December 19, 2012: Lazio-Siena 1-1 (5-2 on pens), Coppa Italia

94th minute equaliser and then penalty shoot-out win

An under par Lazio scrape through the cup tie but unbeknownst at the time it was a vital win

Player of the day: Juan Pablo Carrizo

• Other games in December

• Season 2012-13

Source Lazio Wiki

The season so far

The previous season Lazio had finished 4th (Europa League) under Edy Reja. The highlights were beating Roma 2-1 twice, Milan 2-0 and Inter 3-1. Top scorer was Miro Klose with 15 goals (12 in A).

The main novelty for Lazio this season was the arrival of Swiss coach Vladimir Petkovic, an elegant polyglot of Bosnian origin. Apart from Petkovic, Lazio had Brazilian Ederson (free transfer) in midfield, plus defensive giant Michael Ciani (Bordeaux). Sergio Floccari, Mauro Zarate and Luis Pedro Cavanda returned from their loans. 

Leaving were defenders Javier Garrido (Norwich City-on loan) and Guglielmo Stendardo (back to Atalanta where he had been playing on loan).

So far in Serie A Lazio had played 17 games and had won 10 (including Siena 2-1, Roma 3-2, Milan 3-2 and a few days ago Inter 1-0, all at home), drawn 3 (including Juve 0-0 away) and lost 4 (including Catania 0-4 away). Lazio were currently joint 3rd, with Napoli on 33 points. Juventus were already seven points clear of 2nd placed Inter.

In the Europa League the Biancocelesti had won the play off against Mura 05 from Slovenia by winning 5-1 on aggregate and reached the group stage. Lazio then drew 0-0 twice with Tottenham, beat Maribor twice and drew one and won one against Panathīnaikos. Lazio won the group ahead of Tottenham. Next up would be Borussia Mönchengladbach in the last 16 in February.

This evening however was a Coppa Italia game. It was Lazio's debut, a last 16 clash with Serie A side Siena.

Siena had finished 14th in Serie A the previous season. The manager was Giuseppe Sannino and the Tuscans had also reached the semi-finals of Coppa Italia (Napoli 2-3 on aggregate). In the league Robur had beaten Lazio 4-0 at home and drawn 1-1 in Rome. The top scorer was Mattia Destro with 13 goals (12 in A).

This season the manager was initially Serse Cosmi but he had just been sacked after a 1-4 defeat to Fiorentina in a Tuscan derby. The new manager was Giuseppe Iachini. The main new signings were: defenders Matteo Rubin (Bologna - via Torino), Felipe (Fiorentina - on loan), midfielders Francesco Valiani (Parma), Valerio Verre (Roma - on loan), Alessandro Rosina (Zenit St.Petersburg), Zé Eduardo (Genoa - on loan) plus forwards Michele Paolucci (Vicenza - back from loan), Reginaldo (JEF United Chiba-Japan - back from loan) and Erjon Bogdani (Cesena).

Leaving were: goalkeeper Željko Brkić (Udinese - end of loan), defender Cristiano Del Grosso (Atalanta), Luca Rossettini (Cagliari), midfielders Paul Codrea (Rapid Bucharest), Alessandro Gazzi (Torino), Paolo Grossi (Verona), Pablo André González (Novara - end of loan), Francesco Parravicini (Novara) plus forwards Franco Brienza (Palermo) and Mattia Destro (Genoa - end of loan, then Roma).

In Serie A the Bianconeri had started with a 6-point docking for their involvement in a match-fixing scandal, making their campaign uphill from the start. They were currently bottom, on 11 points and four from safety (Palermo on 15). They had won 4 (including Inter 2-0 away), drawn 5 and lost 8 (including Lazio 1-2 away and last two games).

This however was a cup game and Siena were keen to repeat the previous year's good run. So far to get to this stage they had beaten Vicenza 4-2 and Torino 2-0 both at home.

This afternoon was a single knock-out game with eventual extra-time and penalties if necessary. There had to be a winner.

The match: Wednesday, December 19, 2012, Stadio Olimpico, Rome

A Wednesday afternoon 3 p.m kick off just before Christmas attracted a poor crowd of under 10,000.

Lazio fielded a strong side but had keeper Federico Marchetti, defenders Giuseppe Biava and André Dias, midfielders Stefano Mauri and Antonio Candreva plus striker Miro Klose missing from the regular XI. At least Marchetti, Mauri and Klose were on the bench.

Siena too made a few changes from their usual line-up. Regular keeper Gianluca Pegolo, midfielder Alessandro Rosina and forward Emanuele Calaiò were on the bench while defenders Angelo and Claudio Terzi, midfielders Matteo Rubin and Alessio Sestu plus forward Michele Paolucci were missing altogether.

The first half was a stalemate. Lazio were unable to threaten Simone Farelli as Siena were well organised and closed Lazio down well.

It was not until the half-hour that the Biancocelesti went close to scoring. Sergio Floccari let off a crisp left-footed strike which Farelli tipped over for a corner.

Siena defended well but had hardly any forays into Lazio's half. On one Reginaldo was blocked at the last second by a defensive wall. Halftime score Lazio 0 Siena 0.

A dull 45 minutes and most Laziali were probably pleased they were at work and unable to attend (the Curva Nord displayed a banner protesting about the kick-off time).

The second half showed no improvement as Lazio continued to be slow and predictable.

In the 55th minute Siena made their first substitution, bringing on Chilean forward Marcelo Larrondo for Albanian striker Erjon Bogdani.

Only a minute later the visitors scored with a fortuitous goal. Francesco Valiani shot and Juan Pablo Carrizo parried without too much difficulty and Michaël Ciani then went to clear but kicked the ball against Lorik Cana and it ricocheted backwards into the net, 0-1. A comical goal but Siena were leading.

In the 63rd minute Vladimir Petkovic took off Eddy Onazi and Christian Brocchi, putting on Cristian Ledesma and Mauri.

Lazio attacked but were unable to change gear. It was Siena who had chances with Larrondo and Nicola Belmonte on the counter attack.

In the 72nd minute the Sienesi took off midfielder Valiani and brought on midfielder Francesco Bolzoni.

Lazio were increasingly desperate and frenetic but could not undo the Tuscans' defence.

In the 83rd minute they threw on another forward Antonio Rozzi for defender Mobido Diakitè for the final assault. Siena responded in the 87th minute replacing midfielder Gaetano D'Agostino with more defensive minded midfielder Ribair Rodríguez.

Lazio piled up corners and just when it seemed they were crashing out of the cup they scored. In the 94th and last minute of added time Ciani rose up in the crowded area and headed past Farelli, 1-1.

Lazio had saved themselves from defeat but now there was extra-time to be played. No more substitutions were allowed in those days so the same line-ups continued.

It could now be expected that Lazio would be in the driving seat but it was not the case. The Biancocelesti continued to have difficulty in rattling the Tuscans' defensive setup. Instead it was Siena who went closer to stealing it but both Reginaldo and Simone Vergassola were hypnotised by Carrizo (a taste of things to come...).

So, a lacklustre Lazio and a battling Siena were forced into a penalty shoot-out.

The spot kick lottery took place facing the Curva Nord, a slight advantage for the home side.

Penalties

1- Captain Mauri stepped up for the first shot and placed a hard-medium height penalty to Farelli's left who was not far off it, 2-1.

1- Siena's first kick was taken by Belmonte and he hit a similar shot to Mauri's but to Carrizo's right, 2-2.

2- Ledesma sent Farelli the wrong way and put a low shot to the keeper's left, 3-2.

2- Vergassola struck a medium height penalty to the left but Carrizo sprung to his right and saved, 3-2.

3- Floccari then scored with a similar execution to Ledesma's 4-2.

3- Larrondo hit a shot rising towards the top right-hand corner but Carrizo pulled off a superb save and with his left hand palmed it onto the post and out 4-2.

4- Libor Kozak then took an off-centre penalty just slightly to the left where the keeper parried but the ball then trickled along the goal line and sneaked in near the right post. Not a great penalty but with a bit of luck it had gone in and more importantly gave Lazio the win, 5-2.

Not a great performance by Lazio but mission accomplished with Carrizo and Ciani the heroes. Next up would be Catania at home on January 8.

At the time little did the Laziali know just how important today's win would be for their history.

Who played for Lazio

Carrizo, Diakitè (83' Rozzi), Cana, Ciani, Cavanda, Onazi (63' Ledesma), Hernanes, Brocchi (63' Mauri), Lulic, Floccari, Kozak

Substitutes: Bizzarri, Marchetti, Konko, Scaloni, Radu, A.Gonzalez, Klose

Manager: Petkovic

Who played for Siena

Farelli, Neto, Paci, Contini, Belmonte, Vergassola, D'Agostino (87' Rodríguez), Valiani (72' Bolzoni), Del Grosso, Reginaldo, Bogdani (55' Larrondo)

Substitutes: Pegolo, Dellafiore, Verre, Felipe, Rosina, Coppola, Mannini, Calaiò

Manager: Iachini

Referee: Giacomelli

Goals: 56' Cana (og), 94' Ciani

Penalties:

L - Mauri -goal

S - Belmonte - goal

L- Ledesma - goal

S - Vergassola - missed

L - Floccari - goal

S - Larrondo - missed

L - Kozak - goal

What happened next

Today was the first step on the road to glory. The Biancocelesti then eliminated Catania 3-0 at home and Juventus 3-2 on aggregate in a dramatic semi-final to qualify for a historic cup final against bitter city rivals.

On the 26th May, Lazio triumphed 1-0 with a Senad Lulic goal in the 71st minute (one can still see the number graffitied around town). One of Lazio's most satisfying wins in their history.

In Serie A Lazio continued their good form until late January. They won 3 and drew 1 and pushed up to joint second place. Then the Biancocelesti lost 0-1 at home to bête noire Chievo and faded. They ended up 7th and even got overtaken by Roma in the last game of the season. The second derby ended up 1-1 while top scorer was Miroslav Klose with 16 goals (15 in A).

In the Europa League Lazio then eliminated Borussia Mönchengladbach 5-3 and Stuttgart 5-1 on aggregate. Next, they played Fenerbahçe in the quarters and were beaten 1-3 on aggregate but not helped by a shocking Scottish referee in Istanbul.

An average season however became an epic one thanks to the derby win which will be remembered forever on both sides of the Tiber.

Siena then finished 19th in Serie A and were relegated. They were active in the winter transfer market session but it was not enough. The Tuscans then won 5 (including Inter 3-1 and Lazio 3-0 at home), drew 4 and lost 13. The top scorer was Innocent Emeghara (who had arrived in January 2013) with 7 league goals. Siena have never returned to A and are now in Serie D.

Let's talk about Juan Pablo Carrizo

Source Lazio Wiki

Juan Pablo Carrizo was born in Santa Fe de la Vera Cruz, Argentina, on May 6, 1984.

At 17 he joined the River Plate youth academy and then joined the first team squad in 2004. He made his debut in 2005-06 and went on to play 76 games for "Los Millonarios" over the next three seasons. In 2008 he won the Clausura title.

In 2008 he arrived at Lazio. In reality the Romans had signed him a year earlier but due to bureaucratic problems he had to stay at River for one more season.

He was welcomed with great enthusiasm in Rome and was Claudio Lotito's most expensive signing so far in his four-year ownership. Lazio were convinced he was the top goalkeeper they had been waiting for since Angelo Peruzzi's retirement.

The manager was Delio Rossi and Carrizo made his debut in a cup game against Benevento on August 23. His performances however were not particularly convincing, he was often hesitant coming off his line or overconfident with the ball when challenged by opposition forwards. After a heavy 1-4 home defeat to Cagliari he lost his place to Uruguayan Fernando Muslera. Carrizo then only played the last three league games of the season. In total he played 23 league games and 1 in Coppa Italia. The season ended with Lazio triumphing in the Coppa Italia but the penalty shootout hero was Muslera not Carrizo. In Serie A the Biancocelesti finished 10th.

In the summer he was loaned to Real Zaragoza as part of the Francelino Matuzalém deal. In Aragon he started as first choice but there too was then relegated to the bench. He played 16 league games and 1 in the Copa del Rey.

Lazio then loaned him back to River Plate where in January he suffered a serious ankle injury which kept him out for three months. When he returned he made several howlers, including one against Boca Juniors. To make things worse he had a run in with manager Filol who resigned and River were also relegated.

At this point he came back to Lazio to become third keeper behind Federico Marchetti and Albano Bizzarri. He played 2 league games before being loaned to Catania in January 2012. In Sicily he played 14 league games under manager Vincenzo Montella and the Elephants finished a positive 11th.

In 2012-13 he was back at Lazio for the third time. He only played 1 Coppa Italia game under Vladimir Petkovic before leaving for Inter in January. He therefore missed out on Lazio's epic Coppa Italia win against Roma. He did contribute to the eventual triumph by helping Lazio win a penalty shootout against Siena in the last 16 in which he saved two penalties.

He stayed in Milan with Inter for four and a half seasons. He was Samir Handanovic' reserve and in total played 27 games (9 in A, 7 in CI and 11 in EL). Inter finished 9th, 5th, 8th, 4th and 7th. His managers were Andrea Stramaccioni, Walter Mazzarri, Roberto Mancini and then in his last year, Frank de Boer, Stefano Vecchi and Stefano Pioli. At the end of his contract he moved to Mexico.

In 2017-18 he played for Monterrey. He played 26 total games for the Albiazules before leaving in December 2018. He won an Apertura title in 2017.

His last club was Cerro porteño in Paraguay. He played a total of 41 games before retiring at 35.

Carrizo earned 12 caps for Argentina and won a silver medal at the 2017 Copa América.

Carrizo was a physical goalkeeper at 1.89 and 88 kilos. He had talent, strength, good feet but for one reason or another never imposed himself as a reliable keeper.

At Lazio, also due to the lengthy wait, when he arrived he was treated like a superstar. Unfortunately, this did not last long and he was a huge disappointment. His legacy is his two superb penalty saves in Coppa Italia against Siena without which there would have been no May 26, 2013, an eternal date in all Laziali's hearts.

Lazio Career

Season	Appearances	Serie A	Coppa Italia
2008-09	24	23	1
2011-12	2	2	-
2012-13	1	-	1
Total	27	25	2

Sources

Lazio Wiki

Lazio Stories