Player Ratings: Lazio 2-1 Cagliari – Isaksen Punishes The Islanders

At the Stadio Olimpico in Rome, Lazio overtook Inter Milan at the Serie A summit with a 2-1 victory over Cagliari.

M’Bala Nzola stunned the home crowd with a sneaky opener in the 20th minute, but Gustav Isaksen responded with an absolute pearler in the 36th minute. In the second half, Andrea Pinamonti entered the pitch to win the game for the Biancocelesti with a real striker’s goal.

It’s time to hand out our player ratings for Lazio, who astonishingly lead the Serie A after 10 rounds thanks to their slim win over Cagliari.

Lazio XI (4-3-3)

Christos Mandas – 6

The Greek was wrong-footed by Nzola, as he didn’t have enough time to properly react to the opener. He made a few routine saves afterwards in what was a relatively quiet afternoon from a personal perspective.

Romano Floriani Mussolini – 6

The Lazio youth product was composed at the back, but his attacking contributions were limited on this occasion.

Josip Sutalo – 6

The Croatian had a solid outing overall, but he was slow to react to Fadera’s assist to Nzola, who beat him to the ball on the opener.

Oliver Provstgaard – 6.5

A mixed bag from the Danish defender, who was complacent on a couple of occasions, but made decisive interventions to stop dangerous Cagliari attacks. Wins points for his improved distribution.

Nuno Tavares – 5.5

The Portuguese international struggled to contain Alieu Fadera in the early going. He slightly improved when his opposite number left the pitch injured, but it was an underwhelming showing by his high standards, so Gattuso hooked him early in the second half.

Davide Frattesi – 5

The Italian international gave possession away with a casual pass that led to Cagliari’s goal, and fell down too easily in the box following Jacobo Fazzini’s challenge, hoping to win a penalty. He was hooked before the hour mark after a forgettable outing.

Reda Belahyane – 6

The Moroccan may have been one of the main culprits on the opener, but he had made an important block before falling victim to an awkward bounce that sent the ball straight back to Fadera. He also played a small part in the equaliser.

Kenneth Taylor – 6.5

The Dutchman’s afternoon was blemished by a poor shot when he should have hit the target from close range. But otherwise, it was a highly influential display from the former Ajax midfielder who produced the ‘pre-assist’ on the equaliser with a fabulous backheel. He was all over the pitch, winning back possession on several occasions.

Gustav Isaksen – 8

Another splendid showing from the Danish winger, who scored his third goal in the last four games, this time with a breathtaking lob that sailed over everyone and left Elia Caprile stranded.

After fading at the start of the second half, he burst to life in the final stages. Almost completed a brace with a trademark left foot, instigated Pinamonti’s winner with a run and cross, and prompted a second yellow card for Adam Obert, which effectively killed the game.

Tijjani Noslin – 6.5

Another impactful outing from the Dutch attacker started the game as a centre-forward, before moving to the left wing following Zaccagni’s injury. Set up Frattesi early in the match and produced the assist for Isaksen’s equaliser.

Mattia Zaccagni – 6

Lazio fans will be sweating over the captain’s fitness, as he left the pitch early in the second half after hurting his calf following a challenge on Alessandro Romano. The winger created a few chances during the first period and had a shot on target.

Substitutes

Andrea Pinamonti – 7

The Italian striker didn’t see much of the ball during his cameo, but he made a couple of positive contributions before producing the most important touch of the game: a clinical header that gave Lazio all three points.

Fisayo Dele-Bashiru – 6.5

Another impressive cameo from the Nigerian, who was an instant upgrade on Frattesi. The Cagliari players struggled to contain his runs, and he arguably should have won Lazio a penalty. Won back possession on the play that culminated in Pinamonti’s winner.

Alfonso Pedraza – 6

Another impactful substitution from Gattuso. The Spanish left-back was more composed than Tavares and provided the assist for Pinamonti, albeit with an unconventional square ball that bounced off the ground.

Diogo Leite – N/A

Danilo Cataldi – N/A