Serie A round-up: Lazio edge out Cagliari after Pedro strike, Empoli ...

Published 02/12/2023 at 20:01 GMT

Lazio ended a run of three Serie A matches without a win as Pedro’s strike sealed a 1-0 victory over Cagliari at the Stadio Olimpico.

The Spaniard latched onto Manuel Lazzari's pass in the eighth minute to score the only goal of the game, as Maurizio Sarri's side moved up to ninth in the table.

It was a frustrating evening for the visitors, who were reduced to 10 men in the first half after Antoine Makoumbou's yellow card was upgraded to a red following a VAR review.

Sarri's team were dealt an injury blow though, with Luis Alberto forced off injured 10 minutes into the second half.

The Biancocelesti came close to adding a second when Taty Castellanos somehow could not finish from point-blank range, after being denied by Simone Scuffet's brilliant reflex save.

Lazio will now turn their attention to their next match away at Genoa on Tuesday, while Cagliari, who remain in the bottom three, host Sassuolo on December 11.

Earlier in the day, Empoli moved out of the relegation zone after earning a 1-1 draw away at Genoa at the Luigi Ferraris Stadium.

Junior Messias almost broke the deadlock early on for the hosts, but his shot rebounded off the crossbar.

It was Ruslan Malinovskyi who opened the scoring with a long-range strike to give Genoa a half-time lead.

Empoli were labouring in the second half, but wiped out the hosts' lead when Matteo Cancellieri headed in his first goal for the club from Viktor Kovalenko's delivery.

The result leaves Genoa in 15th place with 15 points from 14 games, while Empoli sit 17th and a point clear of Cagliari in the relegation zone.

Genoa had a chance to take all three points in stoppage time, but Mateo Retegui's header from inside the six-yard box went over the bar, after linking up with Radu Dragusin.

Alberto Gilardino's team are back in action next Tuesday away at Lazio, while Empoli host Lecce on December 11.

AC Milan play Frosinone on Saturday evening.

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