Lazio rout Monza to return to Serie A top four

Lazio crushed last-placed Monza 5-1 in Rome on Sunday to climb back into the Serie A top four.

Adam Marusic nodded the home team in front after 31 minutes and they ran away with the game after half-time.

Pedro scored twice and Taty Castellanos once, before Stefano Sensi converted an 86th-minute penalty for the visitors.

Two minutes later, Fisayo Dele-Bashiru restored Lazio’s four-goal lead.

Roma had a tougher time away to second-last Venezia, winning 1-0 with a 57th minute penalty by Paulo Dybala, a pre-match doubt.

“I didn’t want him to play at all, but he told me: ‘I want to play’,” said Roma coach Claudio Ranieri “I didn’t want to risk him.”

The win lifted Roma to ninth in the table.

Florinel Coman scored on his debut as Cagliari beat another relegation-haunted side, Parma, 2-1 in Sardinia.

The hosts took the lead when Parma’s Alessandro Vogliacco deflected Michel Adopo’s flick into his own net.

Coman then blasted a long-range goal to put Cagliari two goals up.

Giovanni Leoni headed a consolation goal for Parma, who stayed third from bottom. Cagliari jumped to 13th, four points clear of their victims.