Lazio no match for Lautaro, Inter at the top again

It may not be bursting with intensity and quality, but there’s no doubt that sheer madness has taken over Serie A. And there’s more to come. Nobody can predict what will happen next, there’s no telling where it might all lead — five teams are separated by just three points. Nothing is even close to settling down; there’s no clear favorite. No one is pulling away, no team managing to leave the rest in the dust. Bologna is there, having hurt Napoli and forced Antonio Conte to think hard about where his ship is heading — and whether it can really sail toward another Scudetto. He’s still part of the race, along with Milan and Roma, who under Gian Piero Gasperini are playing better and better. And, of course, there’s Inter. This season, they’ve shown different faces in big matches, but they’ve had no trouble handling clubs from the Eternal City — especially Lazio, whom they beat 2–0 (1–0).

Lazio are slowly developing serious trauma — because lately, there’s not much for them to hope for when they face the Nerazzurri. The competition doesn’t matter. Neither does the location — whether it’s the Olimpico or the Giuseppe Meazza. If they escape without a defeat, they can celebrate. But they’ve also been on the receiving end of six goals. It’s been more than three years since the club from the Eternal City last beat Inter in Serie A, and over six years since they’ve done so away from home. Giuseppe Meazza has become one of the most hostile venues for Lazio in the league.

And it didn’t take long to remind them why — not even three minutes had passed before the Nerazzurri were in front. A brief moment of inattention, and Ivan Provedel could only shrug his shoulders. The ball fell perfectly for Lautaro Martínez, Inter’s best foreign goalscorer, who struck it cleanly, ripping the net and sending the stands into a frenzy. It was the fastest goal Lazio had conceded since 2022, when Tammy Abraham found the net after just 57 seconds. From that point on, Maurizio Sarri’s side looked doomed and created very little in the rest of the match. Whatever they did manage, Inter dealt with easily. They didn’t even register a single shot on target, and the knockout blow came in the second half from Joan Bonny.

Once again, Lautaro Martínez played a role — Nicolò Barella passed to him with the outside of his foot, he continued the move to Federico Dimarco, who then found Joan Bonny unmarked at the far post. It could have been even worse for Lazio at the Meazza, but Piotr Zielinski’s goal was disallowed due to a handball by Federico Dimarco in the build-up. Cristian Chivu refreshed his lineup with several substitutions, giving his team the energy boost it needed. Inter comfortably saw out the match and joined Roma at the top of the table.

SERIE A - MATCHDAY 11

Friday

Pisa - Cremonese 1-0 (0-0)

/Toure 75/

Saturday

Como - Cagliari 0-0

Lecce - Verona 0-0

Juventus - Torino 0-0

Parma - Milan 2-2 (1-2)

/Bernabe 45+1, Del Prato 62 - Saelemaekers 12, Leao 25 pen/

Sunday

Atalanta - Sassuolo 0-3 (0-1)

/Berardi 29(p), 66, Pinamonti 47/

Bologna - Napoli 2-0 (0-0)

/Dallinga 50, Lucumi 66/

Genoa - Fiorentina 2-2 (1-1)

/Ostigard 15, Colombo 60 - Gudmundsson 20(p), Piccoli 57/

Roma - Udinese 2-0 (1-0)

/Pellegrini 42(p), Celik 61/

Inter - Lazio 2-0 (1-0)

/Martinez 3, Bonny 61/