Southampton’s pre-season friendly against Lazio took a violent turn when players from both teams engaged in a brawl. The match started off well for Southampton, with Carlos Alcaraz assisting new signing Ben Brereton Diaz to score in just five minutes. However, Lazio quickly equalized with a stunning goal from Taty Castellanos in the 32nd minute.
The major flashpoint occurred on the hour mark when Danilo Cataldi confronted a Southampton player after a foul on one of his teammates. Alcaraz, who had spent the previous season on loan at Juventus, rushed in to defend his teammate and shoved Cataldi. In response, Cataldi appeared to put his hand on Alcaraz’s neck, leading to a heated exchange of shoves between the two players.
Both teams then got involved in the chaos, with players from Lazio and Southampton pushing each other. Alcaraz had to be restrained as he was visibly furious. Southampton manager Russell Martin attempted to intervene but was unable to prevent Alcaraz from being sent off. Lazio’s Alessio Romagnoli was also shown a red card for his involvement in the brawl.
Despite the altercation, the match ended in a 1-1 draw, with neither team able to score after being reduced to 10 men. Southampton debuted their new pink Puma third kit during the match, but the focus was unfortunately on the brawl rather than the kit itself.
After the game, Martin reflected on the incident, acknowledging that it was started by players from both teams. He praised the aggression shown by his team but acknowledged that it may have been a bit too much. However, he preferred having a team that was aggressive and managed the game well compared to lacking character and personality.
Southampton will continue their pre-season preparations by facing Getafe on Saturday before their Premier League season opener against Newcastle on August 17th.