Gattuso blasts Lazio fan boycott after Milan fightback in empty Olimpico
Lazio were held 2-2 by AC Milan after letting a two-goal half-time lead slip at a sparsely populated Stadio Olimpico, with Gennaro Gattuso saying the supporters’ boycott has left the club facing an unacceptable atmosphere.
Quick facts
- Matteo Cancellieri and Tijjani Noslin put Lazio 2-0 ahead before the interval.
- Milan’s second-half fightback denied Lazio a fourth consecutive win to open the Serie A season.
- Large areas of the Olimpico were empty amid continued protests against president Claudio Lotito.
- Lazio ultras met the squad bus at Formello but did not enter the stadium.
- Gattuso praised Albert Gudmundsson’s ability to operate in several attacking roles.
Lazio had been on course to make club history with four victories from their first four league matches. Cancellieri and Noslin struck before the break, but Milan raised their level after half-time and recovered through two goals Gattuso described as outstanding strikes.
The Lazio coach accepted his team lost control when the visitors stepped up their pressure. He said his players dropped too deep at the beginning of the second period and admitted Milan could have scored more during their strongest spell.
Gattuso nevertheless credited Lazio for resisting a heavier defeat after the momentum swung. He also pointed to the commitment and organisation within his squad, saying the group are laying foundations similar to those he built at previous clubs.
Gattuso feels absence of home support
The match was played against the backdrop of a boycott directed at Lotito. Milan’s travelling support was often the loudest presence inside the ground, while much of the home section remained vacant.
Gattuso said the players could not control the dispute in the stands, despite the ultras turning out to greet them at the training base. He urged his side to remain professional and continue producing respectable displays.
For the coach, an empty Olimpico strips football of its meaning. He compared the reduced attendance to the COVID-era matches played under severe capacity restrictions, saying Lazio badly miss the force of a packed 50,000-strong stadium.
Gattuso later underlined that football is about sharing celebrations with supporters in the curva, and said the current setting is deeply frustrating for a club of Lazio’s size.
Gudmundsson offers tactical options
Albert Gudmundsson again caught Gattuso’s eye against Milan in a flexible attacking assignment. The Iceland international can be used on the flank, through the middle as a false nine or in the hybrid role he performed in this match.
Gattuso said Gudmundsson has the quality to play across the forward line, with his deployment depending on the opponent and the demands of each game.
What happens next: Lazio must turn the frustration of a missed historic start into another disciplined performance, while the impasse between the club’s ownership and protesting supporters continues to affect the Olimpico atmosphere.
