MILAN, Italy (AP) — Giampaolo Pazzini scored Saturday to help Fiorentina beat Lazio 1-0 in the Italian first division and preserve its unbeaten start to the season.
Pazzini tapped the ball into the net in the 19th minute after Lazio goalkeeper Marco Ballotta lost control of a defensive header. The striker also hit the cross bar in the 74th.
Lazio midfielder Massimo Mutarelli was sent off in second half injury time for his second yellow card.
Fiorentina has now won six games and drawn five in the Serie A to trail leader Inter Milan by one point. Fiorentina also drew with Villareal 1-1 last month in their opening match in Group C of the UEFA Cup.
Lazio slumped to its fifth loss in the league — and its fourth straight at Rome’s Stadio Olimpico — to stay in the lower half of the table.
AC Milan hosted Torino later Saturday.
Inter leads the Serie A with 24 points, followed by Fiorentina with 23, AS Roma with 21, and Juventus with 20. Lazio has 10 points.
On Sunday, Inter — which is also unbeaten in the league — travels to Juventus and Roma visits Empoli.
Pazzini’s goal came after the 43-year-old Ballotta was caught out of position by defender Sanchez Cribari’s header. The goalkeeper raced back to stop the ball going out for a corner but skidded to allow Pazzini to steal in and score his third goal of the season.
At the other end, Fiorentina goalkeeper Sebastian Frey secured the result by saving Lazio’s best chance of a tying goal in the 81st, when Mutarelli ran through on goal.
Fiorentina and Romania striker Adrian Mutu reportedly was racially abused by Lazio fans in Stadio Olimpico’s Curva Nord, or north bend, when he came on for Pablo Osvaldo in the 68th.