Lazio continued their fine start to the season with a comfortable win over Sampdoria at the Stadio Olimpico on Sunday.
After putting four goals past Cagliari in the opening game of the Serie A campaign two weeks ago there was an expectant crowd awaiting the home side in Rome, and they were treated to a goal after just seven minutes from Mauro Zarate.
Sampdoria had done well in their curtain raiser against Internazionale, holding the Italian champions to a 1-1 draw, but they failed to find an equalizer here and it was left to Goran Pandev to seal the win with a strike 19 minutes from time.
With their coach Delio Rossi back on the sidelines after a three-game touchline ban the home side seemed keen to get off to a flying start.
Still it was Sampdoria who provided the first scare of the afternoon when Paolo Sammarco crossed a low ball into the right side of the area to Antonio Cassano, but new defender Stephan Lichtsteiner took the ball off his toes as he shaped to shoot.
Lazio responded almost immediately when, with seven minutes, played Zarate, making his home debut for the Biancoceleste, dribbled the ball into the area before unleashing a shot which shaved the underside of the crossbar as it sailed into the roof of the net.
Once in front Lazio set about trying to tear the visitors apart. Zarate tried his luck from long-range after 13 minutes before Stefano Mauri somehow managed to send the ball wide of an open goal after Sampdoria keeper Antonio Mirante had come out and failed to collect Aleksandar Kolarov's ball in from the right wing.
Kolarov then went close himself after Pandev had won a free-kick 30 yards from goal with 19 minutes played.
The Serbian Under-21 international managed to curl his shot around the wall but Daniele Franceschini cleared the ball from in front of the goal.
All the while Sampdoria were finding it hard to get into the game. Their best chance came on the half-hour mark when Cassano took on two defenders to get into the box and slid the ball to Sammarco but goalkeeper Juan Pablo Carrizo, another home debutant, saved well.
The pressure seemed to be telling on the often hot-headed Cassano, who appeared to pretend to show a yellow card to Lazio coach Rossi after 32 minutes when he disagreed with the referee about a free-kick conceded by Marco Padalino.
His mood failed to lighten in the second half as Lazio continued to press for the second goal to kill the game.
Zarate continued to provide a constant threat, as on the hour mark, with his back to goal 25 yards out, he spun on the ball and whipped in a shot which had Mirante scrambling.
The game was now being dominated by the hosts and it was no surprise when the second goal finally did arrive.
Christian Brocchi played Pandev in down the right-hand side, and the Macedonia forward ghosted past Jonathan Bottinelli and in to the area before sending a right-footed shot across goal and past Mirante.
Led by Cassano, Sampdoria attempted to respond, but the best the former Roma forward could muster was a blocked shot five minutes from time.
