Lazio took advantage of city rivals Roma dropping points in a goalless draw away to Como to join Inter at the top of the Italian league standings, beating a depleted Monza 3–1 at home on Sunday in the sixth round. The victory also marked the best start to a season in Lazio’s history.
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AC Milan missed an opportunity to close the gap on the top two after drawing 1–1 away to Sassuolo. Cagliari also missed the chance to move up the standings after drawing 1–1 with Juventus.
Lazio maintained their unbeaten record, matching leaders Inter on 16 points, although Inter remain ahead on goal difference. The result gave Lazio their fifth win in six matches.
Gennaro Gattuso’s side secured their third consecutive victory thanks to goals from Portuguese player Nuno Tavares in the third minute, Denmark’s Gustav Isaksen in the 23rd, and Andrea Pinamonti in the 88th. Georgia’s Saba Goglichidze scored Monza’s goal in the 43rd minute, despite Lorenzo Luccesi having been sent off in the 35th.
Lazio are enjoying the best start to a season in their history, but the stands at the Stadio Olimpico remain almost empty. The club’s ultras have been boycotting home matches since last season because of their deep-running dispute with president and owner Claudio Lotito.
The victory comes ahead of Lazio’s meeting with Juventus next week, as the capital club seek to maintain their strong run and compete for the Serie A title for the third time in their history and the first time in 26 years.
Despite the win, Gattuso angrily criticized his team’s performance.
“It is disappointing to play a first half at this level, then allow the opposition to take the initiative in the second half and struggle like this. The situation cannot continue this way; this is not the first time it has happened,” he said.
Gattuso, who is seeking to revive his career after failing to qualify for the World Cup with Italy’s national team, added: “Competing for the top positions is not our concern at the moment. We have to take things day by day and stick to our approach based on hard work and seriousness. Then we will see how far we can go.”
Roma escape with a point
Roma, the other club from the capital, hoped to remain level with Inter, who beat Parma 2–0 on Saturday. However, after playing with 10 men for more than half an hour, Roma remained two points behind Inter and Lazio, with 14 points compared with the leaders’ 16. Como moved up to 11 points.
It was Roma’s third draw in their last four matches across all competitions.
The point may be a satisfactory result for Gian Piero Gasperini’s side, given that they were reduced to 10 men from the 53rd minute after Dutch striker Donyell Malen was shown a straight red card for a dangerous challenge on Brazilian player Kaiki.
Despite Como’s numerous attempts to score against 10 men, Roma kept a clean sheet. They now have the league’s second-best defensive record, behind Cagliari, who have conceded two goals.
Roma face a difficult task on Wednesday when they host Real Madrid, led by their former Portuguese coach José Mourinho, in the Champions League. The match follows a disappointing opening draw in Turkey against Fenerbahçe.
Como, meanwhile, who are competing in the Champions League for the first time, will visit Dutch side Feyenoord after opening their campaign with an emphatic 4–1 win over Germany’s RB Leipzig.
Roma came close to opening the scoring in the 11th minute when captain Lorenzo Pellegrini’s shot from just outside the penalty area struck the post.
Malen missed another opportunity before half-time, sending a shot from a tight angle into the side netting.
After the Dutch striker’s dismissal, Como sought to capitalize on their numerical advantage. Argentina’s Nico Paz fired over the crossbar before goalkeeper Pierluigi Gollini saved two further attempts from Paz in the 70th and 77th minutes. Despite dominating possession, Cesc Fàbregas’s side could not find a winner.
Gasperini praised his team’s performance, saying: “When you play for 30 minutes with 10 men against a team like Como, you are satisfied to come away with a point.”
Cagliari move into fourth despite draw
AC Milan dropped points again after drawing 1–1 away to Sassuolo.
The Lombardy club took the lead through French midfielder Adrien Rabiot, but the hosts secured a draw through Dutch player Cas Odenthal in the 68th minute.
Portuguese coach Rúben Amorim’s side could have taken advantage of Roma’s dropped points to draw level with them in third place, but Milan remained fourth with 12 points.
Cagliari also missed the opportunity to move into third after drawing 1–1 with Juventus.
Cagliari, who have made an impressive start to the season, climbed to fourth ahead of Milan with 13 points, one behind third-placed Roma.
Cagliari took the lead through Daniel Maldini in the 20th minute, but French forward Randal Kolo Muani equalized for Juventus in the 81st minute.
Juventus moved up to sixth place with 11 points.
Bologna secured their first win in six attempts by beating Lecce 2–1 away from home.
Riccardo Orsolini scored for Bologna in the 17th minute, followed by Dutch player Jay Enem in the 75th. Swedish player of Somali origin Ammar Fattah scored Lecce’s goal in the 64th minute.
Resource: AFP
