April 29, 2018: Torino-Lazio 0-1
- Dag Jenkins
- 6 days ago
- 9 min read
Champions League dream continues
A header by Milinkovic-Savic keeps Lazio in driving seat for coveted 4th place finish
The season so far
Lazio had finished 5th (EL) the previous season under Simone Inzaghi. The Biancocelesti had lost the first derby but triumphed 3-1 in the second. Other good results were Atalanta 4-3, Pescara 6-2 both away and Sampdoria 7-3 and Palermo 6-2, both at home. Lazio had also reached the Coppa Italia final beating Roma in the semi-final 4-3 on aggregate but then lost to Juventus 0-2. Top scorer was Ciro Immobile with 26 goals (23 in A).
This season Inzaghi was still manager but there had been quite a few changes to the squad. The main new arrivals were: defenders Luiz Felipe (Salernitana - end of loan), Adam Marušić (Oostende), midfielders Davide Di Gennaro (free agent), Lucas Leiva (Liverpool), Nani (Valencia - on loan with option to buy), forwards Felipe Caicedo (Espanyol) and Pedro Neto (Braga - two-year loan with obligation to buy). In the January market Lazio had recently added Uruguayan defender Martin Caceres (Verona).
Leaving amongst others were: defender Wesley Hoedt (Southampton), midfielders Lucas Biglia (Milan), Danilo Cataldi (Benevento - on loan) and forward Keita Baldé (Monaco).
The season had started in fantastic style. On August 13, Lazio had defeated Juventus 3-2 to win the Supercoppa Italiana. Lazio went 2-0 up with two Immobile goals, but Dybala responded with a late brace of his own before Alessandro Murgia got Lazio’s winner in the 93rd minute. Lazio lifted their 4th Supercoppa.
In Serie A the Biancocelesti had played 34 games and won 20 (including Milan 4-1 and Sassuolo 6-1 both at home, an epic 2-1 away win at Juventus with Thomas Strakosha saving a Paulo Dybala 94th minute penalty), drawn 7 (including SPAL at home on debut and second derby both 0-0) and lost 7 (including first derby 1-2 and Torino 1-3 at home). Lazio came from four wins and a draw in the last 5 games and were unbeaten in the last 7. The Biancocelesti were currently joint 3rd, on 67 points with Roma and one ahead of Inter (top 4 went into Champions League).
In the Europa League the Biancocelesti won their group with 4 wins (Vitesse 3-2 away, Zulte Waregem 2-0 at home, Nice 3-1 away and 1-0 at home), 1 draw (Vitesse 1-1 at home) and 1 defeat (2-3 away to Zulte Waregem in the last game). Lazio then eliminated FCSB (Romania) 5-2 and Dynamo Kiev 4-2, both on aggregate. In the quarter-finals they beat Red Bull Salzburg 4-2 at home but then collapsed in Austria, losing 1-4 after going ahead and conceding three goals in four minutes (72', 74' and 76'...). A huge disappointment.
Their Coppa Italia campaign started on December 14 with a 4-1 home win against 2nd tier Cittadella, then came a 1-0 home win against Fiorentina. In the semi-finals however Lazio were eliminated by Milan on penalties after two 0-0 draws.
Torino had finished 9th the previous season under Siniša Mihajlović. The Granata had drawn 2-2 at home to Lazio and lost 1-3 in Rome. The top scorer was Andrea Belotti with 28 goals (26 in A).
This season Mihajlovic had started but was sacked after 19 games (W4, D10, L5) and Walter Mazzarri had taken over. One of the wins was a 3-1 win in Rome against Lazio.
The main new signings were: goalkeeper Salvatore Sirigu (PSG via Osasuna), defenders Cristian Ansaldi (Inter), Nicolas Burdisso (Genoa), Lyanco (Săo Paulo) and Nicolas Nkoulou (Olympique Lyonnais), midfielders Alejandro Berenguer (Osasuna), Simone Edera (Parma -back from loan) and Tomás Rincon (Juventus) plus forward M'Baye Niang (Milan via Watford).
Leaving Torino were: goalkeepers Joe Hart (West Ham via Man City) and Daniele Padelli (Inter), defenders Leandro Castan (Roma - end of loan), Arlind Ajeti (Crotone), Danilo Avelar (Amiens), Luca Rossettini (Genoa) and Davide Zappacosta (Chelsea), midfielders Marco Benassi (Fiorentina) and Saša Lukić (Levante - on loan) plus forwards Juan Iturbe (Roma - end of loan then Club Tijuana) and Maxi López (Udinese).
Torino were currently 10th on 47 points. Since Mazzarri's appointment Toro had won 6 (including Inter 1-0 at home), drawn 4 (including Milan 1-1 at home) and lost 5 (including derby 0-1 and most recently Atalanta 1-2 away).
In the Coppa Italia the Granata had defeated Trapani 7-1 at home, Carpi 2-0 at home and Roma 2-1 away but then in the quarter-finals had lost 0-2 away to city rivals Juventus.
This evening in Serie A Lazio had more motivation as they were pushing for a Champions League qualification while Torino were in mid-table limbo. The Granata nevertheless were a decent team and it would not be easy.
The match: Sunday, April 29, 2018, Stadio Olimpico, Turin
A crowd of just under 20,000 turned up for this Sunday 8.45 p.m kick-off. At least 1,000 had made the trip up from Rome.
Lazio had to do without injured midfielder Marco Parolo while Torino were missing defender Cristian Ansaldi plus midfielders Alejandro Berenguer and Joel Obi.
Lazio had a chance immediately as after only 35 seconds Alessandro Murgia presented himself in front of Salvatore Sirigu on the left but the Sardinian keeper came off his line and the Roman midfielder hit it straight at him instead of possibly trying a chip.
Torino responded with a shot by Adem Ljajic over the bar and a Simone Edera effort but Thomas Strakosha saved well. The Albanian keeper did even better a few minutes later to parry away a powerful Lorenzo De Silvestri strike.
The next important moment was in the 14th minute but unfortunately it was not a goal or even a scoring chance but an injury. Ciro Immobile pulled up and limped off with a muscular injury and was replaced by Ecuadorian Felipe Caicedo. Lazio's top scorer went off in tears knowing his season was over.
Without Immobile the Biancocelesti had a period where they seemed a little disorientated and Torino had a double Ljajic chance.
In the 23rd minute however Lazio were awarded a penalty. On a good pass from Stefan de Vrij, Serb Sergej Milimkovic-Savic was obstacled unfairly by defender Nicolas Nkoulou. With Immobile out injured the responsibility fell to Luis Alberto but the Andalusian was hypnotised by Sirigu who even managed to hold onto the ball. A very poor spotkick by the "mago".
Lazio insisted and had a Lucas Leiva shot cleared near the goal line by Emiliano Moretti. Murgia then tried his luck from long range but his shot was central and Sirigu was ready. Halftime 0-0.
After a difficult start and some setbacks Lazio had grown into the game.
After the break Stefan Radu did not reappear, he too was the victim of a muscular problem and replaced by Marin Cáceres.
In the 55th minute Sirigu was outstanding on a low Leiva volley but on the subsequent corner Lazio scored. In the 56th minute Luis Alberto swung in a corner from the left and Milinkovic-Savic rose up near the front post and headed past Sirigu, 0-1.
In the 62nd minute the hosts tried to increase their attacking threat by putting on Iago Falque and taking off Edera.
Torino had little reaction and Lazio could have doubled their lead several times but a Caicedo lob was poor especially with Luis Alberto free in the middle and then the striker from Guayaquil was denied by a Sirigu save with his feet. Milinkovic-Savic then almost got his brace but his volley went wide after a spectacular one-two with Leiva.
In the 75th minute Toro threw caution to the wind and replaced midfielder Tomás Rincon with another forward M'Baye Niang. Three minutes later, in the 78th, Lazio took precautions by bringing on Jordan Lukaku for a subdued Luis Alberto.
Torino now attacked full force but were unable to seriously test Strakosha. In fact it was Lazio who went close again but Murgia was wasteful.
The last minutes were played with Torino pumping balls into the area and the whole Lazio bench standing nervously awaiting the final whistle. Despite the pressure Torino had no real chances and after four minutes of added time the referee blew up. Full-time: Torino 0 Lazio 1.
A deserved and important win for the Biancocelesti. They had lost Immobile to injury and missed a penalty but still found a way to win.
In the second half especially they had dominated and could have won by a wider margin.
A great win for Lazio who with three games to go had a four-point lead over Inter who had lost 2-3 at home to Juventus. Things were looking good. The table read: Juventus 88, Napoli 84, Lazio and Roma 70, Inter 66
Torino's position remained unchanged in 10th, on 47 points. The Granata were in a classic limbo as they were 7 points behind 9th placed Sampdoria and 6 points above 11th placed Genoa.
Who played for Torino
Sirigu, N'koulou, Burdisso, Moretti, De Silvestri, Rincon (76' Niang), Baselli, Molinaro, Ljajic, Edera (62' Iago Falque), Belotti
Substitutes: V. Milinkovic -Savic, Ichazo, Bonifazi, Ferigra, Acquah, Valdifiori, Kone, Adopo
Manager: Mazzarri
Who played for Lazio
Strakosha, Luiz Felipe, de Vrij, Radu (46' Cáceres), Marusic, Murgia, Leiva, S.Milinkovic-Savic, Lulic, Luis Alberto (78' Lukaku), Immobile (14' Caicedo)
Substitutes: Guerrieri, Vargic, Bastos, Wallace, Basta, Patric, Di Gennaro, F.Anderson, Nani
Manager: S.Inzaghi
Referee: Irrati
Goal: 56' S.Milinkovic-Savic
What happened next
In Serie A Lazio fought for the 4th place and last Champions League slot until the end but narrowly missed out... After today's game Lazio drew 1-1 at home to Atalanta. They then went into the penultimate game away at Crotone still in 4th place knowing a win would clinch Champions League but they only drew 2-2. The last match was against Inter at home and Lazio only needed a draw to clinch the Champions League but they lost 2-3 in the dying minutes after leading 2-1. Lazio finished 5th. A lost opportunity and bitterly disappointing.
There was also a lot of controversy in this last match as Lazio defender Stefan de Vrij had already announced he would be playing for Inter the following season and it was he who gave away the penalty which let Inter back into the game. He would be playing in the Champions League while Lazio would be in the Europa League again…
So all in all a disappointing season for Lazio but with the satisfaction of lifting another trophy (Supercoppa 2017). The top scorer was Ciro Immobile with 41 goals (29 in A and top scorer).
Torino finished 9th. In the last three games they won 2 (SPAL at home and Genoa away both 2-1) and drew 1 (Napoli 2-2 away). The top scorer was Iago Falque with 14 goals (12 in A).
The Scudetto was won by Juventus for the 34th time. Serie B awaited Benevento, Crotone and Verona. Benevento and Crotone are now in Serie C. The Coppa Italia was won by Juventus (Milan 4-0) who won the double under Max Allegri.
Let's talk about Massimiliano Farris
Massimiliano Farris was born in Milan, on February 24, 1971.
He had a decent playing career as a defender but mainly in the 2nd and 3rd tiers.
He started at Pro Vercelli (1987-88 in C, 25 league appearances). He then continued with Torino (1988-90 in A and B, 4 league appearances), Barletta (1990 in B, 19 league appearances), Ternana (1990-93 in C1, C1 and B, 92 league appearances with 4 goals), Pescara (1993-1996 in B, 95 league appearances with 2 goals), Fiorenzuola (1996-98 in C1, 55 league appearances with 1 goal), Avellino (1998-99 in C1, 7 league appearances), Catania (1999-2000 in C1, 43 league appearances with 5 goals), Lodigiani (2000-01 in C1, 29 appearances with 5 goals), Carrarese (2001-02 in C1, 26 league appearances with 2 goals), Imolese (2002 in C2, 16 league appearances), Nocerina (2003 in C2, 11 league appearances), Sangiovannese (2003-05 in C2 and C1, 34 league appearances with 2 goals), Viterbese (2005-07 in C2, 66 league appearances with 10 goals). His last two clubs were at amateur regional level; Bassano Romano (Viterbo) and Flaminia C.C (Civita Castellana-Viterbo).
He then retired at 38 but continued as a coach where he had left off as a player. He stayed with Flaminia for a season. He then coached: Pomezia near Rome (2010-11, 4th tier), Pomigliano near Naples (2011, 4th tier), Viterbese (2012-13, 4th tier) and Sora near Frosinone (2013-14, 4th tier).
In 2014 he was called to work for Lazio. From 2014 to 2016 he was assistant to Simone Inzaghi with the Lazio Primavera team (U20s). In 2016 he followed Inzaghi when he became first team head coach. They stayed five seasons and won a Coppa Italia (2019) and the Italian Supercoppa twice (2017, 2019).
In 2021 he followed Inzaghi to Inter for four seasons and they won a Scudetto (2024), the Coppa Italia twice (2022, 2023) and the Supercoppa three times (2021, 2022, 2023). They were also runners-up in the Champions League in 2023 (Manchester City 0-1) and 2025 (PSG 0-5).
In 2025 Inzaghi and Farris, by now a consolidated duo, took over Al-Hilal in the Saudi League. Here they were reunited with Sergej Milinkovic-Savic from their Lazio days.
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