By SoccerManiak · Serie A Matchday 6
Inter and Lazio share the summit, Juve share a point in Sardinia, and a Bosnian teenager saves my Sunday.
Before we get to Cagliari vs Juventus, the headline: Gennaro Gattuso's Lazio are level with Inter at the top of Serie A. Read that twice, then check the calendar. Lazio beat ten-man Monza 3-1 on Sunday: Nuno Tavares scored inside three minutes, Gustav Isaksen doubled it midway through the first half, and Monza's Lorenzo Lucchesi was sent off for bringing down Tijjani Noslin. Five wins from six, unbeaten, 16 points. Gattuso still sounded frustrated afterwards, which is how you know he's happy.
Inter kept pace by beating Parma 3-0 at San Siro. Everyone else chasing blinked: ten-man Roma drew 0-0 at Como, Milan drew 1-1 at Sassuolo, and Juventus drew at Cagliari.
Now, my Juve. Cagliari 1, Juventus 1, and if you only saw the stats you'd think we won by five: 22 shots to four, over 70% of the ball. Daniel Maldini put Cagliari ahead on 20 minutes after winning the ball off Francisco Conceição. After that, goalkeeper Elia Caprile guarded his net like a grandmother guarding the last piece of burek.
Luciano Spalletti sent on Kerim Alajbegović at half-time, and the 19-year-old changed the game. On 81 minutes he crossed for Randal Kolo Muani to head in his first league goal of the season, and he set up the chances that hit the post and the crossbar too. Bosnian kid, Juventus shirt, big moment. I may frame this one.
Then it got spicy. According to Football Italia, Spalletti and Cagliari coach Fabio Pisacane were both shown red cards after an altercation at the final whistle. Juve sit sixth on 11 points, with Kenan Yıldız, Khephren Thuram, Manuel Locatelli and Jérémie Boga among the missing.
Up next: Juventus v Lazio
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