Frosinone’s impressive 2-0 victory over Como has been hailed as a positive sign for Italian football after Massimiliano Alvini’s side started with seven Italian players.
Frosinone continued their impressive start to the Serie A season on Sunday by handing Como their first defeat of the campaign.
Giacomo Calò and Giorgi Kvernadze scored either side of half-time to give the hosts a 2-0 victory at the Stadio Benito Stirpe, while goalkeeper Lorenzo Palmisani produced a series of impressive saves to preserve the clean sheet. But the result also attracted attention for the makeup of the two teams.
Frosinone started the game with seven Italian players, while Como had no Italian player in their starting XI. That contrast led former MLS player Mike Grella to describe the result as a “good sign for Italian football.”
“Fabregas said we’d love to sign some Italians but we can’t find them. Well, they’re all at Frosinone, who just beat you 2-0,” Grella said.
“It’s a good sign for Italian football because there are young players who are willing to play and ran over this Como side. They did a really good job.”
Frosinone were not expected to dominate a Como side that had won four of their opening matches across Serie A and the Champions League, but they produced an organised performance to claim all three points.
Calò opened the scoring in the 14th minute, sweeping home from inside the box after being picked out by Romano Schmid. The effort took a deflection off Luis Milla and wrong-footed Como goalkeeper Jean Butez.
Como created several chances to respond, but Palmisani repeatedly stood in their way. The Frosinone goalkeeper denied Nico Paz and Moise Kean on several occasions, while he also produced a crucial save to keep out another effort from close range.
Frosinone then doubled their advantage in first-half stoppage time. Schmid started the counter-attack before finding Kvernadze, who held off Nico Paz’s challenge and fired an angled effort underneath Butez to make it 2-0.
Full time at Stadio Benito Stirpe ⏹️ pic.twitter.com/wmckiHeVzh
— Como1907 (@Como_1907) September 20, 2026
Como pushed hard after the break, but Palmisani continued to frustrate the visitors.
Cesc Fabregas made three changes at half-time, but his side could not find a way past the Frosinone goalkeeper as the hosts held on for a clean sheet.
The victory means Frosinone have now collected 10 points from their opening five games, moving up to sixth in the Serie A table. Como also have 10 points but sit eighth after suffering their first defeat.
For Alvini, it is another important step after he guided Frosinone back to Serie A last season by finishing second in Serie B. And for Grella, the victory highlighted what can happen when Italian clubs give opportunities to young homegrown players.
“For them to win 2-0 is probably a surprise for people who don’t watch every single weekend, but not a surprise when you look at who the manager is and some of the young talents they have,” he added.
