Alone for a night
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Game 8, Serie A
Saturday, 24 October, 2026
Stadio Olimpico, Rome
Lazio Parma 2-1
Lazio overcome Parma, not without difficulty, to move to the top of the table on their own, at least for the time being
The team
Rino Gattuso decided to follow the old motto of “never change a winning team”, naming the same starting eleven that had beaten Juventus the previous week. He did not have much choice anyway, particularly with Andrea Pinamonti unavailable because of flu. At least Matteo Cancellieri was back on the bench after his injury, giving the coach a few more options.
First half
The Biancocelesti knew this was not going to be an easy evening, and Parma made that clear almost immediately. In the sixth minute, David Romero went past Oliver Provstgaard with surprising ease and broke forward. Reda Belahyane was unable to stop him and, once inside the box, the Parma forward tried to beat Christos Mandas. The Greek goalkeeper, however, managed to save with his foot.
Two minutes later came what could have been a game-changing incident. Nuno Tavares passed to Davide Frattesi, who was held and kicked by Mariano Troilo inside the penalty area. It looked like a penalty and potentially a red card, but the referee saw nothing wrong. VAR, meanwhile, appeared to be taking a coffee break.
Just 60 seconds later, Parma threatened again. Emanuele Valeri crossed from the left and El Bilal Touré headed towards the far corner, but Mandas once again denied the visitors.
Lazio responded in the 24th minute. Mattia Zaccagni, operating on the left inside the box, produced a clever chipped pass over the defenders towards Gustav Isaksen at the far post. The Dane's header struck the crossbar, while Tijjani Noslin was unable to get a touch on the rebound.
Romero tried again two minutes later, but Mandas was equal to his effort. In the 43rd minute, Kenneth Taylor forced a good save from Edoardo Corvi with a shot from outside the box. During added time, Romano Floriani met a cross from Nuno Tavares with a header, but his effort lacked power.
It had been an entertaining first half, with Parma causing Lazio a few problems. The Biancocelesti were perhaps a little too slow in their play and had not quite found their rhythm.
Second half
Gattuso had seen enough of Provstgaard's difficulties and replaced him with Diogo Leite at half-time. The change helped stabilise the defence, while an increase in tempo at the start of the second half gave Lazio greater control. The home side soon struck twice in quick succession, effectively sealing the victory.
In the 50th minute, Belahyane attempted to find Zaccagni, but Diego Carlos intercepted the pass. Taylor collected the ball, advanced and finished confidently to put Lazio ahead.
Eight minutes later, Frattesi chipped the ball over a defender into the path of Nuno Tavares on the left. The Portuguese full-back sent a volley across the face of goal and Diego Carlos, attempting to get there before Noslin, could only turn the ball into his own net.
At 2-0, the game appeared to be over. Lazio looked for a third goal, but attempts from Zaccagni and Frattesi failed to find the target.
Then, just as the match was coming to an end, Parma pulled one back. In the fifth minute of added time, Simone Lontani attempted a cross that caught Mandas by surprise. The ball struck the inside of the post and crossed the goal line. There was a brief moment of panic, but Lazio managed to hold on through the remaining two minutes.
The final whistle confirmed a 2-1 victory. Lazio were temporarily solitary leaders at the top of Serie A, awaiting Sunday's match between Inter and Venezia to discover whether they would still be there at the end of the weekend.
Who played for Lazio
Mandas, Floriani, Šutalo, Provstgaard (46' Diogo Leite), Nuno Tavares, Frattesi, Belahyane, Taylor (71' Dele-Bashiru), Isaksen (77' Lazzari), Noslin, Zaccagni (77' Pedraza)
Substitutes: Motta, Renzetti, Pellegrini, Doekhi, Cancellieri, Przyborek, Cataldi, Serra, Farcomeni, F. Bordon
Manager: Gattuso
Who played for Parma
Corvi, Drobnic, Troilo, Diego Carlos (72' Frigan), Delprato, Ordonez (83' Lontani), Sierro (46' Bernabè), Keita, Valeri, Romero (78' Fabbian), Touré
Substitutes: Ghidotti, Daffara, Ndiaye, Diallo, Cremaschi, De Martis, Britschgi, Carboni, Konate
Manager: Gilardino.
Referee: Arena
Goals: 50' Taylor, 58' Diego Carlos (og), 90'+5' Lontani
Booked: Provstgaard, Sierro
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