Lazio come from behind to beat Cagliari 2-1 as Pinamonti strikes late

Lazio came from behind to beat Cagliari 2-1 at the Stadio Olimpico in Rome on Sunday, on matchday 10 of Serie A, after trailing by a goal in the first half.

Cagliari went ahead in the 21st minute through striker M'Bala Nzola, before Danish winger Gustav Isaksen equalised in the 36th minute. In the second half coach Gennaro Gattuso brought on Andrea Pinamonti in the 55th minute in place of Mattia Zaccagni, and the change proved decisive when the substitute scored the winner in the 83rd minute.

Cagliari played the closing minutes with ten men after defender Adam Obert was sent off in the first minute of stoppage time, having been booked in the 76th minute. Eight minutes of added time were played in the second half, and the match was refereed by Andrea Colombo.

Gattuso made three changes at once in the 55th minute, also bringing on Dele-Bashiru and Pedraza, then introduced Cataldi and Leite in the final quarter in an attempt to regain control of midfield and step up the pressure on the visitors' defence, coached by Fabio Pisacane.

Al Majlis Analysis: The win highlights a quality any side with ambitions for the top places needs: the ability to change a game from the bench. Gattuso's decision to make a triple substitution in the 55th minute was no detail, as it produced the decisive goal less than half an hour later. Coming back from behind, in a round that saw Inter lose the Milan derby, also gives Lazio a lift in a crowded race for European places. Cagliari, for their part, left with a defeat they could have avoided had they kept their lead and their discipline until the end.