Following the frustrating home defeat to in-form Atalanta, next up was an away trip to Sardinia to face Cagliari.
At the start of the season this was one of the fixtures I had circled immediately. An island trip. Proper away day vibes. A stadium tight to the pitch. Sea air. Cannonau before kick-off. It had all the ingredients.
But getting to Sardinia is never simple — flights, awkward timings, inflated prices — and with the away fan travel ban confirmed, it wasn’t meant to be.
Once again, I found myself preparing for 90 minutes on the sofa rather than in the Curva.
Saturday (Almost) Fun
With no trip, I decided to make the most of a rare Saturday off in Florence.
Liosa was finishing work at 1pm, and I had a quick stop at the doctor for a repeat prescription. The news was positive: weight down, blood pressure improved. Maybe not going to Lazio games is actually prolonging my life expectancy. Who knew?
On the way back I bumped into Simone. A brief pavement summit. A shared sigh. Things at Lazio feel heavy at the moment — results patchy, mood tense, ownership frustration simmering. We agreed a dinner needs organising soon. Therapy via food.
A few minutes later I saw Angelica, a former colleague who bravely left teaching to focus on her writing. Her book is now published and in shops — proper, tangible success. It’s always inspiring seeing someone bet on themselves and win.
Florence Detour: Amarone & A Proper Indian
With Sardinia off the table, we improvised.
A quick drink nearby, then on to Wine Lab for a glass of Amarone — still my favourite red. Rich, indulgent, absolutely not on the doctor’s recommended list. A cheeky snack followed. Again, medically questionable.
Next stop: Art. 17 Birreria. One of Florence’s best beer spots. Proper craft options, rotating taps, and — crucially — cider that isn’t just Magners or Bulmers pretending to represent the entire category. Rare in Italy.
Feeling relaxed (perhaps a little too relaxed), we opted for an early dinner at Aroma of India. We’ve ordered takeaway from there before, but this was our first time eating in — and it was superb.
As an Englishman living in Italy, I do miss a good Indian restaurant. Italy does many things better than England. Curry houses are not usually one of them. But this place genuinely delivered — layered spices, proper heat, balanced sauces. Comparable to solid mid-table English favourites.
For the record, my best ever Indian remains Obsession of India in Glasgow. Different level. Different atmosphere. Different night entirely.
Back to Reality
Slightly tipsy. Slightly overfed. Slightly too optimistic.
It was the perfect moment to head home, settle on the sofa, and prepare emotionally for Lazio.
Sardinia might have been out of reach — but the stress, as always, travels.
Match Day
There’s something slightly unnatural about watching S.S. Lazio away at Cagliari from a Florence sofa rather than squeezed into a corner of a hostile stadium — but that was the reality.
From the first whistle it had that classic Sardinian feel: tight pitch, aggressive press, long diagonals into channels, and a crowd right on top of the action. Lazio started with decent intensity, trying to move the ball quickly through midfield, but too often the final pass lacked conviction. There were moments where the build-up was promising — neat triangles, quick switches of play — yet the cutting edge just wasn’t there.
Cagliari, to their credit, made it uncomfortable. Direct, physical, and happy to disrupt rhythm. Every second ball felt like a battle. Lazio weren’t outplayed — but they weren’t in control either.
Then came the moment.
The red card incident.
As the Tijjani Noslin broke through, there was clear contact from the defender. The referee initially awarded a foul and produced a red card for denying a clear goalscoring opportunity.
But what baffled me — and maybe this is the biased Lazio supporter talking — was why the location of the foul wasn’t properly reviewed for a penalty.
From my sofa angle, it looked inside the box. Marginal? Possibly. Tight? Definitely. But inside.
VAR seemed to confirm the dismissal without properly re-examining whether the contact occurred on the line (which counts as inside) or just beyond it.
Instead of a penalty and a red card, Lazio were left with just the free kick and numerical advantage. In a game where margins matter, that distinction is enormous.
Maybe I’m biased. I probably am. But in modern football, with all the technology available, it’s frustrating when those fine details aren’t scrutinised fully — especially when they could fundamentally change the outcome.
Even with the extra man, Lazio never truly capitalised in the way you’d expect. The tempo wasn’t ruthless enough. The ball circulation lacked urgency. There were half-chances, flashes of quality, but not enough sustained pressure to turn superiority into dominance.
The game finished 0-0 … another clean sheet but sadly another game with no Lazio goals!
And that, ultimately, sums up this period: competitive, organised, but missing that spark that separates decent from decisive.
Conclusion
So another weekend passes. Another match that leaves you thinking “almost” rather than “excellent”.
Watching from home doesn’t blunt the frustration — if anything, it amplifies it. You replay decisions. You analyse positioning. You convince yourself the penalty should have been given.
But football doesn’t wait for self-pity.
Next up is an intriguing away trip to Torino — a side struggling for rhythm and confidence. An added subplot was expected too: ex-Lazio boss Mister Baroni had been in charge, but after a poor run of form he was relieved of his duties.
Results haven’t matched expectations, and the atmosphere in Turin feels tense and of course their fans are also currently boycotting as well.
It’s the kind of fixture that can either reignite belief or deepen uncertainty.
Given the mood around Lazio right now, it’s probably both.
