Lazio 2-1 Cagliari: Lazio beat nine-man visitors to win their third straight Serie A match

Lazio ascended to fifth place in Serie A after successfully fending off a Cagliari resurgence, securing a 2-1 victory at the Stadio Olimpico and preventing the visitors from achieving their first win at this venue since 2013.

The well-performing Lazio team took an early lead in the second minute when Boulaye Dia capitalized on a rebound following Simone Scuffet’s save of Luca Pellegrini’s free-kick.

This goal marked Dia’s 24th in Serie A, allowing him to surpass M'Baye Niang as the third-highest Senegalese scorer in the league's history.

Cagliari, facing their third consecutive challenge after two successive goalless defeats, struggled to find their rhythm while Lazio maintained dominance. Taty Castellanos came close, hitting the woodwork from a distance, while Scuffet was forced to scramble to avert further danger.

As the first half progressed, Davide Nicola’s team began to find their footing, ultimately equalizing through Zito Luvumbo.

The Angolan's powerful low shot from within the area deflected off Mario Gila, deceiving Ivan Provedel and settling into the bottom left corner, thus restoring balance before halftime.

The visitors aimed to carry their momentum into the second half; however, it was Lazio who posed the first threat, with Matias Vecino's close-range effort being expertly cleared off the line by Cagliari defender Sebastiano Luperto, followed by Castellanos narrowly missing the target from inside the box.

Cagliari's situation deteriorated quickly, as they conceded a penalty due to Nadir Zortea’s reckless challenge, with Mattia Zaccagni converting the spot-kick with confidence just 15 minutes from the end.

Cagliari found themselves in need of a second comeback; however, their aspirations quickly diminished when Yerry Mina and Michel Adopo were both dismissed within a minute of each other.

This incident led to Cagliari suffering their fifth away defeat in eight matches, while Marco Baroni’s Biancocelesti closed the gap to league leaders Napoli to three points with this victory, marking their fifth consecutive win at the Stadio Olimpico.

Lazio is now unbeaten in 11 straight home league matches and has extended their unbeaten streak in Serie A encounters to 19 games, leaving the visitors precariously positioned just one point above the relegation zone after 11 rounds.

SportsLigue