Gattuso frustrated as Lazio let two-goal lead slip vs Milan

Gennaro Gattuso came away from the 2-2 draw with Milan satisfied with his Lazio side, even as he pointed again to the empty stands at the Stadio Olimpico, where fans remain in protest against owner Claudio Lotito.

A fourth straight win to open the Serie A season, something Lazio have never managed in their history, looked on. Diego Moreira had other ideas, coming off the bench to score twice in 120 seconds and pull Milan level.

Gattuso put the collapse down to the quality Milan brought on for the second half, telling DAZN the two goals conceded were the kind that punish any side, and that Lazio had at least avoided further damage when the game threatened to run away from them.

The draw left Lazio with three wins and a draw from their opening four league games rather than the perfect start Gattuso had been chasing. Against that backdrop, he weighed the result itself against how his players reacted once Moreira had levelled the score.

«Playing the way we want to play for 90 minutes is hard, we dropped deep at the start of the second half and we struggled. That is also understandable because we conceded two goals I would describe as wonder strikes. We were also good not to get hammered, the feeling was that we could have conceded another two. What pleases me is seeing the team not give up, we are on the right track and seeing the lads sad Makes me realise we gave a lot,».

The coach returned, too, to the toll the boycott is taking. He said an empty ground "is not football", comparing the atmosphere to the COVID period, though he credited the fans who did escort the team bus from Formello to the stadium. Beyond that gesture, he said, there is little the players can do but keep working.

Lazio sit on the pitch in fine form regardless: three wins from three before Saturday, with Cancellieri and Noslin sharing the early goal-scoring load. Whether Saturday's draw becomes a one-off stumble or a sign the momentum is easing will show in how quickly Gattuso's side respond, and in whether the stands start filling again.