August 28, 1996: Avellino Lazio 0-1, Coppa Italia
- Simon Basten
- 14 hours ago
- 6 min read
A narrow escape in Avellino
Casiraghi's header and a magnificent Marchegiani send Lazio through in the Coppa Italia
The season so far
The previous season Lazio had arrived third with an excellent final rush. A lot of players had left the club during the summer transfer window: Aron Winter (Inter), Alen Boksic (Juventus), Marco Di Vaio (loan to Bari), Roberto Di Matteo (Chelsea) and Cristiano Bergodi (Padova). Coming in were defender Mark Fish (Orlando Pirates) who had played really well in the African Nations Cup, midfielders Roberto Baronio (Brescia), a rising star, Paul Okon (Club Bruges), Pavel Nedved (Sparta Prague) and forwards Renato Buso (Napoli) and last year’s top scorer, together with Beppe Signori, Igor Protti (Bari). Manager Zdeněk Zeman had been confirmed.
Today was the first game of the season, the round of 32 of Coppa Italia in a single game away at Avellino who were in Serie C1.
The match: Wednesday, August 28, 1996, Stadio Partenio, Avellino
Lazio began the 1996–97 season with a 1–0 victory over Avellino in the Coppa Italia, but the scoreline concealed a difficult evening for Zdeněk Zeman's side. The Biancocelesti were still finding their feet after an incomplete pre-season, while Avellino, two divisions below their opponents, played with far greater intensity and created enough chances to cause a major upset.
Zeman was already dealing with several absences. Igor Protti, Giuseppe Favalli, José Chamot, Renato Buso and Roberto Baronio were unavailable, while the coach made the surprise decision to leave Paolo Negro on the bench. Alessandro Nesta moved to the left side of the defence, with Guerino Gottardi on the right and the unfamiliar central pairing of Mark Fish and Alessandro Grandoni.
The early stages belonged entirely to the hosts. Fiorenzo D'Ainzara came close with an effort that narrowly missed the post, while Salvatore Giorgio fired over before Stefano Guidoni forced a superb save from Luca Marchegiani with a close-range header.
Lazio struggled to build from the back and were repeatedly exposed by Avellino's pace. Fish, making his competitive debut for the club, and the inexperienced Grandoni had an uncomfortable opening, while even the midfield struggled to impose itself.
Slowly, however, Lazio began to settle. Zeman initially used Paul Okon as the central point of their midfield, but his slow distribution did little to accelerate the visitors' play. Pavel Nedvěd subsequently took on more responsibility in the middle of the pitch and Lazio began to look more dangerous.
Then, in the 26th minute, came the decisive moment.
Beppe Signori received the ball on the left and delivered a cross towards the centre. Pierluigi Casiraghi rose above the Avellino defence and headed the ball beyond marco Giannitti to put Lazio ahead. It gave the visitors a lead that, for the first time, appeared to settle their nerves.
Avellino's initial fury subsided and Lazio gained greater control. Diego Fuser came close to doubling the advantage before half-time with a powerful effort from outside the box which Giannitti tipped over the crossbar.
But the second half brought another spell of pressure from the hosts.
Six minutes after the restart, Avellino appealed for a penalty when Guidoni went down following a challenge from Grandoni. Referee Piero Ceccarini waved play on, despite strong protests from the home side. Shortly afterwards, Guidoni came close again with a spectacular effort that narrowly missed the top corner.
At the other end, Fuser produced one of Lazio's best moments of the evening. He picked up the ball in midfield and drove forward, taking advantage of a series of ricochets before finding himself with a clear path towards goal. Giannitti was forced into a desperate save to keep Avellino in the game.
Zeman made several changes as Lazio tried to protect their advantage, bringing on Dario Marcolin, Negro and Marco Piovanelli. Yet the visitors increasingly retreated towards their own penalty area.
The final stages became an outright siege.
Guidoni came close to finding the equaliser again, while Marchegiani repeatedly had to intervene. The Lazio goalkeeper produced another excellent save to deny D'Ainzara and ensure that Avellino's pressure did not produce the goal it deserved.
Lazio thought they had finally settled the tie in the 89th minute when Casiraghi headed another cross into the net, but the goal was ruled out for offside.
There was still time for Avellino to threaten again, but Lazio survived.
The Biancocelesti had done enough to reach the next round, although there was little to suggest that Zeman's new Lazio were ready for the challenges that lay ahead.
Lazio were through — but there was clearly plenty of work still to do.
Who played for Avellino
Giannitti, Turrone, Parisi (56' Bocchino), Colletto (85' Minadeo), Radice, Castiglione (58' Federico), Menolascina, De Juliis, Giorgio, Guidoni, D'Ainzara
Manager: Zoratti
Who played for Lazio
Marchegiani, Nesta, Fish, Grandoni, Gottardi (71' Negro), Fuser (74' Piovanelli), Okon (46' Marcolin), Nedved, Rambaudi, Casiraghi, Signori
Substitutes: Cudicini, Franceschini, Bellè
Manager: Zeman
Referee: Ceccarini
Goal: 26’ Casiraghi
What happened next
After eight Serie A games Lazio were 14th just a couple of points above the relegation zone. But the situation improved and five games later they were only 2 points away from third place. In January Lazio beat Milan 3-0 and everybody thought that they had recovered. But two home defeats in the next two games meant a further debacle. President Sergio Cragnotti sacked Zeman and called Dino Zoff to solve the season. Zoff was President of the club at the time, but he left the presidency and put his tracksuit back on.
Zeman was heartbroken. The straw that broke the camel’s back was Tenerife. In the first leg of the round of 32 Lazio had beaten the islanders 1-0. There was optimism for the second leg. The Biancocelesti had scored the opening goal, then fell behind twice but managed to come back only to melt away and lose 5-3. The Czech was the great culprit. Signori stated at the end of the game “Scoring three away goals, no team in the world would have been kicked out”. Diego Fuser was even more drastic: “This time it’s not the player’s fault, the blame must be sought elsewhere. As for the tactical attitude, ask the coach. It is useless to bring players who do not follow him in training. Those who do not listen must stay at home”. The Zeman bubble had burst.
After being fired Zeman said: “Without Lazio I’m a destroyed man, I have never done so badly. I’m disappointed but not with myself. I’ve always given everything I had to Lazio. I must have made a few mistakes: the main one was that I wasn’t convincing enough”.
In the 16 games under Zoff Lazio lost just twice, hence the team was not that bad. They managed to reach 4th place and a place in the following year’s UEFA Cup. A miracle.
Marchegiani was the player with most appearances (40) and Signori top goal scorer with 15 goals.
Let’s talk about Stefano Bellé
Stefano Bellè was born in Marino, near Rome, on 24 July 1976. A midfielder, he began his football career with the Canarini of Rocca di Papa, where his father was involved in coaching the club's youngest players. He subsequently joined Pro Calcio Italia before entering Lazio's youth academy.
At Lazio, Bellè was part of a particularly talented Primavera side. Alongside future Italian internationals Alessandro Nesta and Marco Di Vaio, and under the guidance of former Lazio player Mimmo Caso, he won the 1994–95 Campionato Primavera, giving him the first major honour of his career.
Despite being registered with Lazio's first team during the 1994–95 and 1996–97 seasons, Bellè did not make a senior competitive appearance for the Biancocelesti. His first opportunity to play regular senior football came with Lodigiani, where he spent the 1995–96 season on loan, making 17 league appearances and scoring once. He returned briefly to Lazio before moving back to Lodigiani in December 1996.
Bellè subsequently built a long career across the Italian professional and semi-professional game. He played for Avezzano, Teramo, Sora, L'Aquila, Ancona, Pescara, Venezia, Grosseto, Frosinone, Gallipoli and Lucchese, before joining Cisco Roma in 2008. His most productive spell came at L'Aquila, where he made 55 league appearances and scored three goals, while he also enjoyed successful periods at Pescara, Grosseto and Frosinone.
His career included several seasons in Serie B. He represented Ancona, Pescara and Frosinone at the second level of Italian football, while spending much of his career in what was then Lega Pro. In 2008, he joined Cisco Roma and helped the club win its league championship.
From 2010 onwards, Bellè moved into the Eccellenza Abruzzese, playing for Sporting Tullum and subsequently Sporting Ortona. At Sporting Ortona he also began combining his playing career with coaching. He eventually retired as a player in 2013.
His transition into management had already begun during his playing days. Bellè coached Sporting Tullum before taking charge of Sporting Ortona as player-manager. He subsequently managed Francavilla, Piazzano, Lanciano, Val di Sangro and Castelnuovo Vomano, among others.
Bellè continued to move between clubs in the Abruzzo regional leagues, managing Val di Sangro in 2022, returning briefly to Lanciano in 2023 and taking charge of Castelnuovo Vomano later that year. He subsequently managed Spoltore during the 2024–25 season and was appointed coach of Tollo in January 2025. By October 2025 he had begun working with Ortona's youth team.
For Lazio, however, Bellè's most significant achievement came before he had established himself as a professional player. His 1994–95 Primavera title placed him in the same successful generation as Nesta and Di Vaio and represented the culmination of his development in the Biancocelesti youth system. Although he never made his senior debut for Lazio, he went on to enjoy a lengthy career in Italian football before moving into coaching.
Sources
Comments