Gattuso's Lazio reign begins with Italian Cup shock

Summary ROME: Gennaro Gattuso's highly anticipated start as Lazio coach turned into a nightmare on Sunday as the Serie A side suffered a shock 2-0 home defeat to second-tier Mantova and crashed out of the Italian Cup. Gattuso's appointment at Lazio came just four months after he left his position as Italy coach following the national team's failure to qualify for a third consecutive World Cup. For a coach seeking a fresh start, however, the defeat to Mantova was hardly the opening Gattuso had imagined. AI Generated Summary ROME: Gennaro Gattuso's highly anticipated start as Lazio coach turned into a nightmare on Sunday as the Serie A side suffered a shock 2-0 home defeat to second-tier Mantova and crashed out of the Italian Cup. Gattuso, 48, took charge of Lazio in July, hoping to revive a club that came agonisingly close to lifting the trophy last season. Instead, his first competitive match ended with an early elimination and raised immediate questions about the team's readiness for the new campaign. Mantova, who play outside Italy's top flight, stunned the home crowd with a disciplined performance and took full advantage of Lazio's struggles. The result made Lazio the only one of the 12 Serie A clubs entering the last 64 to be eliminated at this stage. The defeat is particularly painful given Lazio's recent Italian Cup history. The seven-time winners reached last season's final but lost to Inter Milan in May, narrowly missing the chance to add another trophy to their collection. For Gattuso, the setback is another difficult chapter in a coaching career that has yet to match the success he enjoyed as a player. A World Cup winner with Italy in 2006, Gattuso spent 13 successful years at AC Milan between 1999 and 2012. During that period, he won two Serie A titles and two Champions League trophies and established himself as one of Europe's most respected midfielders. His managerial career has included spells with Fiorentina, Valencia, Napoli and Marseille, but major silverware has remained elusive. Gattuso's appointment at Lazio came just four months after he left his position as Italy coach following the national team's failure to qualify for a third consecutive World Cup. The Italian will now have little time to dwell on Sunday's disappointment, with Lazio's focus turning to the Serie A campaign. For a coach seeking a fresh start, however, the defeat to Mantova was hardly the opening Gattuso had imagined.