A new superhero is born… Castroman!!
The Argentine equalises with twenty seconds to go to salvage pride and at least put the rivals title hopes in some doubt
Also on this day: April 29, 1998, Lazio Milan 3-1 Coppa Italia Final Return Leg. An incredible comeback, an incredible victory. Lazio are winners … finally!! Lazio Legend of the day: Alessandro Nesta
The season so far
Lazio the previous year had won their historic second Scudetto. The Biancocelesti had also won the Coppa Italia to clinch the double. They had then followed these up by winning the Italian Supercoppa in September beating Inter 4-3. The manager was Swede Sven-Goran Eriksson.
The summer market seemed to have further strengthened the Romans. Arriving were keeper Angelo Peruzzi (Inter), midfielders Dino Baggio (Parma), Lucas Castromán (Vélez Sarsfield), Karel Poborský (Benfica) plus forwards Hernán Crespo (Parma) and Claudio Lopez (Valencia).
Some sacrifices were obviously necessary and leaving were keeper Marco Ballotta (Inter), defender Nestor Sensini, midfielders Matias Almeyda (Parma), Attilio Lombardo (Sampdoria), Sergio Conceição (Parma) and forwards Alen Boksic (Middlesbrough) and Roberto Mancini (retiring). Some great players who would be missed.
In Serie A things had not gone as hoped and Lazio were currently in 3rd position but well off leaders Roma. In early January Eriksson had resigned due to Lazio's difficulties and a 5th position but also as he had already agreed to become England national coach from June 2001 and thought it was the right thing to do. Dino Zoff took over and things had improved with 11 wins (including Juventus 4-1 at home), a draw and 2 defeats. Lazio came into today's game following three consecutive wins. Top scorer was Hernan Crespo with 21 (19 in A). The table read Roma 62, Juventus 56, Lazio 55.
The Champions campaign had been disappointing. They had started the tournament in September in the first group phase. The Biancocelesti had won 4 (Shakhtar Donetsk 3-0 away and 5-1 at home, Sparta Prague 3-0 at home and 1-0 away), drawn 1 (Arsenal 1-1 at home) and lost 1 (Arsenal 0-2 away).
In the second group phase things had started badly with 3 defeats (Anderlecht 0-1 away, Leeds United 0-1 at home and Real Madrid 2-3 away, with a dubious last-minute penalty). They then held Real Madrid to a 2-2 home draw and beat Anderlecht 2-1 at home but it was too little too late and Lazio were out, then drawing the last game 3-3 away to Leeds United.
In Coppa Italia, Lazio had exited in the quarter finals losing 3-5 on aggregate to Udinese in December.
Roma had finished 6th (UEFA Cup) the previous season, under manager Fabio Capello.
This year, to try and outdo their fierce rivals and reigning champions Lazio, the Giallorossi had invested heavily. The main arrivals were defenders Walter Samuel (Boca Juniors), Jonathan Zebina (Cagliari), midfielders Gianni Guigou (Nacional de Montevideo), Emerson (Bayer Leverkusen) plus forward Gabriel Batistuta (Fiorentina, after nine years and 208 goals). Roma had spent 132 billion lire.
Leaving were defender Fabio Petruzzi and forwards and huge flops, Fábio Júnior (Cruzeiro-on loan) and Gustavo Bartelt (Rayo Vallecano-on loan).
The investments had paid off and the "Lupi" were top of the table. They had won 19 (including Lazio 1-0, with Paolo Negro's famous unlucky own goal), drawn 5 and lost 3. They had a six-point lead on Juventus and seven on Lazio. Top scorer so far was Batistuta with 16 (15 in A).
In Coppa Italia they had gone out immediately, losing 3-5 to Atalanta on aggregate. In the UEFA Cup the Giallorossi had been eliminated in the last 16 by Liverpool 1-2 on aggregate.
A massive derby this evening. Finally, one for the top positions.
The match: Sunday, April 29, 2001, Stadio Olimpico, Rome
A sell-out crowd of 78,000 for this possibly scudetto deciding derby.
Lazio had to do without Fernando Couto, Simone Inzaghi, Marcelo Salas and Juan Sebastian Veron while Roma were missing Antonio Carlos Zago, Emerson, Hidetoshi Nakata and Vincenzo Montella.
The first initiative was Roma's as Marco Delvecchio had a shot walled and deflected into corner. It was immediately an extremely physical game with rough fouls on both sides, Beppe Pancaro and Francesco Totti were booked early on.
The game was tense and without shots on target. Hernan Crespo fired over the bar with a long-range effort and then Damiano Tommasi stretched out on a low Delvecchio cross but again the ball went high. Gabriel Batistuta then had a freekick go just over the bar but Angelo Peruzzi looked to have it covered and Tommasi just before halftime pulled his shot wide following a clearance from a corner. Halftime Roma 0 Lazio 0.
A nervous, rough affair with so much at stake that neither side was sufficiently lucid. Roma slightly on top but Peruzzi had not been tested at all yet.
For the second half Lazio brought on a more offensive midfielder, Dejan Stankovic, for Roberto Baronio.
The second period started with a bang. Delvecchio went down the left wing and put in a low cross onto the front post where Batistuta anticipated Alessandro Nesta and with the outside of his foot put the ball in the opposite corner. A great goal, Roma 1 Lazio 0.
Roma were galvanised and sensed that, with now +10 points on Lazio, the title was there for the taking. In the 54th minute they scored again. Cristiano Zanetti chipped a central ball into the area where Delvecchio, getting between Nesta and Beppe Pancaro, stretched forward and sent a low left foot into the opposite corner. Roma 2 Lazio 0.
The league title seemed to be on its way across the river to the Giallorosso side.
At this point Lazio threw on forward Claudio Lopez for midfielder Diego Simeone.
Lazio inevitably pushed forward. Sinisa Mihajlovic had a dangerous freekick but it was something between a shot and a cross and went about a metre wide. Roma had space on the break and Peruzzi had to rush off his line and head the ball away on a threatening Cafu attack.
In the 64th minute Lazio made their third substitution with Lucas Castromán coming on for Karel Poborsky. Not a move to get overly excited about but life is unpredictable.
Mihajlovic then had a venomous freekick into the area but no-one could get a touch. A few minutes later Lopez had a weak shot and Francesco Antonioli had to dive low to anticipate Crespo who had pounced on the ball.
Lazio were attacking but were having difficulty in creating any serious problems for their "cousins".
That changed in the 78th minute. Lazio had a free kick from the left about 25 metres out and Mihajlovic crossed it into the crowded area where it was cleared with a header but only as far as Pavel Nedved on the edge of the box, the Czech brought the ball down and hammered a left-footed volley under the crossbar. A superb strike and Roma 2 Lazio 1.
The Biancocelesti were back in it. Nedved celebrated wildly, this was no consolation goal he gestured, there was still hope.
Roma realised they could not merely defend the result and started going forward more again. Cafu burst out of defence on the break, he combined with Totti, and once towards the right by-line sent in a low ball which crossed the whole goal mouth without any Romanisti getting there. Tommasi a few minutes later blasted an ambitious left foot, from the edge of the box, well over the bar towards the Curva Sud.
Roma then almost fell under friendly fire when Walter Samuel sliced a ball in the area but Antonioli was alert and reacted well to catch it.
Lazio attacked desperately and Roma became increasingly defensive, replacing Zanetti with Gianni Guigou and Delvecchio with defender Amedeo Mangone.
In the last of the five minutes of added time Lazio won a corner from the left. It was realistically their last possible opportunity. Mihajlovic swung the ball in but it was headed away to the edge of the box where Castromán did not think twice and blasted a low right-footed strike of glorious perfection that went through the crowded area and into the tiny space left between Antonioli's outstretched fingers and the right post. Castromaaaaan!! Absolute mayhem followed in the Lazio end as the diminutive Argentine ran towards the Curva Nord followed by the whole team. Roma 2 Lazio 2.
A great comeback by Lazio. The Romanisti were stunned while their rivals celebrated what felt like a victory. Lazio were still alive and had at least complicated their bitter enemies’ course towards the title. A last-minute equaliser in a derby is always special but to do so in one with so much at stake is even sweeter.
The game has gone down in history as Castroman's derby, the unlikely hero in the dying moments.
Roma were still in the driving seat on 63 points, Juventus 57 and Lazio 56, with six games to go, but it had been a huge satisfaction anyway.
Who played for Roma
Antonioli, Zebina, Samuel, Aldair, Cafu, Tommasi, C. Zanetti (90' Guigou), Candela, Totti, Batistuta, Delvecchio (90' Mangone)
Substitutes: Lupatelli, Rinaldi, Di Francesco, Balbo, Bonanni
Manager: Capello
Who played for Lazio
Peruzzi, Pancaro, Nesta, Mihajlovic, Favalli, Poborsky (64' Castroman), Baronio (46' Stankovic), D. Baggio, Simeone (55' C. Lopez), Nedved, Crespo
Manager: Zoff
Referee: Braschi
Goals: 48' Batistuta, 54' Delvecchio, 78' Nedved, 95' Castroman
What happened next
Lazio challenged until the end but ultimately finished 3rd. Lazio won the next three games but then a draw with Inter with a Dalmat goal in injury time ended Lazio’s hopes. They then beat Fiorentina and went into the last game three points behind Roma and one Juventus, so still had a very slender chance. Parma's approach against Roma soon killed off any hopes and Lazio basically gave up and lost in Lecce after being in front. With 3rd place they qualified for the Champions League. Top scorer was Crespo with 28 goals (26 in A and highest).
Roma won their third Scudetto. A week later they drew 2-2 away to Juventus after being 0-2 down (not without controversy as the first goal and the assist for the second were by Japanese Nakata who only played thanks to a change in the regulations during the week). Despite slowing down they managed to get over the line two points ahead of Juventus. On June 17 Roma were proclaimed champions.
A difficult summer for Lazio fans, as the previous had been for the Romanisti. The only consolation was that it was the shortest reign in history (June 17- August 26...).
With the Giallorossi Champions the other verdicts were Bari, Napoli, Vicenza and Reggina (after playoff with Verona) down to the "purgatory" of Serie B.
Lazio 2000-01
Competition | Played | Won | Drawn | Lost | Goals scored |
Serie A | 34 | 21 | 6 | 7 | 65 |
Coppa Italia | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 9 |
Champions League | 12 | 5 | 3 | 4 | 22 |
Super Coppa | 1 | 1 | - | - | 4 |
Total | 51 | 29 | 10 | 12 | 100 |
Top five appearances
Player | Total | Serie A | Coppa Italia | Champions League | Super Coppa |
Nedved | 46 | 31 | 4 | 10 | 1 |
Pancaro | 43 | 31 | 1 | 10 | 1 |
Simeone | 41 | 30 | 2 | 8 | 1 |
Crespo | 40 | 32 | 1 | 6 | 1 |
Nesta | 39 | 29 | 1 | 8 | 1 |
Top five goal scorers
Player | Total | Serie A | Coppa Italia | Champions League | Super Coppa |
Crespo | 28 | 26 | - | 2 | - |
Nedved | 13 | 9 | 1 | 3 | - |
Salas | 8 | 7 | 1 | - | - |
Mihajlovic | 8 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 1 |
Inzaghi | 7 | 4 | - | 3 | - |
Lopez | 7 | - | - | 5 | 2 |
Let's talk about Roberto Baronio
Roberto Baronio was born in Manerbio (Brescia) on December 11, 1977.
His first club at youth level was Voluntas Brescia and then Brescia.
In 1994-95 he made his debut for Brescia in Serie A. He played 5 league games under three different managers: Mircea Lucescu (1-20), Luigi Maifredi (21-26) and then Adelio Moro. The Rondinelle were relegated. He played alongside Lazio connections Marco Ballotta (1997-2000, 2005-08), Luca Brunetti (1986-88), Maurizio Neri (1991-93) and Marco Piovanelli (1995-97) plus a young Andrea Pirlo.
He then stayed on in Serie B and played more regularly, 28 league games with 1 goal (Foggia). Brescia finished 16th, first under Lucescu (1-24) and then, future Lazio Edy Reja. He also won the prestigious Viareggio youth tournament with the U19's.
Baronio's positive performances earned him a move to Lazio in Serie A for the 1996-97 season. The manager was first Zdenek Zeman (1-18) and then Dino Zoff and Lazio finished 4th (UEFA Cup). Baronio played 15 league games, 2 in Coppa Italia and 1 in the UEFA Cup.
In 1997-98, with the arrival of Sven-Goran Eriksson at Lazio, he was loaned to Vicenza in Serie A. The Biancorossi finished 14th and reached the semi-finals of the European Cup Winners Cup (losing to eventual winners Chelsea 2-3 on aggregate). The manager was Francesco Guidolin and Baronio played 13 league games, 1 in Coppa Italia, 2 in the Cup Winners Cup plus the Supercoppa game lost 0-3 to Juventus. His teammates in Vicenza included Fabio Firmani (Lazio, 2005-09, 2009-11) and Alessandro Iannuzzi (Lazio, 1995-96, 1998-99).
In 1998-99 Baronio was back at Lazio. Eriksson was still in charge and Baronio, faced with quality competition in midfield, only played 7 league games, 3 in Coppa Italia and 4 in the Cup Winners Cup. Lazio finished 2nd being edged to the title by Milan in controversial circumstances. The Biancocelesti however won the prestigious and last ever European Cup Winners Cup, defeating Mallorca 2-1 in Birmingham.
In 1999-2000 Baronio was on the road again, this time to Reggina on loan. The Amaranto were in Serie A and had a good season, finishing 11th under manager Franco Colombo. Baronio played 31 league games with 3 goals (Lecce, Parma, Perugia) and 7 in Coppa Italia. He again played alongside Iannuzzi and Pirlo.
In 2000-01 he returned to Lazio who were now Italian Champions. Eriksson started but was replaced by Dino Zoff in January due to bad results and the fact the Swede had accepted the England job for June. Lazio picked up and finished 3rd. Baronio played 12 league games, 1 in Coppa Italia and 7 in the Champions League with 1 goal (winner against Anderlecht).
In 2001-02 he was off again, to Fiorentina on loan. It was a negative season for the Viola who ended up relegated and went through three different managers: Roberto Mancini (1-18), Ottavio Bianchi (19-29) and then Luciano Chiarugi. Baronio himself played 21 league games with 1 goal (winner away to Udinese), 5 games in the UEFA Cup plus the Supercoppa game lost 0-3 to Roma. In Florence one of his teammates was future Lazio, Enrico Chiesa (2002-03).
In 2002-03 he spent a year on loan at Perugia in Serie A. The manager was Serse Cosmi and the "Grifoni" (The Griffins) finished 9th. Baronio played 11 league games and 2 in Coppa Italia.
In 2003-04 and 2004-05 he played on loan with Chievo Verona. The first year the manager was Luigi Del Neri and the Clivensi finished 9th. The second season Mario Beretta started and was then replaced by Maurizio D'Angelo and Chievo finished 15th. Baronio played 51 games in Verona with 1 goal (in A against Lecce).
In 2005-06 he came back to Lazio again but only until January. He played 7 league games and 2 in Coppa Italia, under Delio Rossi before leaving again. Lazio finished 6th but were then demoted to 16th for their involvement in Calciopoli.
In January 2006 Baronio joined Udinese on loan. The manager was first Serse Cosmi, then Loris Dominissini and finally Giovanni Galeone. The Friulani finished 11th and Baronio played 10 league games and 4 in Coppa Italia. His teammates included Lazio connections, Giampiero Pinzi (1998-2000), Stefano Mauri (2006-16) while Nestor Sensini was assistant manager (1999-2000).
In the summer of 2006, he was back at Lazio and this time stayed two seasons. Rossi was still manager and Lazio finished 3rd (CL qualification) and 12th. Baronio played 19 league games, 1 in Coppa Italia and 1 in Champions League.
In 2008-09 he went home to Brescia for a season in Serie B. The manager was first Serse Cosmi (1-5), then Nedo Sonetti (6-40) and finally Alberto Cavasin (40-42 + playoffs). The Leonessa finished 4th and lost to Livorno 2-5 in the promotion playoff final. Baronio played 29 league games with 2 goals (Modena, Sassuolo) plus 2 in the playoffs with 1 goal (Empoli).
In the summer of 2009, he was on the familiar road back to Rome and Lazio. The new manager was Davide Ballardini and Lazio's first match, in August, was the Supercoppa final against Mourinho's Inter in Beijing. This was thanks to Lazio and Delio Rossi's triumph in the previous year's Coppa Italia. Lazio against all odds won the game 2-1 and lifted the cup. Baronio started and played 52 minutes of the final. The rest of the season was less positive for the Biancocelesti and in February Ballardini was replaced by Edy Reja and Lazio picked up and finished 12th. Baronio played more than he had ever done before at Lazio, 24 league appearances (partly due to Ledesma being out of favour), 1 in Coppa Italia, 7 in the Europa League plus the Chinese triumph. This however would be the end of his Lazio experience.
In 2010-11 he played one more season for Atletico Roma in Serie D. He played 21 games with 1 goal and the Biancoblu finished 3rd.
Baronio then retired at 33.
At international level he represented Italy in all the various age groups; U17's (7 games, 1 goal), U18's (7 games, 1 goal), U21's (24 games, 4 goals), U23's (4 games, 1 goal), Italy Olympic team (3 games, 1 goal) plus one full cap for Italy, against Ecuador in a friendly in 2005. He won an U21 European Championship in 2000, the Mediterranean Games in 1997 and a silver at the U18 European Championship in 1995.
Since retiring Baronio has gone into coaching. He started at amateur level with Futbol club youth setup between 2012 and 2015. He then worked for the Italian Football Federation with the U18's and 19's for two years. He then spent one year with Brescia U19's and two years with Napoli U19's. His next job was as a technical collaborator at Juventus in 2020-21 (with Andrea Pirlo). He then went abroad to Turkey and Fatih Karagümrük in the top flight as assistant manager to Pirlo. He is currently Pirlo's assistant at Sampdoria in Serie B.
Baronio was a midfielder. He is 1.80 for 80 kilos but was more technical than physical. He was a sort of second-rate Pirlo. At the beginning of his career however he was a real promise. It is fair to say he never really fulfilled his potential. He had flashes, at Reggio Calabria, Verona with Chievo and occasionally at Lazio. He had the qualities, he was technical, strong, had good shooting abilities, could play in various roles including playmaker but for one reason or another never blossomed. He had his satisfactions but he could have achieved more.
At Lazio he was an eternal prospect. He was with the Biancocelesti on and off for 14 years but never really played with continuity. Nevertheless, he played 115 games and scored 2 goals. He won three Italian Supercups and a European Cup Winners Cup.
Lazio Career
Season | Total Games (goals) | Serie A | Coppa Italia | Champions League | Cup Winners Cup | UEFA Cup/Europa League | Super Coppa |
1996-97 | 18 | 15 | 2 | - | 4 | 1 | - |
1998-99 | 14 | 7 | 3 | - | - | - | - |
2000-01 | 20 (1) | 12 | 1 | 7 | - | - | - |
2005-06 | 9 | 7 | 2 | - | - | - | - |
2006-07 | 11 | 11 | - | - | - | - | - |
2007-08 | 10 | 8 | 1 (1) | 1 | - | - | - |
2009-10 | 33 | 24 | 1 | - | - | 7 | 1 |
Total | 115 (2) | 84 | 10 (1) | 8 | 4 | 8 | 1 |
Sources