Lazio continued their impressive run in Serie A with a 2-1 victory over Cagliari on Monday evening, marking their eighth win in their last nine matches across all competitions. The match was notably impacted by the double sending-off of Yerry Mina and Michel Adopo just 15 minutes from the final whistle.
The team’s recent form has been remarkable, with their only defeat since mid-September coming in a narrow 1-0 loss to Juventus. This success has earned coach Marco Baroni the accolade of Coach of the Month.
Lazio wasted no time in taking control of the match, scoring just two minutes in. Luca Pellegrini delivered a dangerous free-kick that bounced awkwardly in front of Cagliari goalkeeper Simone Scuffet, who could only parry it back into play. The alert striker, Felipe Anderson, was quick to capitalize on the opportunity.
Midway through the first half, Taty Castellanos nearly doubled Lazio’s lead with a powerful shot from 25 yards that tested Scuffet’s reflexes. However, Cagliari managed to level the score through a well-executed team play. Antoine Makoumbou found Luvumbo in the box, who skillfully spun past his marker and found the bottom corner with a deflected shot.
The turning point came in the second half when Pellegrini was fouled in the area by Nadir Zortea after following up on a clearance. After a brief VAR review, a penalty was awarded. Mattia Zaccagni, who had just come off the bench, stepped up and confidently converted the penalty into the bottom corner for his second goal of the season.
Things quickly deteriorated for Cagliari after conceding the penalty. Yerry Mina received his second yellow card for a foul on Castellanos during a counter-attack, and shortly after, Michel Adopo was also sent off for dissent.
Despite being reduced to nine men, Cagliari had shown promise in the second half before Zaccagni’s penalty changed the momentum of the game. Lazio could have extended their lead further but were thwarted by some desperate defending and missed opportunities from Pedro and Castellanos.
With this victory, Lazio climbed to fifth place in Serie A, amassing 22 points from 11 matches. They are now level on points with Atalanta in third place and just three points behind league leaders Napoli as they look to build on their strong start to the season.
Goals: Dia 2′ (L), Luvumbo 41′ (C), Zaccagni 76′ (L)
Sent off: Mina 78′ Mina (C), Adopo 78′ (C)
Lazio (4-2-3-1): Provedel; Lazzari (81′ Marusic), Gila, Romagnoli, Pellegrini; Guendouzi (74′ Zaccagni), Rovella; Isaksen (63′ Pedro), Dia (81′ Dele-Bashiru), Noslin (46′ Vecino); Castellanos
Cagliari (4-2-3-1): Scuffet; Zappa, Mina, Luperto, Augello (68′ Obert); Adopo, Makoumbou; Zortea (78′ Felici), Gaetano (68′ Viola), Luvumbo (84′ Palomino); Piccoli (84′ Deiola)
