Davide Frattesi does it again: Lazio beats Genoa 1-0; the Biancocelesti remain undefeated
Gennaro Gattuso’s Lazio built on their victory in Bologna and also secured their first home win of the season, defeating Genoa by the same score as a week earlier at the Dall’Ara: 1-0. Once again, Davide Frattesi was the hero for the Biancocelesti, scoring both of his team’s only two goals in Serie A so far this season. It was enough, however, to keep the Biancocelesti with a perfect record.
A match that started off rather disjointed—though generally in Genoa’s favor—suddenly shifted course after twenty minutes. The first real scoring chances came from runs by Cancellieri, Taylor, and Dia, with the latter looking to set up Frattesi only to be shut down at the last moment by Sow. But the former Inter midfielder confirmed his hot streak by making the most of Nuno Tavares’ cross to slot the ball into the net. The end of the half then saw the Biancocelesti dominate, but Tavares, Taylor, and Zaccagni failed to double the lead. The Portuguese player, after a header in the third attempt, also hit the post.
In the second half, Nuno Tavares and Zaccagni tried again, but Genoa held on. The Biancocelesti captain even attempted a backheel pass to the Portuguese player, but it was blocked by Colombo. Then, on a counterattack, Cancellieri sent the ball wide. Genoa didn’t seem to have the strength to respond, but the visitors failed to close out the game: Zaccagni again attempted a curling shot but missed the target, then Doekhi spectacularly missed a tap-in off a loose ball from Isaksen. Disaster looms, but Meichtry spares Mandas, who makes a spectacular save on Frendrup’s header in stoppage time.
It’s worth highlighting the context in which this victory took place: Lazio played the match in front of an almost completely empty Stadio Olimpico, with fans choosing to boycott the stands in protest against the club. A surreal atmosphere, then, which nevertheless did not prevent Gattuso’s team from taking home another three precious points.
For Daniele De Rossi’s Genoa, on the other hand, this marks their second consecutive loss following their home defeat against Napoli on the first matchday: the Rossoblù thus remain at zero points in the standings after two rounds. It’s been a difficult start to the season for the Roman coach, who had already endured an underwhelming run in the Coppa Italia, though the Grifone had managed to get past Ascoli in the second round before facing tougher opponents.
Also worth noting is a transfer rumor linked to this very match: among the players on the field was Matteo Cancellieri, a Lazio forward who had long been linked to Genoa in recent weeks. According to rumors, De Rossi’s Rossoblù had set their sights on the winger born in 2002, with the deal reportedly in an advanced stage, pending the player’s green light for a move to Liguria. Gattuso had already given his approval for the transfer, but evidently the deal has not yet been finalized, and Cancellieri thus played the match as an opponent of the very club that was courting him.
On the transfer front, Lazio is also looking ahead: the Biancocelesti have already officially announced the permanent signing of Andrea Pinamonti from Sassuolo for approximately 12 million euros, and in recent hours there has also been talk of a possible reinforcement on the wings with Edon Zhegrova of Juventus, who has been proposed on loan. With the transfer window still open, Gattuso could soon have new weapons at his disposal to tackle the rest of the season in the best possible way.
