Lazio win 1-0 despite Bologna’s statistical dominance

Lazio defeated Bologna 1-0 at Renato Dall'Ara on Monday, with Davide Frattesi scoring the decisive goal in the 59th minute. The result gave Lazio victory in the opening round of the Serie A regular season, despite Bologna controlling more of the ball and producing the stronger attacking numbers.

Frattesi makes the difference

The match was settled when Frattesi finished for Lazio after an assist from Boulaye Dia. Frattesi had entered in the 54th minute in place of Fisayo Dele-Bashiru and needed only five minutes to put Lazio ahead. The goal came shortly after Lazio had also changed its attacking shape, with Gustav Isaksen replacing Matteo Cancellieri at half-time.

Bologna responded with a triple change in the 60th minute, sending on Federico Bernardeschi, Artem Dovbyk and Jonathan Rowe for Riccardo Orsolini, Roberto Piccoli and Nicolo Cambiaghi. Domenico Tedesco's 4-2-3-1 side pressed for an equaliser, but Gennaro Gattuso's Lazio, set up in a 4-3-3, protected its advantage until full time.

Bologna control the numbers

The scoreline did not reflect Bologna's statistical superiority. The hosts had 59% possession, completed 403 of 446 passes and registered 13 total shots, compared with Lazio's 41% possession, 265 accurate passes from 315 attempts and 10 shots. Bologna also led 5-3 in shots on goal and 8-6 in corners.

Bologna's attacking pressure was particularly notable inside the penalty area, where it attempted 10 shots compared with Lazio's five. Its expected-goals figure was also higher at 1.70 to Lazio's 0.58. However, Christos Mandas helped Lazio preserve the lead, making three saves and finishing as the match's highest-rated player with an 8.6 rating. Bologna's Lewis Ferguson was another prominent performer, recording a shot on target, two key passes and two tackles in a 7.7-rated display.

Discipline and final outcome

The game produced eight yellow cards, split evenly between the teams. Lazio's Romano Floriani Mussolini was booked in the 22nd minute, followed by Dia and Bologna's Oussama El Azzouzi in the 34th. Cambiaghi and Cancellieri were cautioned before half-time, while Jens Odgaard and Torgeir Heggem received late bookings for Bologna in the 83rd minute. Lazio's Ousmane Provstgaard was shown a yellow card in the 90th.

Lazio leave Bologna with the points after converting one of their limited opportunities. The listed Serie A standings place Bologna 11th and Lazio 12th, with both shown on zero points from zero games and without recorded recent form data. The completed result now provides Lazio with the match's clear outcome, even as the supplied table figures remain unchanged.