Frattesi Secures Victory for Lazio in Serie A Opener

Substitute Davide Frattesi scored a second-half goal to lift Lazio to a 1-0 victory over Bologna at the Stadio Renato Dall'Ara on Monday, August 24, 2026, in their opening match of the Serie A season.

The victory gave Lazio head coach Gennaro Gattuso a successful start to the domestic campaign following a disappointing earlier exit from the Coppa Italia against Mantova.

Before kickoff, Gattuso addressed the decision to start Frattesi on the bench instead of in the starting lineup.

"Others have played more, there is no case here," said Gattuso, head coach of Lazio. "He is important, there is no rejection. I wanted to follow up on what was tested in these first 40 days."

The opening half remained scoreless despite dynamic action. Bologna had a opportunity in the 37th minute when Riccardo Orsolini set up Nadir Zortea, whose deflected strike missed the target. Lazio goalkeeper Christos Mandas later saved a header from Torbjorn Helland before the interval.

Mandas made another crucial save early in the second half, denying Jens Odgaard's header. Lazio broke the deadlock in the 59th minute when Frattesi combined with Boulaye Dia before firing a decisive strike past the goalkeeper.

Bologna attempted to equalize later in the half, but Federico Bernardeschi saw his shot deflected onto the post by Mandas. Lazio maintained their lead through six minutes of stoppage time to secure the three points away from home.

Elsewhere in Serie A opening weekend action, defending champions Inter Milan defeated Monza 4-1, Napoli won 2-0 against Genoa, and Cagliari beat Parma 1-0. Frosinone fell 1-0 to Juventus, Venezia lost 0-2 to Lecce, AC Milan secured a 2-1 victory over Torino, and Atalanta defeated Sassuolo 2-1.