It was a four-goal thriller at the Olimpico on Walter Mazzarri’s Cagliari debut, as only a Danilo Cataldi missile rescued a point for Lazio.
Maurizio Sarri was in the stands due to his two-match ban for a post-Milan row with Alexis Saelemaekers, so assistant Giovanni Martusciello was on the bench. The Sardinians sacked Leonardo Semplici after one point from three rounds, bringing in Walter Mazzarri for his debut, but Kevin Strootman, Diego Godin and Marko Rog were injured.
Manuel Lazzari had to make a crucial block on Keita Balde Diao, facing his former club, while Nahitan Nandez turned a free header over at the back post.
The deadlock was finally broken on the stroke of half-time, as Sergej Milinkovic-Savic swung in a cross from the right and Ciro Immobile got in front of his marker for a glancing header at the near post into the far bottom corner. It was the first time since Sarri took over that Lazio had opened the scoring.
Within seconds of the restart, Cagliari had snatched an equaliser. Joao Pedro laid it off for Razvan Marin and continued his run into the box, springing the offside trap for a header on the return ball over the top, looping it past stranded Pepe Reina.
The Sardinians then turned the game around completely, as Joao Pedro burst down the left and pulled back for Keita Balde, who had all the time he needed to control, pick his spot and drill home from 12 yards against his former club.
Luis Alberto’s screamer on a short corner was beaten away by Cragno, but there was nothing the Cagliari goalkeeper could do when Danilo Cataldi placed a ground-to-air missile into the far top corner from the edge of the area.
Gabriele Zappa received his second yellow card in stoppages, reducing Cagliari to 10 men.
Lazio 2-2 Cagliari
Immobile 45 (L), Joao Pedro 46 (C), Keita Balde 62 (C), Cataldi 83 (L)
Sent off: Zappa 93 (C)