Lazio defeated Monza 3-1 at the Stadio Olimpico during the sixth round of Serie A on October 11, 2026, holding onto the top of the league table alongside Inter Milan. Nuno Tavares opened the scoring in the 3rd minute with a fierce left-footed strike into the top corner, before Gustav Isaksen doubled the lead in the 23rd minute. Monza played much of the match with ten men after Filippo Lucchesi received a straight red card in the 35th minute. Lorenzo Pinamonti sealed the three points for the hosts with an 88th-minute goal.
Early Strikes and Tactical Disarray Define the First Half
The match began with immediate pressure from the home side in Rome. Lazio maintained their momentum, forcing Tornqvist to block a low left-footed effort from Tijani Noslin shortly after.
In the 18th minute, former midfielder Davide Frattesi headed just wide for Lazio. A minute later, the visitors thought they had leveled the score when Leonardo Varela found the back of the net following a strong run by Akinsanmiro, but the referee disallowed the goal for an offside infraction against the Portuguese forward. Lazio punished that missed chance in the 23rd minute. Noslin provided the assist, setting up Isaksen to curl a low left-footed shot into the far corner for a 2-0 advantage.
Turning Point Arrives with Lucchesi’s Red Card
The defining disciplinary moment of the fixture arrived in the 35th minute. Alessandro Birindelli went down inside the penalty area following a challenge from Noslin, drawing loud penalty appeals from the Monza bench and players. Play continued without a whistle, and Lazio immediately launched a counterattack. As Noslin raced through on goal, defender Filippo Lucchesi pulled him back. Referee Collu brandished a straight red card to Lucchesi, reducing Monza to ten men.
First half was very bad, I didn’t like anything, there was nothing of what we had prepared,
Palladino said. The attitude wasn’t good from everyone.
In ten men I saw my team, we weren’t able to make an impact in the first fraction.
Second-Half Surge and Goglichidze Debut Goal
Monza emerged from the locker room altered by a triple substitution, bringing on Dany Mota, Foe Ondoa, and Maye. The tactical shift paid immediate dividends. Just 44 seconds after the restart, debutant Goglichidze rose inside the six-yard box to head home a corner kick delivered by Birindelli, after an initial knockdown header by Dany Mota. The goal cut the deficit to 2-1 and sparked a relentless period of pressure from the visitors.
The substitute fired a first-time shot that forced a difficult reflex save from Lazio goalkeeper Christos Mandas. Five minutes later, Dany Mota launched a rapid counterattack to set up Birindelli, whose diagonal right-footed shot drifted narrowly wide of the post. Varela tested Mandas again in the 56th minute before Dany Mota forced another exceptional save from the Greek goalkeeper with a powerful header off the ensuing corner kick.
Late Drama and Pinamonti’s First Goal in Lazio Colors
Lazio weathered the storm of Monza’s ten-man onslaught through prolonged suffering. Manager Gennaro Gattuso admitted his team’s vulnerability after the final whistle. Today we were lucky, next time we will be punished,
Gattuso told reporters in his post-match assessment. Moments of difficulty happen, but not being able to count on the push of the crowd, we must learn to auto-fuel ourselves.
As the match stretched into the final ten minutes, both goalkeepers were called into heavy action. Isaksen came inches away from sealing the match earlier when his close-range left-footed effort struck the upright in the 86th minute. The decisive blow finally landed in the 88th minute. Pinamonti met a cross from the left side with a clinical finish, securing his first goal since joining the club. In that hug with Gattuso there is so much, he gave me a lot of trust and I am late to repay it,
Pinamonti told DAZN regarding his celebration. Despite the late deficit, Monza continued to press, with Dany Mota hitting a header just wide in the 89th minute, while Isaksen was denied a second goal deep in stoppage time by a superb goal-line clearance from Kouadio.
Standings Implications and Next Fixtures
The 3-1 victory leaves Lazio level at the summit of the Serie A standings alongside Inter Milan, two points ahead of AS Roma after six rounds of play. Monza leaves the Stadio Olimpico with reinforced morale despite the defeat. The Biancorossi will look to bounce back when they return home to host Cagliari at the U-Power Stadium on Monday, October 19, 2026, with kickoff scheduled for 18:30 local time.
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