Milan (AFP) – Lazio joined Juventus and Napoli at the top of the Serie A table on Sunday with a 5-1 win at Benevento who notched up their 11th straight defeat in as many games.
Their first season in Serie A has been a nightmare for Benevento with the arrival of new coach Roberto De Zerbi last week doing little to improve the fortunes of the club from outside Naples with a witch on their crest.
They match French outfit Grenoble who dug themselves into a similar hole early on — a run off 11 successive defeats to open the 2009-10 campaign which ultimately condemned them to relegation from Ligue 1.
No other European club in a major league have had a worse start to the season — apart from Manchester United relegated after the 1930-1931 season after losing their first 12 matches.
Simone Inzaghi’s Lazio are riding high despite the controversy which overshadowed the previous week when their fans posted photos of Anne Frank in a jersey of hated rivals Roma in the Stadio Olympico.
Lazio have 28 points and join Juventus on top after the champions beat AC Milan 2-0 in the San Siro on Saturday.
Napoli can reclaim top spot at Sassuolo on Sunday as can Inter Milan who are just two points behind the leaders before visiting Verona on Monday.
Ciro Immobile gave an inspirational performance again for Lazio — who claimed a sixth straight Serie A win — as he scored after 13 minutes and set up three goals.
“I’m happy with the three assists, as my teammates tell me I never pass the ball and only ever want to score, so they can’t complain now,” said Immobile, who has scored 14 goals in 11 matches.
Bastos opened after four minutes for Lazio with Adam Marusic also on target with the visitors leading 3-0 at the break.
Moroccan Achraf Lazaar pulled one back for Benvento in the second half — just their fourth of the season — but Lazio added another two more through Marco Parolo and Nani.
