August 1, 2014: Sporting Lisbon Lazio 2-2

Lazio Stories
15 hours ago
8 min read

No violins but respectable draw

Lazio struggle but battle to draw and then lose trophy on penalties

Also on this day: August 1, 1999: Ajax Lazio 2-3. Lazio defeat Ajax and promise to be on course for a good season

The season so far

The previous season Lazio had finished a poor 9th. They had replaced manager Vladimir Petkovic with Edy Reja after 16 matches, so the honeymoon with the Swiss was over but not his legacy (2013 Coppa Italia triumph).

This season Lazio had a new manager in Stefano Pioli. There had also been several changes to the squad, some major, some minor. The biggest buy for Lazio was Dutch central defender Stefan de Vrij (Feyenoord) who had impressed at the recent 2014 World Cup. Other good signings were defender Dušan Basta (Udinese) and midfielder Marco Parolo (Parma). Another new face was Serbian striker Filip Djordjevic (Nantes- end of contract) while local lad Danilo Cataldi was back from a loan period (Crotone).

Sadly, some players left, in particular Giuseppe Biava (end of contract) and André Dias (retired). Other minor movements were mainly in attack; Emiliano Alfaro (Liverpool Montevideo - loan), Brayan Perea (Perugia- loan/ he would return in January) and Hélder Postiga (Valencia - end of loan).

This was Lazio's 7th pre-season friendly. The Biancocelesti had beaten Auronzo 10-0, Top 11 Radio Club 9-0, Indonesia U23s 2-0, Bari 3-2, Asiago Team 10-0 and Perugia 3-0. The Portuguese were therefore the first really competitive opposition so far. The Italian Serie A would start on August 31 although Lazio had a Coppa Italia game on August 24.

Sporting Clube de Portugal known as Sporting Lisbon had finished 2nd in the Primera Liga under manager Leonardo Jardim. Top scorer was Fredy Montero with 16 goals (13 in league).

Some interesting players in the squad were: keeper Rui Patricio (future Roma), defender Mauricio (future Lazio), Cédric Soares (future Southampton, Inter, Arsenal and Fulham), Eric Dier (future Tottenham and Bayern Munich), Iván Piris (former Roma), midfielder Diego Capel (future Genoa) and forward Adrien Silva (future Sampdoria).

This season the Leões head coach was Marco Silva. The main new signings were midfielder Joāo Mário (Vitória Setúbal - back from loan), forwards Nani (Manchester United - on loan) and Jun'ya Tanaka (Kashiwa Reysol). The Portuguese league would start on August 15.

The match: Friday, August 1, 2014, Estádio José Alvalade, Lisbon

A late kick off, 9.45 p.m, brought a 35,000 crowd to the José Alvalade for this "Trofeo Cinco Violinos" (Five Violins)

The tournament had started in 2012 and was named after the Sportinguistas' five forwards between 1946 and 1949 who were so named for their harmonious and artistic way of playing. They were Gesù Correia, Vasques, Albano, Peyroteo and José Travassos.

Back to the present the locals fielded a strong side while Lazio had several absences: defender Stefan de Vrij, midfielders Antonio Candreva, Marco Parolo, Senad Lulic and Lucas Biglia plus forward Miro Klose, in other words all those players who had been at the World Cup in Brazil.

Lazio started with conviction and attacked in the first few minutes. They perhaps were too enthusiastic and in the 5th minute were caught on the break. Diego Capel won a ball in midfield and sent a through ball forward, Dušan Basta was in no-man's land, Diego Novaretti out of position so Fredy Montero was free to cross into the middle where Andrè Martins slotted in. Sporting 1 Lazio 0.

Lazio were in difficulty and unbalanced. With three up front (Keita Balde, Felipe Anderson and Stefano Mauri) and a lightweight midfield, the defence was constantly in trouble. The Portuguese were quicker and more physical and almost made it two but André Carillo, after dispossessing Lorik Cana, missed a sitter with only Federico Marchetti to beat.

Fortunately for Lazio the pace of the game slowed down and they had some breathing space. Mauri set up Bruno Pereirinha but the former Verde e Branco player fired over the bar from an inviting position.

Just before halftime Lazio equalised. Cristian Ledesma took a corner which Keita turned towards goal, it hit the post and was hovering behind the keeper near the goal line where Mauri made sure it went in. Sporting 1 Lazio 1.

For the second half Lazio kept their claret and light blue away strip while the locals changed from their traditional green hoops to a yellow strip with some green on the sides. Possibly a marketing tactic.

The second half had not been underway for long when Lazio’s defence showed its weakness again. In the 51st minute, on a Cana back pass, Marchetti tried to dribble André Martins, lost the ball and was forced to pull him down. Penalty and yellow card for the keeper (lucky not to get a red). Silva put away the spot kick, 2-1.

On the hour mark the hosts changed four players and with twenty minutes to go Lazio replaced three out of four outfield defenders.

Lazio continued to struggle and risked conceding a third goal several times. To their credit however they battled on and did not give up.

With four minutes to go Stefano Pioli threw on 18-year old youth player Mamadou Tounkara for Mauri.

In the last minute, Felipe Anderson went on one of his devastating runs and teed up the young new replacement who went around the keeper and beat Rui Patricio. A great moment for the former Barcelona canterano and 2-2 final score.

As there was a trophy to be awarded, the game ended with a penalty shoot-out. Lazio missed two while Sporting scored all four so the "Five Violins" remained in the Portuguese capital.

A decent result for Lazio but there was still work to be done, especially in defence and midfield. Fortunately, Dutch international Stefan de Vrij and the other players who had taken part in the 2014 World Cup would resume training soon.

Who played for Sporting Lisbon

Rui Patricio, Cédric (83' André Barros), Mauricio, Rojo (60' Paulo Oliveira), Jefferson, Adrien Silva (73' Slavchev), William, Carvalho (60' Oriol), André Martins (60' Joāo Mario), Carrillo (83' Shikabala), Montero (73' Tanaka), Diego Capel (60' Carlos Mané)

Substitutes: Marcelo Boeck, Ramos Ryan, Ryan Gauld, Nabicar

Manager: Marco Silva

Who played for Lazio

Marchetti, Basta (69' Konko), Novaretti, Cana (69' Ciani), Radu (69' Braafheid), Pereirinha, Ledesma, Cataldi, Felipe Anderson, Mauri (86' Tounkara), Keita

Substitutes: Berisha, Strakosha, Filippini, Cavanda, Ederson, A.Gonzalez, Minala, Djordjevic

Manager: Pioli

Referee: Duarte Gomes

Goals: 4' André Martins, 44' Mauri, 51' Adrien Silva (pen), 90' Tounkara

Penalties: 4-2: Ledesma (L-scored), Oriol (SL-scored), Keita (L-missed), Tanaka (SL-scored), Tounkara (L-missed), Jefferson (SL-scored), Felipe Anderson (L-scored), JoāoMario (SL-scored).

What happened next

Lazio only got one win (with 3 defeats) in the first four games of the season but then picked up and finished an excellent 3rd, qualifying for a Champions League preliminary (then lost 1-3 to Bayer Leverkusen). The 3rd place was clinched in the last game of the season with a dramatic 4-2 away win in Naples. The Biancocelesti won 21, drew 6 and lost 11. Top scorer was Miro Klose with 16 goals (13 in A).

The Biancocelesti started the Coppa Italia in August and defeated Virtus Bassano 7-0 and Varese 3-0 at home, Torino 3-1 and Milan 1-0 away, Napoli 2-1 (on aggregate) and reached the final where they were defeated 1-2 by Juventus after extra time. Lazio were unlucky hitting both posts with a single Filip Djordjevic shot with the score still on 1-1.

Sporting Lisbon finished 3rd in the league but they won the Taça de Portugal (Braga on penalties). In the Champions league the Verde e Brancos went out in the group phase (Chelsea, Schalke 04 and Maribor with 2 wins, 1 draw and 3 defeats) and were demoted to Europa League where they went out in the round of 32 (Wolfsburg 0-2). Top scorers were Montero and Islam Slimani with 15 goals (only in league Slimani with 12).

The manager Marco Silva went on to coach in the Premier League at Hull City, Watford, Everton and Fulham.

Let's talk about Mauricio

Mauricio dos Santos Nascimento, better known as Mauricio, was born in Maua on September 20 1988. He started his football career with Palmeiras and in 2007 he was loaned to Clube de Regatas Brasil in the third tier of the Brazilian Championship. After a year he went back to Palmeiras, made 16 appearances and won the Campeonato Paulista. In 2009 he was sent away from the club for a fight in the changing rooms with Obina. Between 2010 and 2012 he played for Grêmio, Portuguesa, Vitória and Joinville, always on loan and in the second tier. In 2013, now a free agent, he signed for Sport Club do Recife and stayed a year with 21 appearances and one goal.

In June 2013 he signed for Sporting Lisbon and moved to Portugal. He played an excellent first year (31 appearances and 2 goals) and Sporting arrived second behind Benfica, hence qualifying for the Champions League. He impressed so much that in January Lazio bought him and he played his first game against Milan coming in for de Vrij. The Biancocelesti did very well, qualifying for the Champions League playoff and arriving third. The next year was not so good both for Lazio and for him personally. At the end of the season he was loaned to Spartak Moscow where he won his first league title. Spartak won the league 16 years after their last triumph.

Back at Lazio on September 17 he was re-integrated into the squad due to injuries to four central defenders. He made only one appearance before being loaned to Legia Warsaw. He made just three appearances with the Polish team but managed to win both the league and the national cup.

In October 2018 he ended his contract with Lazio and signed for the Malaysian club Johor Darul Ta’zim. In 2022 he joined Clube Náutico Capibaribe and won the Campeonato Pernambucano. In January 2023 he joined Chapecoense but did not play much. In 2025 he joined Atlético Piauiense.

When he left Lazio, he sent a message to everybody on social media.

“Every goodbye is always complicated. It's not easy to leave behind a story built with love and dedication. My journey with Lazio was marked by happy and difficult moments. Few athletes have the privilege of wearing the shirt of a football giant like that of Lazio. Few. Those who have this honour must make the most of every second in this club. I am very grateful to everyone for these years in Italy. I am grateful, in particular, to the fans who have always showered me with affection. I will miss everything: the country, the fans and the Lazio staff. I have never stopped honouring that shirt! In all the games and in all the training sessions I tried to give my best. I leave the club with my head held high and aware that I have always tried to do my best. I will always follow Lazio, even from afar! A big hug, Mauricio!”

Mauricio is a central defender but he could also play on the right. Physically strong (1.85 and 77 kilos), he was a classic man to man marker but had difficulties when faced with quick forwards with space. He played a total of 56 games for Lazio (40 in A).

Lazio Career

Season	Total appearances	Serie A	Coppa Italia	Champions League	Europa League
Jan-Jun 2015	19	15	4	-	-
2015-16	36	24	2	2	8
2017-Feb 2018	1	1	-	-	-
Total	56	40	6	2	8