Serie A: Lazio and Bologna Get Back on Track with a Win. Juric Furious at the Olimpico

Lazio and Bologna both won their 3:00 p.m. matches on Matchday 6 of Serie A. The Biancocelesti prevailed 3-1 at the Olimpico against Monza (amid some controversy), while the Rossoblù secured an important 2-1 road win at Lecce. Thanks to these results, Lazio sits atop the standings alongside Inter with 16 points, while Bologna is in 13th place with five points.

Gattuso’s team got off to a strong start at the Olimpico, immediately breaking through Monza’s defense in the 3rd minute with Tavares, who scored with a beautiful left-footed shot from outside the box. Monza had a goal disallowed for offside, and in the 23rd minute, the home team doubled their lead through Isaksen, assisted by Noslin.

The situation for the visitors then took a definitive turn for the worse when, in the 35th minute, Lucchesi was sent off for a last-man foul. Referee Collu, however, came under fire from Monza and coach Juric because, just seconds earlier, there had been a hard challenge in the box between Nuno Tavares and Samuele Birindelli, which the referee, after consulting VAR, decided not to award a penalty kick in favor of the Lombardy side.

Early in the second half, Goglichidze got his team back in the game on an assist from Dany Mota: Monza came close to equalizing on several occasions through Birindelli and Mota, but in the 88th minute, Pinamonti scored the goal that sealed the match.

Bologna’s victory at Lecce’s Via del Mare was also hard-fought. Orsolini, with a splendid aerial acrobatic finish off a cross from Cambiaghi, gave the visitors the lead; they nearly doubled their lead before halftime through Miranda, but his shot was denied by a great save from Falcone.

In the second half, the home team equalized through Fatah, thanks to a decisive mistake by Pessina as he came off his line in the 65th minute, but in the 76th minute, the Emilian side regained the lead through Enem, who made it 2-1 off another assist from the unstoppable Cambiaghi. Raffele Palladino’s team suffered greatly toward the end of the match: in the 87th minute, after another mistake by Pessina, Geubbels failed to capitalize, shooting wide from just a few steps out.