A friendly by name but not by nature.
Both sides ended with 10 men after a mass brawl in the 60th minute, resulting in Carlos Alcaraz (Southampton) and Alessio Romagnoli (Lazio) being sent off.
The game started off at an excellent pace with the hosts taking an early lead through summer signing Ben Brereton-Diaz - his first goal for the Hampshire side.
On the half-hour mark Lazio equalised with a stunning acrobatic effort from striker Valentin Castellanos, a couple of 'keepy-ups' on the edge of the Southampton penalty area before unleashing a scissor-kick that sailed past the hapless Alex McCarthy.
A couple of altercations in the opening 45 minutes between Alcaraz and former Arsenal midfielder, Matteo Guendouzi, suggested something may just be bubbling away under the surface.
Sure enough, the bubbling became a full blown eruption.
An innocuous challenge by Southampton's Shea Charles led to an altercation between Alcaraz and Romagnoli, leaving the referee with no choice but to send off both players.
After this the game petered out somewhat, neither side was able to regain control or rhythm as it ended all square at St Mary's Stadium.
Here are the player ratings from an oddly heated encounter.
Southampton
Alex McCarthy - 5
Can have no complaints about Lazio's goal, simply a sensational strike.
Moments later though McCarthy nearly gifted Lazio a second, coming off his line slowly offering Manuel Lazzari an open goal - fortunately for him the Italian defender missed.
Southampton's number one did redeem himself slightly with a smart stop from Mattia Zaccagni's header towards the end of the first half.
If Lazio had their shooting boots on in the second half the scoreline would've looked very different. McCarthy fortunate to not concede as Le Aquile hit the bar twice.
James Bree - 6
Looked to create overlaps on the right hand side but was let down by the quality of his crosses.
Defensively untroubled, his pace bailed him out on the occasions Lazio breached his flank.
Ronnie Edwards - 7
Very comfortable in possession against an aggressive press and made a couple of key interceptions throughout the match.
Considering last season was spent in League One, Edwards will be pleased with his performance against the side that finished 7th in Serie A last season.
Nathan Wood - 7
Took a little longer than Edwards to settle into the game however once Wood found his feet he was excellent, composed on the ball and strong off the ball.
Ryan Manning - 5
Played the first half as the left sided centre back in a back three however it was clear this was not a natural position for Manning.
He bravely took the ball in tight spaces but frequently found himself in similar zones to Charlie Taylor which led to some panicky moments as Southampton played out from the back.
Charlie Taylor - 6
Started the match as a left wing-back but looked much more comfortable as a classic left-back in the second half. Grew into the game as it went and can be somewhat pleased with his display
Shea Charles - 7
A competent performance from Charles. Lazio pressed high but the Northern Ireland international held his own barring a couple of loose flick-ons, thankfully for Charles none of which proved costly.
Charles even marauded forward on occasion, demonstrating his ability to play in the final third, something Southampton fans didn't see much of last campaign.
Carlos Alcaraz - 4
Truly a Jekyll and Hyde performance from Alcaraz.
Arguably, Saints best performer up until his sending off. Constantly carrying the ball upfield, upping the tempo of the attack as seen with his assist for the Brereton-Diaz goal.
Sent off after taking offence to Lazio defender Romagnoli putting a hand on his throat. Alcaraz's response was a swift right-hook that saw him ejected from the game.
The St Mary's faithful sang his name as he went down the tunnel, the fans seemingly appreciated his fighting spirit.
Sam Amo-Ameyaw - 7
A constant menace for opposing fullback Luca Pellegrini. The young winger continues to excite Southampton fans this pre-season with his dribbling and pace.
Sekou Mara - 6
Often found himself coming deep to engage with the play during the first half and as a result rarely found himself in a position to score.
Won multiple defensive free kicks for his team but in terms of attacking output, very little to report.
Ben Brereton-Diaz - 6
Scored the opening goal of the game with a wonderful curling effort from just outside the box.
However, he struggled to get into the game after that. He linked up well with Alcaraz on occasion albeit nothing came from it.
Brereton-Diaz was subbed at halftime to manage his minutes after his recent transfer to the south coast.
Substitutes
Samuel Edozie - 6
Came on for Brereton-Diaz at half-time and continued to show the matador spirit he's become associated with, constantly taking on defenders.
The 21-year-old had Southampton's best attempt of the second half, a left footed strike well saved by Christos Mandas.
Tyler Dibling - 6
Introduced at half-time for Manning as Southampton tweaked their shape for the second half to relieve Charles of some pressure in the midfield.
Will Smallbone - 5
Part of a double substitution with Joe Aribo, coming on for Mara and Amo-Ameyaw, the Irish international entered the game that was cooling down after a very heated period, which made it difficult to impact the match
Joe Aribo - 5
A couple of nice interchanges with Edozie but didn't look like a goal threat himself.
Jack Stephens - 5
A relatively easy 10 minutes in defence alongside Wood for Stephens, tougher tests await undoubtedly.
Yuki Sugawara - N/A
Played the final few minutes of the game but not enough to have any real impact on the game.
Lazio
Ivan Provedel - 5
Much like his Southampton counterpart, Provedel can have no major complaints about the goal he conceded. Comfortable with the ball at his feet but was not really tested in the first half.
Manuel Lazzari - 7
One of the standout performers for Lazio in the match, combining well with right winger Zaccagni, winning the ball back in the build up to the equaliser.
Possibly should have got on the scoresheet himself after capitalising on McCarthy's misjudgement however Zaccagni clipped the outside of the post having rounded the keeper.
Alessio Romagnoli - 3
A tough night for the Italian. Possibly, should have closed down Brereton-Diaz before the Chilean forward got his shot away to put Saints into an early lead.
Romagnoli was one of the two protagonists in the biggest talking point of the match and thus received a deserved red card. Raising hands to an opponents throat is a reckless and bizarre thing to do - especially in a 'friendly.'
Nicolo Casale - 6
An authoritative performance for Casale, who ensured the absence of his centre back partner was not felt.
Luca Pellegrini - 5
Struggled to get to grips with Amo-Ameyaw while the youngster was on the pitch, often resorting to dark arts to halt the Southampton winger.
Had a few forays forward toward the end of the game, hitting the side netting with a shot from a tight angle when a pass/cross seemed the better option.
Danilo Cataldi -
His general play was tidy and effective however the 30-year-old Italian can consider himself lucky to escape the brawl without being reprimanded.
Cataldi was subbed off immediately after the altercation.
Matias Vecino -
The 32-year-old had a quiet game in midfield. Although, he was often turned by Alcaraz and found himself running towards his own goal making recovery runs.
Matteo Guendouzi - 5
If a fortune teller had said a player was going to be sent off in this game then Guendouzi would have been suspect number one.
Booked early in the first half after multiple tussles with Alcaraz, the Frenchman calmed down as the game went on but will be remembered more for his role as an antagonist rather than his football prowess.
Mattia Zaccagni - 7
Relentless energy from Zaccagni caused Manning and Taylor lots of problems in the first half and forced a quick reaction save from McCarthy following his diving header.
Valentin Castellanos - 7
Scored a fantastic goal in the first half that even the home contingent gave a reluctant round of applause to.
Although, it really should have been two goals in the game for Castellanos, as he somehow managed to scoop his shot onto the bar from six yards out - a classic 'easier to score than miss' situation.
Gustav Isaksen - 6
Had a great opportunity in the second half to put Lazio in front.
A shot on the swivel that cannoned off the crossbar towards the goal line, sadly just the wrong side for the Danish striker.
Substitutes
Christos Mandas - 6
Made an excellent save to his left from a late Edozie effort but in truth it was a very quiet evening for Mandas.
Mario Gila - 4
Entered the field of play shortly after the melee and proceeded to get booked just three minutes after his arrival.
Loum Tchaouna - 5
Came on with 15 minutes to go but rarely threatened to create anything for Lazio.
Pedro Rodriguez - 4
The veteran forward made some smart runs beyond Southampton's defensive unit but wasn't found leading to an unremarkable cameo.
Tijani Noslin - 5
The €15 million striker from Hellas Verona held up the ball well when required but, like Tchaouna, offered very little in the final third.
Elseid Hysaj, Patric and Gaetano Castrovilli - N/A
A triple substitution with the clock quickly approaching 90 minutes. None of these players had the chance to make any impact.
