April 15, 2017: Genoa-Lazio 2-2
- Dag Jenkins
- Apr 15
- 12 min read
Action packed draw
Lazio come back twice and equalise late but are also denied three penalties
The season so far
The previous season Lazio had finished 8th. The Biancocelesti had played 31 league games under Stefano Pioli and then the last 7 with Simone Inzaghi. They had reached the last 16 of Europa League (after failing to get through the CL preliminary round against Bayer Leverkusen) and the quarterfinals of the Coppa Italia.
This year Marcelo Bielsa had been chosen but "El Loco" lived up to his name and resigned after only a few days due to divergences over transfer market issues. At this point Simone Inzaghi was called back.
The main new signings were goalkeeper Thomas Strakosha (Salernitana- end of loan), defenders Bastos (Rostov), Jordan Lukaku (Oostende), Wallace (Braga), midfielder Luís Alberto (Liverpool) and striker Ciro Immobile (Seville).
Leaving were goalkeeper Etrit Berisha (Atalanta - on loan), defenders Edson Braafheid (end of contract), Santiago Gentiletti (Genoa), Abdoulay Konko (end of contract), Mauricio (Spartak Moscow - on loan), midfielders Antonio Candreva (Inter), Ogenyi "Eddy" Onazi (Trabzonspor), Stefano Mauri (end of contract) and striker Miroslav Klose (retired). So, a few players difficult to replace.
The Serie A season had started with a 4-3 away win at Atalanta followed by a 0-1 home defeat by Juventus and a 1-1 away draw at Chievo Verona. Since then Lazio had done well: winning 17 (including Genoa 3-1), drawing 5 and losing 6 (including derby 0-2). The Biancocelesti however came from a bruising 0-3 home defeat to Napoli and were currently 4th on 60 points (one ahead of Atalanta, three Milan and five Inter). Third place and a Champions League slot was out of reach and held by Napoli on 67 points.
In the Coppa Italia had defeated today's opposition Genoa 4-2 at home and Inter 2-1 away to set up a semi-final against eternal rivals Roma. In the first home leg on March 1 the Biancocelesti had won 2-0 (Milinkovic-Savic, Immobile) while in the return game on April 4 they "suffered" a harmless 2-3 defeat. The final would be on May 17 against Juventus at the Olimpico.
Genoa had finished 11th in Serie A the previous season, under Gian Piero Gasperini. The Rossoblu had lost 0-2 away to Lazio and drawn 0-0 at home. The highlights were defeating both Milan 1-0 and Inter at home and winning a derby 3-0 (the other was lost 2-3). The top scorer was Leonardo Pavoletti with 15 goals (14 in A).
This season "Gasp" had left for Atalanta and the new boss was Ivan Juric. The Croat had been replaced briefly (26-31), after a 0-5 defeat at Pescara, by Andrea Mandorlini but a draw and 5 defeats (including derby and Atalanta 0-5 at home) meant Juric was called back. Today was his debut in his second spell in charge.
Genoa's main new players this season were defender Santiago Gentiletti (Lazio), Davide Biraschi (Frosinone) and Lucas Orbán (Levante - via Valencia), midfielders Isaac Cofie (Carpi - back from loan), Oscar Hiljemark (Palermo - in January), Nikola Ninkovic (Chievo), Luca Rigoni (Palermo), Miguel Veloso (Dynamo Kyiv but previously at Genoa) and Danilo Cataldi (Lazio - on loan in January) plus forwards Giovanni Simeone (Banfield - via River Plate), Mauricio Pinilla (Atalanta - in January but previously at Genoa) and Pietro Pellegri (up from youth team).
Leaving the Grifoni were defenders Alassane També (Tondela), Cristian Ansaldi (Inter), Sebastian De Maio (Anderlecht - then Fiorentina), Giovanni Marchese (Catania) and Gabriel Silva (Udinese - end of loan), midfielders Diego Capel (Anderlecht), Blerim Džemaili (Galatasaray -end of loan then Bologna), Panagīotīs Tachtsidis (Torino - then Cagliari) and Tomás Rincón (Juventus - in January) plus forwards Alessio Cerci (Atlético Madrid - end of loan), Suso (Milan - end of loan) and Tim Matavž (Augusta - end of loan then Nürnberg on loan).
Genoa were currently in 16th place on 29 points. A poor position but with a nine-point cushion on 18th placed Crotone. The Rossoblu had won 7 (including first 3 plus Milan 3-0 and Juventus 3-1 at home), drawn 8 and lost 16 (including both derbies, 1-2 and 0-1). Since November 27 Genoa had only won one game, 2-0 at Empoli on March 5. This explains the tampering of managers.
In Coppa Italia as mentioned they were knocked out by Lazio 2-4 in the last 16. They had previously defeated Lecce 3-2 and Perugia 4-3 (aet) both at home.
A difficult game to predict today. Lazio were obviously superior but came from a bad defeat while Genoa were struggling but had Juric back and were realistically not in danger of relegation so could play without excessive pressure.
The match: Saturday, April 17, 2017, Stadio Luigi Ferraris, Genoa
A slightly hazy but dry day gathered just under 20,000 spectators at the ground previously known as Marassi.
Lazio had no real absences while Genoa were missing goalkeeper Mattia Perin, defender Armando Izzo and forward Mauricio Pinilla.
The Rossoblu had a few Lazio connections in the squad: former players Santiago Gentiletti (2014-16) and Goran Pandev (2004-10) plus Danilo Cataldi who was currently on loan from Lazio. They also had Giovanni "Cholito" Simeone, the son of unforgotten Lazio Scudetto winner Diego Pablo Simeone.
After ten minutes of the two sides studying each other, Genoa took the lead. Raffaele Palladino crossed from the left and the ball went over both Stefan de Vrij and Lucas Biglia and reached Simeone who bent down slightly and headed low to Thomas Strakosha's right, 1-0. It was his first but would by no means be his last against his father's former club.
Lazio responded with Keita Balde who, despite slipping, got in a low, left-footed strike but Eugenio Lamanna stretched out and palmed it behind for a corner.
Lazio were not dominant but attacked more and Ciro immobile had a shot deflected into corner. Lazio also had two penalty appeals for fouls by Nicolas Burdisso first on Marco Parolo and then on Keita, the potential punishment on the former would also have meant a red card for the Argentine defender.
Then not much else happened until added time. In the 46th minute a powerful Felipe Anderson shot from outside the box was blocked by Miguel Veloso with his hands for a penalty. Biglia hit a powerful, central, mid-height shot which the keeper, despite diving to his right, brilliantly got his left hand to but unfortunately for him the ball came back to the Argentine who lunged forward and poked it in, 1-1 at half time.
In the second half it was still Lazio who started on the front foot. Wesley Hoedt tried his luck from a considerable distance and hit it well but Lamanna dived low to his left and parried behind for a corner.
In the 61st minute former Lazio Goran Pandev came on for Veloso.
Genoa occasionally threatened as with Palladino who wonderfully brought down a high cross, turned and shot immediately but Strakosha was well positioned on the front post.
At this point Juric was sent off for exaggerated shouts and protests.
In the 67th minute Lazio made their first substitution when they took off Felipe Anderson and put on Cristiano Lombardi. The young Roman had a huge chance almost straight away but played through by Keita on the counter attack and with only the keeper to beat he put it just wide.
More substitutions followed in the 73rd minute, one each, for Genoa Danilo Cataldi came on for Luca Rigoni while for Lazio Jordan Lukaku took Stefan Radu's place.
In the 78th minute the Grifone took the lead. On a long cross to the far post, Pandev twisted his body and headed back towards goal, surprising both de Vrij and Strakosha, 2-1. Headers were not exactly the Macedonian's speciality and he celebrated wildly, no doubt mainly against his old enemy Claudio Lotito whom he had fallen out with at Lazio (but then who hasn't…).
Inzaghi' s next move was to pull of Marco Parolo and introduce Luis Alberto.
Soon after there was another blatant trip inside the area by Laxalt on Keita but the referee ignored it. Now it was Simone Inzaghi's turn to be sent off for dissent.
Ciro Immobile then had a chance but the keeper dived at his feet and walled the ball away.
Lazio were pushing and in the 89th minute the hosts took precautions by hauling off forward Simeone and throwing on Swedish midfielder Oscar Hiljemark.
The move failed as in the 91st minute Lazio equalised. De Vrij hit a long ball forward, the defence cleared but only as far as Luis Alberto who picked it up, moved a couple metres forward and from the edge of the box drilled a surgical, low shot into the left-hand corner, 2-2.
With an exaggerated seven minutes of injury time there was still a last possibility each to steal it. For Lazio a Sergej Milinkovic-Savic header shaved the post while for Genoa Pandev had only Strakosha to beat but the Albanian pulled off a great save to deny the Macedonian getting his brace, however maybe not even Lotito deserved that. Final score 2-2.
A game Lazio could have lost but also won considering the three penalties not given and the red card to Burdisso which the first would have entailed. All in all, however it was a good point coming so late in the game and with Luis Alberto's first goal in a Lazio shirt. The "Mago" was materialising.
Lazio were still 4th on 61 points (5th placed Atalanta drew 1-1 away to Roma and 6th placed Milan drew the derby 2-2).
Genoa were 16th on 30 points. The Rossoblu kept their 9-point lead on Crotone (Torino 1-1 away).
Who played for Genoa
Lamanna, Muñoz, Burdisso, Gentiletti, Juan, Lazovic, Veloso, (61' Pandev), Ntcham, Laxalt, Rigoni (73' Cataldi), Simeone (89' Hiljemark)
Substitutes: Zima, Faccioli, Orban, Biraschi, Brivio, Morosini, Ninkovic, Pellegri
Manager: Juric
Who played for Lazio
Strakosha, Basta, de Vrij, Hoedt, Radu (73' Lukaku), Parolo (80' Luis Alberto), Biglia, Milinkovic-Savic, Felipe Anderson (67' Lombardi), Immobile, Keita
Manager: S.Inzaghi
Referee: Maresca
Goals: 10' Simeone, 45+2' Biglia, 78' Pandev, 90+1' Luis Alberto
What happened next
The Biancocelesti finished 5th and qualified for the Europa League. Lazio therefore had a positive season but not good enough to challenge for the top three. After today's game they won 3 (the next 3, Palermo 6-2, Roma 3-1 and Samp 7-3) and lost 3 (the last three). The highlight in the league was defeating Roma on April 30 despite a scandalous penalty for the Giallorossi (the famous Strootman theatrical simulation). The top scorer was Ciro Immobile with 26 goals (23 in A).
In the Coppa Italia final they were defeated 0-2 by Juventus.
Genoa finished 16th, on 36 points (four above last relegation slot). In the remaining games they won 2 (Inter 1-0 and Torino 2-1 at home) and lost 4. The top scorer was Simeone with 11 goals (10 in A).
"Cholito" Simeone would go on to score another 9 goals against Lazio with various other clubs.
The Scudetto was won by Juventus for the 33rd time and 6th consecutive. The Bianconeri therefore won the double. The three teams sadly waving goodbye were Empoli, Palermo and Pescara (the Palermitani and Pescaresi have not been back since but all three are currently in B).
Let’s talk about: Lucas Biglia
Lucas Rodrigo Biglia was born in Mercedes, Buenos Aires, Argentina, on 30 January, 1986.
His youth career was spent at local Estudiantes Mercedes and then at Argentinos Juniors.
He stayed on and started as a professional at Argentinos Juniors, as did a certain other Argentinian, Diego Armando Maradona. Biglia played 15 games and scored 1 goal for the "Bichos Colorados".
In 2005 he signed for Independiente. He stayed one year with the Avellaneda club, playing 49 games.
In 2006 Europe called. He signed for Anderlecht and set off to play in Belgium for the Purple and Whites of Brussels. He stayed six years with the 'Paars-Wit' playing 187 games and scoring 11 goals. In his time in Brussels he won 4 league titles, 1 Belgian Cup and 4 Super Cups.
In the summer of 2013 he signed for Lazio for five years. His debut was unfortunate as it came in a 4-0 defeat by Juventus in the Italian Supercoppa final. His league debut a week later on the 25th August at least coincided with a win as Lazio beat Udinese 2-1. His first goal for the Biancocelesti was away against Verona on the 22nd December. In his first year in Rome, first under Vladimir Petkovic and then Edy Reja, he made 26 league appearances (2 goals), 1 in Coppa Italia, 4 in the Europa League and 1 in the Supercoppa.
In his second year he found a new manager Stefano Pioli. Lazio had an excellent season finishing third and qualifying for the Champions League preliminary round. Biglia played 27 league games and scored 3 goals (Torino, Fiorentina, Cagliari) and 4 in Coppa Italia with 1 goal (winner against Milan away). Lazio reached the final of Coppa Italia but were unlucky and were defeated 2-1 by Juventus in extra time.
In 2015-16, Lazio again started the season with Stefano Pioli (1-32) but finished it under Simone Inzaghi (32-38). Biglia played 27 league games and scored 4 goals (Bologna, Verona, Atalanta, Torino), 2 in Coppa Italia, 6 in Europe (1 CL-5 UCL) with 1 goal (Saint-Étienne) and 1 in the Italian Supercoppa final.
The next season, 2016-17, would be his last in Rome. Simone Inzaghi was confirmed as manager and Biglia played 29 league games with 4 goals (Genoa, Fiorentina, Milan, Genoa) and 5 games in Coppa Italia with 1 goal (Inter). Lazio had a decent season finishing 5th and also reached the final of Coppa Italia but were again defeated by Juventus 0-2.
In the summer of 2017, after four seasons, Biglia left Lazio and joined Milan. The Rossoneri signed him for 17 million Euros, plus 3 of add-ons. In his first year with the "Diavoli" he played under Vincenzo Montella (until 27 November) and then Gennaro Gattuso; he made 28 league appearances with 1 goal (Spal), 4 in Coppa Italia and 5 in Europa League. Milan reached the final of Coppa Italia but were defeated by...surprise, surprise, Juventus.
In his next two seasons in Milan he played less, also due to a series of injuries. In 2018-19 Gattuso stayed on and Biglia made 16 league appearances (1 goal vs Chievo), 1 in Coppa Italia and 2 in Europa League.
In 2019-20 (the season interrupted by Covid) he played only 14 games in Serie A, first under manager Marco Giampaolo (1-7) and then Stefano Pioli. Despite being reunited with his former Lazio coach, Biglia was not able to impose himself as a first-choice midfielder and when his contract ran out at the end of the season he left.
In September 2020 he went to play in Turkey, joining Fatih Karagümrük in the Süper Lig. He was almost immediately made captain and stayed two years with the Istanbul club. He played 65 games for the "Kara Kirmizi" and scored 4 goals. Fatih'in Torunlari finished 8th twice.
In 2022 he changed teams but stayed in Turkey and Istanbul. He joined the ambitious İstanbul Başakşehir. The club was only formed in 1990 and is said to be very 'close' to the current Turkish government (it is owned by a minister). They are an up and coming club and have already won one league title (2019-20). They obviously do not have the massive followings of Beşiktaş, Fenerbahçe or Galatasaray. One Besiktas fan interviewed before a derby game claimed he had never met a Başakşehir fan...Anyway Biglia played one season for the Grey Owls of Istanbul, under former Inter player Emre Belözoğlu. He made 25 league appearances, 5 in the Turkish Cup and 12 in the Conference League. The Grey Owls finished 5th in the Turkish Süper Lig and lost in the final of the Turkish Cup to Fenerbahçe 0-2. In the Conference League after the preliminaries they won their group (Fiorentina, Hearts and RFS Riga) but in the last 16 lost to Gent 2-5 on aggregate.
Biglia then retired at 37.
On the international stage Biglia first played 3 games for Argentina U-17s (1 goal), then 8 games for the U-20s (1 goal). With the U-17s he won the South-American Championship in 2003 and bronze in the World Championships. With the U-20s he won bronze at the South-American Championship in 2005 but then won gold at the World Cup.
He then went on to earn 58 full caps for the Albiceleste and scored 1 goal against Colombia. His debut came on 9 February 2011 in a friendly against Portugal. He played his first game at a world championship on 15 June 2014. He played 7 games in that world cup including the final loss against Germany. Losing finals was unfortunately a recurring event in his national team career, losing two Copa América finals in Chile 2015 and USA 2016. He retired from the Albiceleste after playing one game (versus Iceland) at the Russia World Cup 2018.
Lucas Biglia is nicknamed "El Principito" (Little Prince) for his blond hair and height, although he is 1.78 metres tall. He was a defensive midfielder and usually played as a deep lying playmaker. He was a hard worker, aggressive and good at breaking down opposing attacks. In addition to these defensive skills he could also dictate the tempo with good technique, vision and passing ability. He had leadership qualities and was captain at times with Lazio. The Argentine possessed good ball-striking ability confirmed by many goals on freekicks and penalties. He had a good career as his curriculum proves and his 59 Argentina caps are particularly impressive.
At Lazio he was a reasonable success. He had four solid seasons and captained the Biancocelesti thirteen times. He was never a massive fan favourite and, in my opinion, lacked some qualities to make him a truly great player. It's true that had Lazio not lost four cup finals during his time in Rome he might be remembered differently. He will however be remembered with affection and his best Italian days were definitely in the capital.
Lazio Career
Season | Total Appearances (goals) | Serie A | Coppa Italia | Champions League | Europa League | Super Coppa |
2013-14 | 32 (2) | 26 (2) | 1 | - | 4 | 1 |
2014-15 | 31 (4) | 27 (3) | 4 (1) | - | - | - |
2015-16 | 36 (5) | 27 (4) | 2 | 1 | 5 (1) | 1 |
2016-17 | 34 (5) | 29 (4) | 5 (1) | - | - | - |
Total | 133 (16) | 109 (13) | 12 (2) | 1 | 9 (1) | 2 |
Sources
Comments