Romano Floriani Mussolini, the 23-year-old great-grandson of former Italian dictator Benito Mussolini, hammered home his first goal for Lazio on Tuesday evening, sparking a wild 6-2 away victory against Sassuolo in Serie A. Yeah, you read that right. Talk about a headline goal for a debut in the top flight!
The Strike That Got the World Talking
This wasn’t just any goal. It was a proper moment. Mussolini, playing defender and wearing “Romano” on his shirt, netted Lazio’s third goal in the 16th minute. For a second, his celebrations were cut short when the flag went up, but then VAR, doing its job for once, overturned the call. You know that feeling when the ref signals a goal after the review? Pure adrenaline!
This is huge for the kid. It’s his first strike in the Italian top flight, only the second of his career ever. His only other goal came two years ago while he was on loan in the second division with Juve Stabia. It just shows you what a jump he’s made. His full name is Romano Benito Floriani Mussolini, and while the family name is obviously loaded, he’s publicly made it clear that politics aren’t his thing. He’s here to play football, and he’s doing it for Lazio.
Gattuso’s Boys Are Unstoppable
But let’s not get lost just in one player’s moment, as epic as it was. This win? It means Lazio has kept their absolute monster unbeaten start to the season going strong. Gennaro Gattuso’s squad is absolutely flying, provisionally sitting pretty at the top of the Serie A table. We’re talking eight wins from nine games, 25 points in the bag. That’s three points clear of Inter Milan, who have a game against bottom-club Venezia on Wednesday. It just shows how dominant Lazio has been right out of the gate.
This Sassuolo game was a wild ride from start to finish. Lazio, with a massive away crowd backing them, roared into the lead in the second minute thanks to Kenneth Taylor. But you blink and the game changes, right? After a lengthy VAR check, Kristian Thorstvedt equalized for Sassuolo. Lazio then hit back quick with goals from Gustav Isaksen and, of course, Mussolini. Sassuolo’s comeback hopes got absolutely hammered just after the half-hour mark when Thorstvedt got himself a red card for a foul on Mattia Zaccagni. That’s a game-changer right there.
Even down a man, Sassuolo pulled one back two minutes from halftime with Sebastiano Esposito. But Lazio wasn’t having any of it, restoring their two-goal advantage in added time before the break when Zaccagni got a free header from Isaksen’s cross. The second half saw Zaccagni miss a penalty, with his tame spot kick saved by Stefano Turati after a handball, and later Davide Frattesi also had a penalty saved by Turati. But Tijjani Noslin picked up the slack, curling in a shot from outside the box for the fifth, then hitting another from distance to cap off the scoring. That’s how you shut down any doubts, even with some wasted chances. Gattuso’s side is absolutely looking like real title contenders, no question.
So, Lazio keeps rolling, looking like the real deal and sitting atop Serie A. They’re proving week after week they’re a force to be reckoned with. Every match from here on out is about maintaining this incredible run and proving they have what it takes to bring home the title. You just know the whole league is watching them right now.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
Leave a Reply