April 19, 2014: Lazio -Torino 3-3

Dag Jenkins
7 hours ago
10 min read

Rollercoaster leaves disappointment

An exciting game but full of errors gives each a point which does little for their respective European hopes

The season so far

The previous season Lazio finished 7th but had experienced the wild joy of winning the Coppa Italia beating city rivals Roma in the final.

The cup lifting manager had been confirmed but there had been some changes to the squad. The main arrivals in the summer were Albanian goalkeeper Etrit Berisha (Kalmar), young Brazilian attacking midfielder Felipe Anderson (Santos) and Argentine midfielder Lucas Biglia (Anderlecht). In the winter Lazio had also added striker Hélder Postiga (Valencia).

There were more players leaving than arriving. It was goodbye to goalkeeper Albano Bizzarri (Genoa), defender Modibo Diakité (Sunderland), midfielders Pasquale Foggia (Dubai Club), Danilo Cataldi (Crotone-loan), strikers Libor Kozak (Aston Villa) and Mauro Zarate, this time definitely (Vélez Sarsfield-end of contract). In January the "Prophet" Hernanes was sadly sold (Inter) and Sergio Floccari also left (Sassuolo).

This season under Vladimir Petkovic had not started so positively and Lazio lost the Supercoppa final 0-4 against a vastly superior Juventus. Lazio also struggled in the league bringing the club to replace Petkovic with reliable Edy Reja after 17 games (W5, D5, L7 and in 10th position). The decision was also caused by the Bosnian polyglot having signed a contract to lead the Switzerland national team from June 2014.

In Serie A Lazio lay in joint 7th position with Milan and Torino, on 48 points. The Biancocelesti had won 13 (including Inter 1-0), drawn 9 (including second derby 0-0) and lost 11 (including the first derby 0-2 and Torino 0-1). A week earlier Lazio had lost 2-4 in Naples. Lazio were in the battle for a Europa League qualification.

Lazio were out of both cups, Italian and Europa Le. In the Coppa Italia they had defeated Parma 2-1 but then were eliminated by Napoli 0-1 away in the quarter finals. In Europe they got through the group stage with Polish Legia Warsaw (1-0, 2-0), Turkish Trabzonspor (3-3, 0-0) and Cypriots Apollòn Limassol (0-0, 2-1). In the Round of 32 however they were knocked out in the dying minutes by Bulgarians Ludogorec (0-1, 3-3).

Torino had finished 16th the previous season under Gian Piero Ventura. It was their first year back in Serie A after three years so survival was the objective. The Granata drew 1-1 in Rome against Lazio and won 1-0 at home. They lost both derbies. The top scorer was Rolando Bianchi with 13 goals (11 in A).

This season Ventura had stayed on. There had been quite a few changes to the squad. The main new players were goalkeepers Daniele Padelli (Udinese) and former Lazio Tommaso Berni (Sampdoria), defenders Cesare Bovo (Genoa), Nikola Maksimović (Red Star Belgrade), Emiliano Moretti (Genoa) and Giovane Pasquale (Udinese - on loan), midfielders Nicola Bellomo (Bari), Omar El Kaddouri (Napoli - on loan) and Alexander Farnerud (Young Boys) plus forwards Ciro Immobile (Genoa) and Marcelo Larrondo (Siena - via Fiorentina). In January they had added midfielders Jasmin Kurtić (Sassuolo - on loan) and Panagiotīs Tachtsidīs (Catania - on loan).

Leaving Torino were defenders Valerio Di Cesare (Brescia) and Angelo Ogbonna (Juventus… after 160 games), midfielders Valter Birsa (Genoa - end of loan, then Milan), Mario Santana (Napoli - end of loan, then Genoa), Alen Stevanović (Palermo - on loan) plus forwards Rolando Bianchi (Bologna) and Jonathas (Pescara - end of loan, then Latina on loan).

Torino were doing better this year and were currently 7th with Lazio and Milan, on 48 points. Toro had won 13 (including Lazio 1-0 and last 3), drawn 9 (including Milan home and away) and lost 11 (including both derbies 0-1).

In the Coppa Italia they were knocked out immediately in August losing 1-2 at home to second tier Pescara.

Today was therefore an important game for both sides' objective to try and clinch European football for the following season.

The match: Saturday, April 19, 2014, Stadio Olimpico, Rome

A poor crowd of about 15,000 for this 3 o'clock Saturday afternoon kick-off. The anti-Lotito sentiment still kept many fans away from the stadium. The day was cloudy but dry and the pitch was in good condition.

Lazio had to play without defenders Lorik Cana and André Dias, midfielder Álvaro Gonzalez plus forward Miroslav Klose.

Torino were missing midfielders Alexander Farnerud, Migjen Basha and Matteo Brighi plus forward Alessio Cerci.

Lazio risked falling behind immediately on friendly fire. In the 4th minute Luis Cavanda risked an own goal on a Matteo Darmian cross.

In the 9th minute Antonio Candreva had a good chance for Lazio but he was hypnotised by Daniele Padelli who saved.

In the 16th minute the ball burst following a Ciro Immobile shot walled by Diego Novaretti. Not to worry modern football could afford to have plenty more ready.

The game was open and played without any particular defensive caution.

In the 18th minute Kamil Glik headed just wide from a corner.

Lazio then seemed to speed up and had a period of pressure with a Stefano Mauri header just high, a Stefan Radu shot saved by Padelli and culminated in the 29th minute when Keita Balde toed his effort just wide.

In the 37th minute Toro went extremely close but Cesare Bovo's freekick hit the crossbar and flew over.

Lazio pushed again before halftime, first Padelli saved on a blistering Radu long range shot and then in the 42nd minute the Biancocelesti scored. A Lucas Biglia freekick onto the far post was headed back across goal by a Novaretti header and nodded in by Mauri, 1-0.

In the second half the game remained entertaining and in the 52nd minute the visitors equalised. Riccardo Meggiorini squared a ball back into the middle, the Lazio defence froze and Jasmin Kurtic was ready to hit a low strike to Etrit Berisha's right, 1-1.

Lazio were shaken and had a period of difficulty in which Torino had the upper hand in possession and territory but without threatening.

In the 61st minute the game came alive as Lazio were awarded a penalty for a foul by the keeper on Keita. Candreva took it and chipped a cool Panenka style spot kick past Padelli, 2-1.

Toro at this point took off their goal scorer and brought on Panagiotīs Tachtsidis.

It was an astute move as only two minutes after coming on the Greek midfielder scored. On an Omar El Kaddouri corner the Lazio defence was again doddery and the former Roma player hit a left-footed volley past Berisha and celebrated as if it were a derby, 2-2.

Six minutes later Lazio tried to increase their firing power by introducing Felipe Anderson and Helder Postiga for Cavanda and Mauri.

It was a bold move but in reality, it completely unbalanced the team as Torino took control of the midfield. Immobile in particular suddenly had more space and Novaretti was forced to spend a booking to stop him and then got another yellow seven minutes later for a foul on Darmian and was off.

In ten men in the 84th minute Reja took off Keita and put on Bruno Pereirinha.

Torino were rampant and Berisha had to deny Immobile three times in a few minutes. On his fourth attempt the future Lazio legend scored. In the 89th minute he hit a wonderful right-footed shot into the top right-hand corner, 2-3.

The visitors, one goal and a man up, took precautions and replaced El Kaddouri with former Lazio Alessandro Gazzi, a more defensive minded midfielder.

There seemed little hope for Lazio but in the 4th and last minute of added time they managed to equalise. Anderson tried an unlikely low shot which beat the offside trap and reached Candreva all alone in the box, the Roman controlled and beat Padelli, 3-3.

An exciting game but full of defensive mistakes. Both sides had regrets and the point was not particularly useful to either. Lazio had paid for defensive errors and hesitations plus some dubious tactical choices (Postiga was a ghost). Torino had the game in their hands but let it slip away.

Lazio were now joint 8th, on 49 points with Torino and Verona (the Gialloblu had won 2-1 away at Atalanta). The only consolation was gaining a point on 6th placed Parma who had lost 0-2 at home to Inter. Time however was running out to catch up on the European slots.

Who played for Lazio

Berisha, Biava, Novaretti, Radu, Cavanda (71' F. Anderson), Ledesma, Biglia, Lulic, Candreva, Mauri (71' H.Postiga), Keita (84' Pereirinha)

Substitutes: Guerrieri, Strakosha, Ciani, Crecco, Onazi, Kakuta, Perea

Manager: Reja

Who played for Torino

Padelli, Bovo, Glik, Moretti, Maksimovic, Kurtic (65' Tachtsidis), Vives, El Kaddouri (91' Gazzi), Darmian, Immobile, Meggiorini (80' Barreto)

Substitutes: Berni, Barreca, Vesovic, Gyasi

Manager: Ventura

Referee: Guida

Goals: 42' Mauri, 52' Kurtic, 61' Candreva (pen), 67' Tachtsidis, 89' Immobile, 94' Candreva

Red Card: 83' Novaretti

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n-eCoh1Y8I8

What happened next

Lazio's end of season continued in the same inconsistent pattern. A week later they won 2-0 away at Livorno but then won 1, drew 1 and lost one in the last 3 games. The Biancocelesti finished 9th, on 56 points, after 15 wins, 11 draws and 12 defeats. The top scorer was Antonio Candreva with 12 league goals. An unmemorable season without any particular high points for Lazio.

Torino did slightly better and finished 7th, on 57 points. This brought with it an unexpected Europa League qualification as 6th placed Parma failed to obtain the UEFA license to play in Europe. In the last 4 matches Toro won 2 and drew 2. The top scorer was Ciro Immobile with 23 goals (22 in A).

No need to add that Immobile would later become a Lazio legend with 207 goals in the biancoceleste jersey.

The scudetto was won by Juventus, with a record 102 points, for their 30th title. Falling to inferior levels of "calcio" were Catania, Bologna and Livorno.

Let's talk about Gaël Kakuta

Gael Kakuta was born in Lille, on June 21, 1991. He holds both French and Democratic Republic of Congo passports.

His first clubs in his youth were Lille-Moulins, Lens (1999-2007) and Chelsea.

In 2008-09 at Chelsea he trained with the first team but in February suffered a bad injury and was out for six months. He then made his debut the following season, on November 9 against Wolves. He made 4 appearances under Carlo Ancelotti and the Blues won the league and the FA Cup.

In 2010-11 he stayed on and made 12 appearances (5 in Premier) but in January was loaned to Fulham in the Premier League. The manager was Welshman Mark Hughes and the Cottagers finished 8th. Kakuta played 7 league games with 1 goal.

In 2011-12 he started with Bolton on loan. He played 6 games with 1 goal under Owen Coyle but in January left for Dijon in Ligue 1 on loan. The Trotters eventually finished 18th in the Premier League and were relegated.

At Dijon he played 16 games and scored 5 goals. Dijon finished 19th and relegated.

In 2012 he moved to Holland and joined Vitesse on loan. He stayed a season and a half making 40 appearances and scoring 4 goals. Vitesse finished 4th in his first season. In his second he left in January 2014 and joined Lazio on loan. The Vites eventually finished 6th in the Eerste Divisie.

At Lazio the manager was Edy Reja and he only played 2 games (1 in A and 1 in Europa League). Lazio had a mediocre season and finished 9th. Lazio then decided not to exercise the option to buy clause so he returned to his parent club Chelsea.

In 2014-15 he spent a season on loan at Rayo Vallecano in the Spanish top flight. He played regularly making 35 league appearances with 5 goals. The Rayistas finished 11th under Paco Jémez.

In 2015 he signed for Sevilla but only played 5 games (2 in Liga) and scored 1 goal under Unai Emery before leaving in January. The Rojiblancos eventually finished 7th and won the Europa League (Liverpool 3-1)

In January 2016 he flew to China and played a season with Hebei CFFC from Qinhuangdao. He played 24 league games and scored 2 goals.

In January 2017 he returned to Spain and joined Deportivo La Coruña He played 10 league games and scored 2 goals. The Dépor finished 16th in La Liga under Gaizka Garitano.

In 2017-18 he spent a season in Ligue 1, in France with Amiens. He played regularly making 38 appearances (36 in league) with 6 goals. Les Licornes (Unicorns) finished 13th under manager Christophe Pélissier.

In 2018-19 he went back to Rayo Vallecano. The manager was still Jémez but Los Franjirrojos finished 20th and relegated. Kakuta played 12 league games with 1 goal.

In 2019-20 he was back in Amiens. He played 24 league games with 2 goals and the Unicorns finished 19th and were relegated under Slovenian Luka Elsner.

In 2020 he stayed in France but signed for his original club Lens. He stayed two full seasons and played a total of 69 games with 14 goals. Les Sangs et Or (Blood and Gold) finished 7th twice, both under Franck Haise. In October 2022, after 2 more league games, he left and returned to Amiens.

Amiens were now in Ligue 2 and he stayed two seasons. He played 44 total games with 12 goals. Amiens finished 14th and 8th under Patrice Descamps and Omar Daf.

In 2024 Kakuta went to play in the Iranian league. He joined Esteghlal in Teheran and played a total of 18 games before leaving in February.

He then returned to Europe and signed for Sakaryaspor from Adapazari in the Turkish second tier (TFF.1). He played out the season finishing 16th and playing 8 league games with 1 goal. He stayed on in 2025-26 with the Anadolu Günesi (Anatolian Sun).

Kakuta played at all age levels with France; U-16s (12 games, 5 goals), U-17s (14 games, 3 goals), U-18s (5 games, 3 goals), U-19s (13 games, 4 goals), U-20s (11 games, 2 goals), U-21s (18 games, 6 goals). With France he won a European Championship silver medal with the U-17s and gold with the U-19s when he was also voted best player of the tournament. From 2016 he has opted to represent the Democratic Republic of Congo for whom he has played 30 times with 5 goals.

Kakuta is an attacking midfielder. He is 1.73 and 66 kilos so not a heavyweight. At the beginning of his career he was considered a real talent with great potential. In 2010 he was in the Don Balón magazine's list of best players born after 1989. For his characteristics he was likened to Florent Malouda. He has had a decent career especially in France but has not lived up to expectations.

At Lazio he was not considered ready and not given much of a chance. His career since seems to have validated this choice as, unlike Pedro Neto later, Kakuta never really made it at top level.