Lazio have now won eight of their last nine matches across all competitions after securing a 2-1 victory at home to Cagliari in Serie A on Monday evening, which was made easier by the double-sending off of Yerry Mina and Michel Adopo 15 minutes from time.
Lazio have been on impressive form over the last few weeks, which resulted in a coach of the month award for Marco Baroni. The 1-0 loss against Juventus is the team’s only defeat in any competition since mid-September.
It took just two minutes of the game for the hosts to poke themselves ahead.
Luca Pellegrini delivered a troubling free-kick after a penalty-style jumping run-up. The delivery bounced right in front of Simone Scuffet, who parried back into danger where the alert Dia was ready to clear up.
Taty Castellanos stung Scuffet’s palms midway through the second half with a driven effort from 25 yards out for Lazio’s second-closest effort of the first half.
Cagliari were back level after a fine piece of team play in the final third. Antoine Makoumbou fired the ball into the feet of Luvumbo in the area, who was able to spin his man and find the bottom corner, with the help of a significant deflection.
Pellegrini was involved in the goal-scoring action again mid-way through the second-half. He burst into the Cagliari area to follow-up on a semi-clearance, but was clipped by Nadir Zortea on his way into the box.
A brief VAR check ensued, and the penalty was eventually awarded. Mattia Zaccagni, who had only emerged from the substitutes’ bench a few moments earlier, dispatched a powerful effort into the bottom corner for his second goal of the season.
Things went from bad to significantly worse for Cagliari immediately after the restart. Yerry Mina was shown his second yellow card of the game for bringing down Castellanos on the counter-attack, and then Michel Adopo was also given his second yellow for his protests in the aftermath.
It was a shame for Cagliari, who had arguably been the stronger of the two sides in the second-half until Zaccagni’s penalty.
Lazio could have put themselves further ahead before the end of time, but they were denied by some desperate defending and a few untidy finishes from Pedro and Castellanos.
Lazio are now up to fifth in Serie A with 22 points form 11 league matches. They are level on points with Atalanta in third and only three points off the current league leaders, Napoli.
Full-time: Lazio 2-1 Cagliari
Dia (L) 2’, Luvumbo (C) 41’, Zaccagni (76’).
Player statistic
| Boulaye Dia |  |
2' | ||
| 9' |  |
Michel Adopo | ||
| 17' | |
Tommaso Augello | ||
| Tijjani Noslin | |
25' | ||
| 29' | |
Yerry Mina | ||
| 41' | |
Zito Luvumbo (Assist: Antoine Makoumbou) |
| 49' | |
Gabriele Zappa | ||
| Manuel Lazzari | |
61' | ||
| 64' | |
Zito Luvumbo |
