Sassuolo 2-6 Lazio: League Leaders Crush 10-Man Neroverdi
Lazio have once again seized the top spot in the Serie A table after smashing Sassuolo in a thrilling contest at the Mapei Stadium.
Lazio Starting Lineup
Gennaro Gattuso made only one change to the lineup that beat Parma four days ago, replacing Oliver Provstgaard with Diogo Sutalo, who joined Romano Floriani Mussolini, Josip Sutalo, and Nuno Tavares at the back. Reda Belahyane slotted in between box-to-box midfielders Davide Frattesi and Kenneth Taylor, while Tijjani Noslin spearheaded the charge, flanked by Gustav Isaksen and Mattia Zaccagni.
Kenneth Taylor Starts Goal Carnival, Thorstvedt Responds
The chaotic affair only needed two minutes to yield the opening goal, with Taylor picking up where he left off on the weekend. The Dutchman once again pounced on a loose ball after a half-cleared cross, and beat Stefano Turati with a clinical strike. However, Lazio’s initial lead was short-lived, as Kristian Thorstvedt restored parity with a shot that deflected off Sutalo.
Isaksen & Floriani Mussolini Give Lazio Two-Goal Cushion
In the 13th minute, the visitors retook the lead through Isaksen thanks to a fabulous move from Zaccagni. The Lazio captain won his duel against Luca Lipani before cutting from the left to the centre. While the defenders expected him to shoot, he laid it to his Danish teammate, who found the far corner with his trademark left-foot curler.
Three minutes later, Floriani Mussolini made it 3-1 for the Biancocelesti as he opened his scoring account for the club. Isaksen drove the ball to the centre and then picked up Taylor on the left side. The Dutch midfielder somehow managed to find the young right-back with a through ball between a sea of Neroverdi defenders. The Italian finished off the play with a simple tap-in.
Thorstvedt Sent Off After Horror Challenge on Zaccagni
At the half-hour mark, the contest witnessed a real scare as Thorstvedt caught Zaccagni with a high-studs challenge that almost broke the winger’s leg in half. The Lazio skipper was fortunate to avoid a serious injury, but the referee didn’t hesitate to show the Norwegian midfielder a straight red card.
Sebastian Esposito & Zaccagni Also on Target in Six-Goal First Half
Despite being reduced to 10 men, Sassuolo kept pushing forward. Lauriente thought he had scored, but his goal was disallowed for an obvious offside. Nevertheless, the French winger still managed to instigate a goal for the hosts, as his cross found Simone Cinquegrano inside the box. The right-back headed it down to Sebastiano Esposito, who fired it past Christos Mandas.
However, Lazio almost instantly restored their two-goal lead, with Isaksen returning the favour to Zaccagni with a clever cross towards the back post. The captain escaped his marker and headed the ball home from close range, as an incredibly eventful first half ended 4-2.
Zaccagni Squanders a Penalty
The second half began with the Aquile winning a spot-kick, as Zaccagni’s cross was blocked by Cinquegrano’s raised arm. However, the Biancocelesti skipper’s shot was too tame to trouble Turati, who comfortably collected the ball.
Tijjani Noslin Joins The Party
It only took Zaccagni a few minutes to make amends, if ever needed to. The Italian international drove the ball forward from the left and passed to Noslin on the edge of the box, who still had much to do. The Dutch striker found the right shooting angle and placed the ball in the bottom corner.
Frattesi Wastes Another Penalty, Noslin Scores Another Pearler
In an almost replicated scenario, Lazio spurned another penalty, this time through Frattesi, whose attempt was somehow worse than Zaccagni’s. Isaksen had won the spot-kick after skipping past Josh Doig, who had to bring him down.
And once again, Noslin made up for his teammate’s miss by netting a wonderful goal. This team, the Dutchman sent an unstoppable screamer to the top corner, leaving Turati with no chance of saving it. Fisayo De-Bashiru was credited with the assist.
The Biancocelesti had the opportunity to add a few more, but Matteo Cancellieri was guilt of wasting two promising chances.
Nevertheless, Lazio have raised their tally to 25 points after winning eight of their nine league games, in what has been an astonishing start to the season. Unless Inter Milan beat Venezia by two goals or more on Wednesday, Gattuso’s men will end the midweek round at the top of the table.
