged the backing of the home crowd, who turned out in large numbers for what was expected to be a routine night for the Italian side.
“We gave it our all,” he added. “It was only right to go and thank our supporters. They were there for us from the first minute to the last.
The stadium was full, and they saw that we left everything on the pitch. That’s football. Penalties are technical and unpredictable—they can change everything.”
The result ends what had been a promising European campaign for Lazio, who had finished top of their group in the earlier rounds and entered the knockout stages as one of the tournament favourites. For Dia, it marks a bitter moment in what has otherwise been a strong individual season.
A former standout at Stade de Reims and Villarreal, Dia joined Lazio with expectations of delivering goals at the highest level, and while his scoring touch returned in this crucial fixture, the outcome was ultimately decided by the smallest of margins.
As Lazio now turn their focus back to domestic competition, Dia and his teammates will look to regroup and channel their disappointment into finishing the season strongly in Serie A. But the sting of their Europa League exit—particularly in such agonising fashion—will take time to fade.
