Lazio sweep past Monza to draw level with Inter at Serie A summit

Lazio keep pace with Inter

Lazio continued their strong start to the Serie A season with a 3-1 home win over Monza, drawing level with Inter on 16 points. The victory was Lazio’s fifth in six matches and left them unbeaten.

Lazio and Monza players compete during their Serie A match

Nuno Tavares put the hosts ahead in the third minute, and Gustav Isaksen doubled the advantage midway through the first half. Monza’s task became harder when Lorenzo Lucchesi was dismissed in the 35th minute for bringing down Tijjani Noslin as he broke through on goal.

Despite being a man down, Monza threatened after the interval, scoring once and coming close to an equaliser before Lazio added a late third. Inter had gone top with a 3-0 victory over Parma on Saturday; Lazio’s win brought them level on points.

Roma held after Malen dismissal

Roma were frustrated by a 0-0 draw away to Como, the first goalless match of the Italian league season. Their prospects were altered early in the second half when leading scorer Donyell Malen was sent off for a dangerous tackle.

“We played two-thirds of the match a man down, that is the disappointing thing,” Roma coach Gian Piero Gasperini told DAZN. He said his side had expected a strong opportunity but defended “with order and clarity” after the dismissal, adding that a draw was acceptable given the circumstances.

The result left Roma two points behind Inter and Lazio. Bologna, meanwhile, earned their first win of the season by beating Lecce 2-1. Milan were scheduled to visit Sassuolo, with Cagliari set to host Juventus later in the day.