Lazio pushed past the absence of their Curva Nord ultras to restart their Serie A campaign in style, sealing a confident 2-0 victory over Lecce at the Stadio Olimpico on Sunday afternoon.
Maurizio Sarri made just a single tweak from the side that fell to Inter before the international break, bringing in Luca Pellegrini for Manuel Lazzari.
That switch saw Adam Marušić shift back to his natural right flank, joining Alessio Romagnoli and Mario Gila across the defensive line.
In midfield, Matteo Guendouzi operated alongside Danilo Cataldi and Toma Bašić, while Gustav Isaksen and Mattia Zaccagni supported Boulaye Dia up front.
Lecce briefly believed they had found an early breakthrough when Riccardo Sottil’s deflected strike wrong-footed Ivan Provedel, only for VAR to quickly rule it out due to a foul on Isaksen.
The scare sparked Lazio into life. Guendouzi tested Wladimiro Falcone with a central attempt, before the goalkeeper produced a stunning reflex save to deny Dia’s first-time finish after a slick passing move.
Lazio’s pressure finally paid off when Pellegrini’s long throw released Bašić down the byline.
The Croatian miscontrolled at first but recovered brilliantly, supplying a pass that Guendouzi turned into the far corner with an awkward but accurate strike.
The hosts continued to dominate, peppering Lecce’s defence with shots. Bašić’s volley was smothered, Dia saw another effort blocked, and Guendouzi curled narrowly off-target as Lazio took a deserved 1-0 lead into the break.
They resumed the second half with the same intensity. Dia briefly thought he had doubled the advantage after dispossessing Gabriel Tiago and finishing coolly, but the referee overturned it after a VAR check for a foul.
Falcone then delivered another extraordinary sequence, stopping back-to-back efforts from Marušić and Isaksen before Guendouzi rattled the post and Zaccagni struck the same upright moments later.
Just when a narrow win seemed inevitable, substitute Tijjani Noslin delivered the final blow in stoppage time.
Provedel’s long kick sparked a duel in midfield that the Dutchman won, and although Falcone saved his initial strike, Noslin reacted quickest to head home the rebound, his first goal of the season.
The result lifts Lazio up to seventh place pending Monday’s fixtures, offering Sarri’s men a well-earned boost as they push for momentum heading into the next phase of the campaign.
