Lazio needed just ninety minutes to remind everyone what a gulf in class looks like. Six goals, no answer. Flaminia Civita Castellana, a side from the amateur ranks, arrived at the Stadio Olimpico and left with the scoreboard reading 6-0, the heaviest defeat across Monday's friendly schedule.
The Rome outfit used the match as target practice. While pre-season is meant for building sharpness and rotating personnel, this was a clinical demonstration of superiority from the first whistle. Flaminia, competing several tiers below Serie A, had no response to wave after wave of attacking intent.
No contest from the start
By the time the final whistle sounded, Lazio had put the contest to bed multiple times over. The six-goal margin speaks to a mismatch that was evident throughout, though friendlies of this nature are common as top-flight clubs prepare for the rigours of league football. For Flaminia, the experience of facing Serie A opposition will matter more than the scoreline.
Lazio will take the goals and the minutes into their legs. Six different finishes, plenty of combinations tested, and a clean sheet to boot. Pre-season friendlies are rarely remembered, but a 6-0 win offers a useful confidence boost before competitive action resumes.