Valentin Castellanos came off the bench to prove the hero for a wounded Lazio in their much-needed 3-2 win over Frosinone.
The Biancocelesti have been in a state of chaos this week following Maurizio Sarri’s shock decision to resign from his post on Tuesday, less than 24 hours after the disastrous 2-1 loss to relegation candidates Udinese.
With assistant coach Giovanni Martusciello temporarily in the dugout until Igor Tudor’s arrival next week, Lazio made the short trip across the central Italy region to face local rivals Frosinone. A win was clearly needed to try and restore some confidence to the wounded Lazio.
Frosinone got off to a strong start in front of their fans at the Stadio Benito Stirpe, going ahead after just 13 minutes following a towering header from Pol Lirola, which sailed past a diving Christos Mandas.
Lazio struggled to find their footing in the match but began to improve as the first half went on and eventually nicked an equaliser in the 38th minute, when a delightful curling ball from Matteo Guendouzi was guided into the back of the net by a well-positioned Mattia Zaccagni, making it 1-1.
The Biancocelesti had the chance to take the lead just before the end of the first half, but an unconvincing shot from Ciro Immobile was easily stopped by Stefano Turati.
Lazio finally found their advantage in the 57th minute, when a floated freekick from Luis Alberto was met by a leaping Castellanos, whose header easily sailed into the back of the net.
The Argentine striker almost found his second just minutes later with a beautifully acrobatic attempt, but it was well stopped by Turati. Two minutes later, however, his efforts were rewarded.
A scramble in the box saw Nicolo Casale try and bundle the ball into the call, but his low-strength shot was parried away, into the path of a waiting Castellanos, who latched on and struck it home, making it 3-1.
Frosinone did respond in the 70th minute through Walid Cheddira, but it ultimately meant little as Lazio held on and secured a much-needed three points away.
