It seems that a two-week break from club football worked well for Serie A sides as they put on a show this Sunday. High scoring was a common theme today, with goals flying around in almost every game, reminding the world of the excitement this league can offer on its day.
Let’s take a look at everything that happened in Serie A on Sunday.
Milinkovic-Savic Stars as Lazio Humble Spezia
Inspired by Serbian star midfielder Sergej Milinkovic-Savic, high-flying Lazio thumped bottom-half Spezia 4-0 at the Stadio Olimpico to maintain their stellar Serie A start.
Maurizio Sarri’s men have picked up where they left off after heading into the international break on the back of back-to-back league triumphs without conceding.
Spezia’s poor attacking performance in the capital helped the Biancocelesti win three consecutive Serie A games ‘to nil’ for the first time in over seven years and move to third in the table.
More impressively, a promising return of just five goals conceded from the opening eight top-flight matchdays marks Lazio’s best defensive start since 2001!
Despite Ciro Immobile’s rare miss from the spot only three minutes in, Sarri’s team took a well-deserved lead through Mattia Zaccagni in the 12th minute.
Alessio Romagnoli made it 2-0 for the hosts midway through the first half before Milinkovic-Savic stole the spotlight in the second half.
The 27-year-old first finished a spectacular team play from point-blank range to kill the game off at the hour-mark before chipping the ball past Bartlomiej Dragowski with a top-class finish in the stoppage time.
Milinkovic-Savic’s eye-catching performance inflicted a fourth Serie A defeat on Spezia this season, leaving Luca Gotti’s lads in the lower charges.
Serie A Newcomers Share the Spoils at Via del Mare
Lecce and Cremonese played out an enthralling 1-1 draw in their first-ever meeting in Serie A as the visitors’ winless top-flight start continues.
Coming into this fixture, Massimiliano Alvini’s men hoped to snap an underwhelming seven-game run without a win in their first Serie A season in the 21st century.
Veteran forward Daniel Ciofani gave Cremonese a much-desired lead from the spot in the 19th minute following the visiting side’s unrelenting attempts to break down Lecce’s defense.
But just when La Cremo thought they had weathered the storm and secured a narrow halftime lead, David Okereke gave away a penalty after winning one for his side earlier in the first half.
The former Venezia man bundled into the back of Valentin Gendrey into his penalty area, handing Gabriel Strefezza a golden opportunity to restore parity on the stroke of halftime.
Strefezza, who fired Lecce to a 2-1 win at Salernitana last time out with a peach of a goal, stepped up to the mark and made no mistake, canceling out Cremonese’s advantage.
It was all Cremonese after the break. However, despite mustering nine attempts on goal, including Cyriel Dessers’ gilt-edged one-on-one opportunity, they failed to regain the lead.
While Lecce keep their fragile two-point lead on the drop zone, La Cremo remain stuck in the danger territory after racking up just three points from the first eight Serie A rounds.
Serie A Debutants Monza Run Riot at Ferraris
It took Monza seven matches into their first-ever Serie A season to find their feet, but they now look like a team possessed.
The new chief of staff Rafaele Palladino got his managerial tenure off to a flyer as his men overcame record-time Italian champions Juventus 1-0 on the eve of the international break.
A morale-boosting victory over the Bianconeri wasn’t a one-off, as witnessed by Monza’s emphatic 3-0 thrashing of Sampdoria on Sunday afternoon.
What a way to claim your first-ever top-flight win on hostile turf? It all started when Atalanta loanee Matteo Pessina opened the scoring in the 11th minute to give the visitors a halftime advantage.
But while you may expect the Serie A debutants to drop back after taking the lead, Palladino’s side went all-out-attack, which paid off massively.
Monza went from strength to strength in the second half. Gianluca Caprari first doubled their lead in the 67th minute, who volleyed home Omar Colley’s failed headed clearance to sink Sampdoria.
After two loanees orchestrated the Biancorossi’s lead, it was time for Inter-owned Stefano Sensi to cap off a memorable afternoon for the Lombard outfit.
The Italian midfielder drilled a low shot from the edge of the box after intricate build-up play around an agitated La Samp backline.
While Monza’s renaissance after a slow league start continues to hit the headlines, Sampdoria look like a side up a creek without the paddle as their wait for the first Serie A win of the season goes on.
Sassuolo Put Salernitana to the Sword
Sassuolo hammered Salernitanata 5-0 at the Mapei Stadium to steer themselves to the upper half of the Serie A table.
After a late 1-0 victory at Torino last time out, Alessio Dionisi’s men have won consecutive league matches for the first time this season in style.
Armand Lauriente’s sublime finish from inside the box brought the Neroverdi in front only 12 minutes in before Andrea Pinamonti converted a spot-kick to give the hosts a 2-0 halftime cushion.
But it was just the beginning. Sassuolo refused to rest on their laurels after the restart as Kristian Thorstvedt’s thumping finish in a one-on-one situation extended their lead to 3-0 just before the hour mark.
Abdou Harroui sent the Mapei crowd into rupture after slotting home from point-blank range in the 76th minute to make it 4-0.
Janis Antiste capped off Sassuolo’s stunning performance with a delightful curled effort from the edge of the box deep into the stoppage time.
While Dionisi’s men moved to eighth, Salernitana’s poor Serie A form has hit a new low. Winless in five straight league outings (D3, L2), they are steadily heading to the relegation zone.