NAPLES, Italy (Interstat) — Lazio opened its Serie A campaign with a commanding 2-0 victory over Napoli on Saturday, defying pregame projections and silencing the home supporters at Stadio Diego Armando Maradona.

Entering the match, statistical models favored a tight contest. Interstat’s game simulator had projected a 1-1 draw, while its ELO system gave Lazio only a slight edge with a 52.40 percent probability to win. The reality on the pitch, however, told a different story as Lazio’s substitutes provided the decisive spark to secure all three points.

The visitors struck early, stunning the home crowd in the sixth minute. Substitute Matteo Cancellieri, who had just entered the fray, found the net to give Lazio an immediate advantage. The assist came from Napoli midfielder Stanislav Lobotka, an unwitting contribution that put his own team in an early hole.

Napoli struggled to mount a consistent response, and the match grew increasingly tense. Lobotka received a yellow card in the 29th minute, one of four booked in the physical contest. Lazio’s Danilo Cataldi was also cautioned in the 33rd minute.

Any hope of a Napoli comeback was effectively extinguished just before the hour mark. In the 57th minute, another Lazio substitute, Toma Bašić, doubled the lead. The goal was set up by a pair of fellow reserves, with Kenneth Taylor and Boulaye Dia each credited with an assist on the play.

Lazio managed the game effectively from there, with Taylor and Dia also seeing yellow cards in the second half for their involvement in the midfield battle. Napoli, despite the creative efforts of Lobotka, who finished with an assist on the afternoon for his own team, could not break down a disciplined Lazio defense.

The result provides a perfect start to the Serie A season for Lazio, which improves its record across all competitions to one win and no losses. For Napoli, the defeat marks a disappointing beginning to its domestic campaign, leaving the team searching for answers after a match where its performance fell short of statistical expectations. Both clubs now look ahead to their next fixtures with Lazio buoyed by an away triumph and Napoli seeking to rebound from an opening-day setback at home.