Lazio takes Serie A lead after late winner over Cagliari

Lazio climbed to the top of the Serie A table on Sunday after beating Cagliari 2-1. The victory relied on a late goal from striker Andrea Pinamonti, who put the team three points ahead of defending champion Inter Milan.

Inter dropped points in its Saturday derby against AC Milan. That result allowed Lazio to seize the lead, but the squad needed a stoppage-time effort to complete their best league start in club history. They now have nine wins and one draw in their first ten matches.

Cagliari took an early lead through M'Bala Nzola in the 21st minute. Gustav Isaksen equalized for Lazio just before halftime. The match remained tense until Pinamonti, a second-half substitute, scored the decisive goal in the 83rd minute.

Pinamonti removed his blue jersey during his celebration after the final whistle. The goal secured the ninth victory of the season for the Rome club. It marked the highest number of wins in a team's first ten league games since the club's records began.

Elsewhere in Italy, fourth-placed Como defeated last-place Venezia 1-0 at home. French midfielder Lucas Da Cunha scored the winning penalty in the final minutes of the first half.

Juventus, sitting in seventh, beat eighth-placed Napoli 2-0 in a home match. Both goals came in the second half. Kerim Alajbegovic scored in the 70th minute, and Jeremie Boga added the second in the 87th. Napoli's Luca Marianucci was sent off in the 75th minute, leaving his team with ten players.

Frosinone moved into sixth place with a 2-0 win over Torino. In Germany, 16-year-old Niko Ilicvic debuted for Frankfurt in a 3-1 victory over Hamburg. He matched the record for the youngest player to appear in a Bundesliga match, a mark previously set by Youssoufa Moukoko in 2020.

Ilicvic entered the game in stoppage time. Frankfurt had also defeated Hamburg 3-1 in the German Cup on Tuesday. In France, Lyon rose to third place after beating Angers 2-0. Paris FC won 3-1 against Monaco to stay in fourth on goal difference.