Lazio, Jannik Sinner-style: a tennis-like victory (with two missed penalty kicks) and sole possession of first place
Lazio crushed Sassuolo 6-2 on the road and secured another victory, climbing to 25 points in the standings and enjoying sole possession of first place—at least for one night. A spectacular match unfolded at Mapei Stadium, packed with goals and dramatic moments, as the Biancocelesti managed to prevail despite missing two penalty kicks. It was a night to forget, however, for the Neroverdi, who suffered their fourth loss in their last five league matches, despite goalkeeper Turati’s record-breaking performance.
Gattuso’s team came out firing and opened the scoring after just two minutes with a goal by Taylor. The midfielder, formerly of Ajax, beat Turati with a left-footed shot inside the box. The goal was upheld after a lengthy VAR review of Frattesi’s offside position, which was deemed not to have affected the goalkeeper’s ability to make the save. Sassuolo responded and equalized through Thorstvedt, who, at the end of a nice play, finished with a shot from the edge of the box off an assist from Doig.
Lazio, however, remained composed and regained the lead in the 13th minute through Isaksen. Just a few minutes later, they scored their third goal: Floriani Mussolini timed his run perfectly and capitalized on a great assist from Taylor to score his first Serie A goal. In the 31st minute, the match became even more complicated for the home team. Thorstvedt made a reckless challenge on Zaccagni, and referee Zufferli showed him a straight red card, leaving Sassuolo down to ten men. Despite being a man down, the Neroverdi managed to pull one back in the 43rd minute through Sebastiano Esposito, who skillfully controlled the ball with his chest and volleyed it in off a header from Cinquegrano.
In stoppage time of the first half, however, Lazio restored their two-goal lead through Mattia Zaccagni, who, left unmarked in the box, headed home his first goal from open play in this league season. The teams headed into the locker rooms with the score 4-2 in favor of the visitors, at the end of a thrilling first half.
The second half began with another incident: just two minutes in, Zaccagni’s cross struck Cinquegrano’s arm, and Zufferli awarded Lazio a penalty kick. The Biancocelesti’s No. 10 stepped up to take the kick, but Turati read the shot and made the save. In the 55th minute, however, Gattuso’s team scored their fifth goal, courtesy of Noslin with a long-range shot. The match continued to deliver twists and turns, and in the 61st minute, Lazio had another chance from the penalty spot. This time, Frattesi took the kick, but Turati remained the star of the show and saved his second penalty of the night.
Sassuolo, however, failed to capitalize on the opportunity to get back into the game. In fact, four minutes later, Noslin found the back of the net again with another shot from outside the box—even more spectacular than the previous one—completing his brace and bringing the score to 6-2. In the final stretch of the match, Lazio managed their comfortable lead, with Gattuso giving some playing time to reserve players. The Biancocelesti also came close to scoring a seventh goal through Cancellieri, but were unable to add to their tally.
