February 16, 1997: Lazio Inter 2-2
- Simon Basten
- 15 hours ago
- 6 min read
Signori’s 100th
Beppe Signori’s 100th league goal for Lazio gives the Biancocelesti a deserved draw
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.
The first game of the season was the first round of the Coppa Italia. The Biancocelesti won at Avellino. In the UEFA Cup, Lazio were paired with Lens in the first round. There was history with the French club. In 1977 Lazio had won the first leg 2-0 at the Olimpico but in the return match after 90 minutes Lens were 2-0 up. In extra time the Biancocelesti collapsed and Lens scored 4 more goals. This time Lazio managed to win 1-0 away with a goal from José Chamot and then drew 1-1 at home. In the round of 32 the Biancocelesti had to face Tenerife and had won 1-0 at home but then collapsed 5-3 in the Canary Islands.
In campionato, Lazio did not have a good start. After eight games they 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 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. Lazio 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 first match under Zoff the previous week Lazio had won at Udine 3-2.
The match: Sunday, February 16, 1997, Stadio Olimpico, Rome
First game as manager at the Olimpico since 1994 for Dino Zoff and it was an important one.
Lazio looked better on the pitch with a 4-4-2 especially the freedom given to Pavel Nedved on the left and Diego Fuser on the right seemed to make the team more balanced.
The Biancocelesti started strongly and after a big Nedved whack on a free kick, deflected by the wall, parried by Gianluca Pagliuca and an attempted shot by Nicola Berti saved by Luca Marchegiani, in the 25th minute Lazio scored. Nedved sent a cross from the left by-line to the centre outside the box. Fuser controlled the ball and with a volley made it 1-0. A great goal and his first this season.
Then two injuries forced Zoff to make substitutions. First Giorgio Venturin and then Gigi Casiraghi, in went Dario Marcolin and Igor Protti. In the interval Roy Hodgson took off Berti and put in Maurizio Ganz, moving Youri Djorkaeff behind the two forwards.
In the beginning of the second half Lazio lost a bit of steam and Inter took advantage thanks also to the new set up. First a Ganz shot forced Marchegiani to make a great save then in the 60th minute the Neroazzurri equalised. Djorkaeff took a free kick, Ganz tried to control the shot, the ball went up in the air, in came Zamorano who with a clinical shot beat Marchegiani.
Inter on the waves of enthusiasm made it two 120 seconds later. Ciriaco Sforza on the counter attack, splendid ball to Djorkaeff in between Alessandro Nesta and Alessandro Grandoni who with a great volley gave the Neroazzurri the lead.
Fuser tried a shot from far out which went too high and Djorkaeff again called Marchegiani to a save. These attempts were the prelude to Lazio’s equaliser. Roberto Baronio, who had just come in for Paul Okon, in the 72nd minute passed to Nedved on the edge of the box. The Czech saw Beppe Signori move towards the penalty box, ball to him, and the Biancoceleste captain chipped over Pagliuca for the 2-2. It was the 100th league goal for Signori with the Lazio jersey.
Signori even tried a header later on in the match on a José Chamot cross from the left, Pagliuca parried into corner. Djorkaeff and Zamorano had a few half chances towards the end but the match stayed on 2-2.
Good Lazio, perhaps without the injuries they could have even won it.
Who played for Lazio
Marchegiani, Negro, Nesta, Grandoni, Chamot, Fuser, Venturin (36' Marcolin), Okon (65' Baronio), Nedved, Casiraghi (43' Protti), Signori
Manager: Zoff
Who played for Inter
Pagliuca, Bergomi (77' Angloma), Paganin, Galante, Pistone, Zanetti, Sforza, Fresi, Berti (46' Ganz), Djorkaeff, Zamorano
Substitutes: Mazzantini, Winter, Di Napoli, D'Autilia
Manager: Ardemagni
TD: Hodgson
Referee: Ceccarini
Goals: 24’ Fuser, 60’ Zamorano, 62’ Djorkaeff, 72’ Signori
What happened next
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 Nicola Berti
Nicola Berti (born 14 April 1967 in Salsomaggiore Terme, Italy) is a former Italian professional footballer, best known for his long and successful career with Inter and for representing Italy at major international tournaments during the late 1980s and 1990s.
Berti began his professional career with Parma, making his Serie B debut at just 17 years old. His strong physical presence, stamina, and ability to drive forward from midfield quickly marked him out as one of Italy’s most promising young players. In 1985, he moved to Fiorentina staying three years totalling 96 appearances with 8 goals.
In 1998 he signed with Inter, the club with which he would become most closely associated. In Milan, Berti enjoyed the peak of his career. Playing primarily as a dynamic box-to-box midfielder, he was a key figure in one of the club’s most competitive eras. He helped Inter win the Serie A title in the 1988–89 season, followed by UEFA Cup victories in 1991 and 1994, and a Supercoppa in 1989. His combination of power, tactical intelligence, and occasional goal-scoring made him a fan favourite, while his strong personality ensured he was never far from the spotlight. He made 312 appearances with 41 goals.
In the later years of his playing career, Berti had shorter spells abroad, including Tottenham Hotspur in England, followed by stints with Alavés in Spain and Northern Spirit in Australia, where he eventually retired from professional football.
On the international stage, Berti earned 39 caps for the Italian national team, scoring three goals. He was part of Italy’s squad that finished third at the 1990 FIFA World Cup, held on home soil, and later played in the 1994 World Cup, where Italy finished as runners-up after losing the final to Brazil on penalties. He also represented Italy at UEFA Euro 1988, where the team again finished third.
After hanging up his boots, Nicola Berti remained a prominent public figure in Italy, working as a television pundit and media personality. Known for his outspoken opinions and charismatic style, he successfully transitioned from the pitch to the studio, maintaining his status as one of Italian football’s most recognizable former players.
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