This Week In Lazio History: April 27 – May 3

This Week In Lazio History: April 27 – May 3

Some of the games between April 27 and May 3 have gone down in history. But, most of all, we all remember the Biancocelesti winning the first silverware of the Cragnotti era in 1998.

Matches of the Week

Date: Sunday, April 29, 2001

Location: Stadio Olimpico, Rome

Fixture: Roma Lazio 2-2

Lucas Castromán equalises with twenty seconds to go to salvage pride and at least put the rivals’ title hopes in some doubt.

Date: Sunday, April 30, 2017

Location: Stadio Olimpico, Rome

Fixture: Roma Lazio 1-3

A Keita Balde brace and a Basta goal allow Lazio to beat Roma despite ridiculous refereeing.

Date: Sunday, May 1, 2016

Location: Stadio Olimpico, Rome

Fixture: Lazio Inter 2-0 An early goal by Klose and a late Candreva penalty completes Lazio’s double on Inter.

Date: Sunday, May 1, 1994

Location: Stadio Luigi Ferraris, Genoa

Fixture: Sampdoria Lazio 3-4 An entertaining and high scoring game goes Lazio’s way and Signori’s brace hails him top Serie A scorer for second year in a row

Date: Sunday, May 2, 1915

Location: Campo della Farnesina, Rome

Fixture: Lazio Sporting Pisa 4-2 In a match which saw very violent clashes between players, Lazio manage to win and now lead the Semifinal Group.

Match In Focus

Date: Wednesday, April 29, 1998

Location: Stadio Olimpico, Rome

Fixture: Lazio Milan 3-1, Coppa Italia Final, Second Leg

Today was the return leg of the final. Only many years later would someone come up with the bright idea of going back to playing a one match final in the capital.

The away match was won by Milan 1-0, on the 8th of April at San Siro. Lazio had dominated for most of the match and showed they were the better team. However Milan’s keeper Sebastiano Rossi had a great game making several decisive saves and even got the assist for Milan’s winner. In the last minutes of the match when Lazio were still vowing their missed opportunities Rossi gave the ball a massive hoof upfield, it bounced near the Lazio penalty area where George Weah, thanks to a defensive mix up between Paolo Negro, Alessandro Nesta and Luca Marchegiani, headed the ball over the Lazio keeper and into the net. An unexpected win for Milan and a thoroughly undeserved defeat for Lazio. All was not lost however.

Milan had a slight advantage but Lazio had already proved they were just as good as Milan, if not better. There was also an underlying feeling among Lazio fans that this was our time, our moment to win.

A great crowd of 70,000 (7,000 Milanisti too) and a marvellous atmosphere welcomed the two teams onto the field. Lazio were without Matias Almeyda, Beppe Pancaro, José Chamot and Alen Boksic while Milan were missing Leonardo and Zvonimir Boban. Lazio played with Roberto Mancini and Gigi Casiraghi up front while Milan answered with Dejan Savicevic and George Weah.

The first half started at a slow pace. Milan were satisfied with their lead and Lazio weary of conceding an away goal. Lazio however attacked more and had a first chance with Pavel Nedved. On a cross from Diego Fuser, the Czech brought the ball down well and from an angle was one-on-one with the keeper but pushed it just too far allowing Rossi to anticipate him. Lazio’s next chance was clearer when Casiraghi chested down a Vladimir Jugovic cross and again from an angle got a low shot which Rossi saved with the help of the post. Milan were kept under control especially by Alessandro Nesta, in fine form, the “Diavolo’s” only chance came on a Weah close range shot on a Ibrahim Ba low cross but he was slightly too far forward and, challenged by two defenders, his effort went high. On the half hour mark Savicevic went off injured and was replaced by Kluivert. Halftime score Lazio 0 Milan 0. A first 45 minutes which satisfied the visitors far more than the hosts.

The second half started with a bang. In the first minute Demetrio Albertini was fouled by Alessandro Grandoni at the edge of the box for a free kick. The Milan midfielder took it and his low, powerful shot went through the wall and beat Luca Marchegiani to his right. Lazio 0 Milan 1. The Rossoneri were two up on aggregate and now Lazio needed three unanswered goals to lift the cup. Milan became even more defensive in the 50th minute and replaced an injured Kluivert with a midfielder, Giampiero Maini. For Lazio Guerino Gottardi came on for Grandoni, a seemingly small detail at the time but which would soon prove crucial.

The Lazio crowd still believed, urging their team forward and the Biancocelesti threw caution to the wind and attacked furiously. They were soon rewarded. In the 55th minute a long ball by Giorgio Venturin found Mancini with space in the area, “Mancio” domesticated the ball perfectly and slid it across to an unmarked Gottardi who beat Rossi. 1-1 and the stadium became a cauldron, a crazy comeback could still be possible.

Only three minutes later Gottardi, on a Mancini assist, was clumsily kicked in the air by Paolo Maldini. The foul started on the edge of the box but the dynamic of the move made Guerino go sprawling several metres into the area. For the referee Treossi it was a penalty. Jugovic stepped up and with a fierce low shot sent Rossi the wrong way. Lazio 2 Milan 1. The Stadium was on fire and Milan were groggy. Lazio still needed one more but there was still half an hour to go.

A few minutes later Casiraghi went agonisingly close hitting the post with only the keeper to beat. In the 65th minute Lazio had a corner, the ball was not cleared properly and fell to Negro whose shot was saved but not blocked by Rossi and Nesta was the quickest to slot the ball in for the 3-1. The stadium passed the safety test and didn’t collapse despite the wild scenes which followed the captain’s goal. Lazio now had 25 minutes to defend their dream.

At this point Milan had to attack and threw striker Maurizio Ganz on for Ba. One goal would be enough for the Rossoneri to snatch the trophy. They had a Christian Ziege freekick saved by Marchegiani and endless crosses into the area but Lazio, despite the fans obviously holding their breath every time the ball even went over the halfway line, held firm and kept Milan at bay.

Ten minutes from time both Fuser and Marcel Desailly were sent off for squabbling and kicking but tactically nothing changed. It was Lazio who came closer to scoring. After a perfect counterattack Jugovic incredibly did not find the net with a seemingly impossible to miss close range header. Lazio’s fears were only delayed a fraction longer as Treossi soon after blew the final whistle. Lazio had won a trophy after 24 years!

From the Scudetto of 1974 there had been: Tommaso Maestrelli‘s illness and death, Luciano Re Cecconi‘s tragic end, the 1980 betting scandal and subsequent relegation punishment, the Giorgio Chinaglia President era of shattered dreams, six years in total of Serie B, the nine-point deduction and playout to avoid the third tier, city rivals winning things and playing a European Cup Final (fortunately they lost) – but then in the 90’s things got gradually better for the long-suffering Lazio fans and now finally it was time to celebrate… Lazio had won!

In Memory: Maurilio Prini

Maurilio Prini was a very modern winger for his time. He was very fast so was able to cover both attack and defence. It may seem obvious now, but in the 1950s, at least in Italy, the players more or less stayed within their given space of movement. But then came Fulvio Bernardini, former Lazio and Roma star player, who revolutionized Italian football.

In Florence, he invented a more elastic wing-midfielder system than the classic one, with players changing positions depending on who had the ball. Furthermore, they were told not to pass directly to their teammates but in a free space so that the latter could reach the ball before their opponents; a more modern approach.

Fiorentina won a scudetto in 1956 and reached the final of the European Cup a year later, beaten by the great Real Madrid of Alfredo Di Stefano. Prini was a fundamental player in that team so when Bernardini came to manage Lazio in the summer of 1958, he brought Maurilio with him.

It was an immediate triumph as Lazio eliminated Roma in the group phase and Juventus in the semi-final. On Wednesday, September 24, 1958, the Biancocelesti beat Fiorentina 1-0 with a Prini goal, winning their first ever silverware.

Maurilio Prini died in Florence on April 29, 2009. He made a total of 86 appearances for Lazio, with 11 goals, between 1958 and 1962.

Birthdays this Week

• Valerio Fiori, 27-4-1969, goalkeeper, Italy, 130 appearances (1988-93)
• John Hansen, 27-4-1924, forward, Denmark, 27 appearances, 15 goals (1954-55)
• Diego Pablo Simeone, 28-4-1970, midfielder, Argentina, 136 appearances, 18 goals (1999-03)
• Fabio Liverani, 29-4-1976, midfielder, Italy, 165 appearances, 10 goals (2001-05)
• Christian Manfredini, 1-5-1979, midfielder, Italy, 136 appearances, 9 goals (2002-09)
• Aldo De Pierro, 3-5-1923, defender, Italy, 38 appearances (1943-46)
• Astutillo Malgioglio, 3-5-1956, goalkeeper, Italy, 25 appearances (1985-86)
• Ferenc Nyers II 3-5-1927, forward, Hungary, 38 appearances, 14 goals (1948-50)

This Article Was Written by Dag Jenkins & Simon Basten from Lazio Stories. More Information on the Above Matches and Players can be found on LazioStories.com.