February 25, 1996: Padova-Lazio 1-3
- Dag Jenkins
- 12 hours ago
- 11 min read
Difficult start but then plain sailing for Lazio
Padova begin better but after a missed penalty and red card are swept away by the Biancocelesti
The season so far
It was Zdenek Zeman's second year in charge after the previous year's second place (although way behind champions Juventus). They had also reached the UEFA Cup quarter-final (unlucky exit to former Lazio Karl Heinz Riedle's Borussia Dortmund) and the semi-final of Italian Cup. So, they were trying to build on a positive year.
The summer market had brought defenders Guerino Gottardi (Neuchatel Xamax) and Alessandro Grandoni (Ternana) plus midfielder Massimiliano Esposito (Reggiana). The main changes were the players leaving. It was with great sadness that Lazio said goodbye to beloved Paul Gascoigne (Rangers for 4.3 million pounds) after three eventful years in Rome. Also leaving were defenders Roberto Cravero (Torino), Roberto Bacci (Torino) and midfielder Giorgio Venturin (Cagliari - loan).
Sergio Cragnotti had tried to sell Beppe Signori to Parma but the fans had literally taken to the streets in thousands in protest and "convinced" the owner to keep the striker.
So, all in all, a more sober transfer market than Cragnotti's previous ones.
In Serie A Lazio were currently 5th on 36 points. The Biancocelesti had won 10 (including Juventus 4-0, Sampdoria 6-3, Atalanta 5-1, Cagliari 4-0, Fiorentina 4-0), drawn 6 (including derby, Inter and Milan away, all 0-0) and lost 6. Their most recent game was a 1-0 triumph in the derby.
In Coppa Italia Lazio had scraped through on penalties against Chievo away, then beat Udinese 1-0 in the last 16 but in the quarter-finals lost 1-2 on aggregate to Inter.
In the UEFA Cup Lazio had knocked out Cypriots Omonia 7-1 on aggregate. Next up came Olympique Lyonnais and Lazio were beaten 1-4 over the two legs.
Padova had finished 14th in Serie A the previous season. The Biancoscudati had then gone to a relegation playoff in which they defeated Genoa on penalties. The manager was Mauro Sandreani and the highlights were defeating Milan 2-0, Inter 1-0 and Lazio 2-0 at home plus Juventus 1-0 away. The game in Rome finished 5-1 to Lazio. The top scorer was Filippo Maniero with 9 league goals.
This season Sandreani was still in charge. The main new signings were defenders Antonio Sconziano (Acireale), Stefano Pioli (Fiorentina) and Stefano Nava (Milan-on loan in November), midfielder Stefano Fiore (Parma-on loan) plus forwards Massimo Ciocci (Genoa), Leonard Van Utrecht (Cambuur in November) and Nicola Amoruso (Fidelis Andria).
Leaving Padua were defenders David Belleri (Sampdoria) and Alexi Lalas (just recently to N.E Revolution), midfielders Marco Franceschetti (Sampdoria), Emiliano Pellizzaro (Fidelis Andria), Carlo Perrone (retiring) and Daniele Zoratto (retiring) plus forwards Filippo Maniero (Sampdoria) and Giuseppe Galderisi (free agent then N.E Revolution).
The Patavini were currently in 15th position, with Torino on 21 points (3 points from safety-Piacenza on 24). They had won 6 (including Inter 2-1 and Napoli 4-2 at home), drawn 3 and lost 13 (including Lazio 0-2 and 7 out of first 9). So, after a difficult start they had improved and still had hopes of survival (at Christmas they were bottom and in the last ten games they had won 5, drawn 1 and lost 4)
Lazio however were favourites today against relegation candidates Padova and were also still riding the waves of enthusiasm following the derby win.
The match: Sunday, February 25, 1996, Stadio Euganeo, Padua
A foggy day in Veneto gathered about 15,000 spectators at the small Euganeo ground.
Padova were without full-back Antonio Sconziano while Lazio were missing defenders Alessandro Nesta and Cristiano Bergodi plus forward Alen Boksic.
The hosts started well and after six minutes were awarded a penalty. Michel Kreek entered the area on the left after a give and go and tried to get around Luca Marchegiani who pulled him down. It was taken by Damiano Longhi but Marchegiani sprung to his left and parried behind for a corner. The midfielder from Romagna and official penalty taker had possibly been put off by a teammate trying to get Nicola Amoruso to take the spot kick.
A few minutes later Goran Vlaovic went past the keeper on the right but his shot missed the open goal target albeit from an angle.
Lazio first threat came on a Roberto Rambaudi-Beppe Signori combination but the striker's low shot was saved well by Adriano Bonaiuti.
The Patavini insisted and had a shot by Andrea Cuicchi saved by Marchegiani with his foot and a Vlaovic effort which whistled past the top right-hand corner.
Padova were on top but in the 34th minute Lazio scored. Rambaudi tried a shot from the edge of the box but it was walled and ricocheted up into the middle of the box where Signori undisturbed let it fall and cleverly volleyed it over the keeper with the outside of his foot. A fortuitous build up but well taken goal, 0-1.
Lazio now had more space and Carmine Nunziata committed two bookable fouls on Signori within a few minutes and after the second in the 42nd minute he was sent for an early shower.
Lazio could have doubled their lead before half time but Rambaudi was denied by Bonaiuti and Signori pulled his shot wide. Padova were still alive especially with Vlaovic but his deflected shot spun wide of the right post. Half time Padova 0 Lazio 1.
Until the goal Lazio had been second best but now against ten men the game looked to be downhill.
There were no changes for the second period.
Lazio could have scored immediately but Signori, set up by a Gigi Casiraghi header, uncharacteristically mishit a left footed volley in front of goal.
Padova still believed in getting something out of the game and Amoruso had a good chance when Marchegiani mistimed his catch but the Apulian striker's header went wide.
Casiraghi after a one-two with Aron Winter then presented himself in front of Bonaiuti on the left but the keeper narrowed the angle and saved.
Still Padova responded as Vlaovic turned well in the area and shot but Marchegiani parried.
Lazio then went the closest yet to closing the game. Signori's low through ball teed up Casiraghi one-on-one with the keeper but his low effort trickled agonisingly wide of the right post.
A few minutes later however, put through by Rambaudi, the big Lombard striker went around the keeper and from and approaching the right by-line lunged forward and slid the ball into the empty goal, 66th minute and 0-2.
The goal had been coming for a while on the counterattack and now the game seemed done and dusted for Lazio.
In the 75th minute the hosts threw caution to the wind and put on attacking midfielder Stefano Fiore for defender Maurizio Coppola.
Lazio were now in complete control and had several more chances. Diego Fuser had a low long-range effort saved, Rambaudi too forced the keeper into a superb block onto the crossbar, Signori fired high and wide from a very favourable position and the blonde striker then had another effort whistle past the left post.
In the 83rd minute, with the game practically won, Lazio made two substitutions: on came Dario Marcolin and Marco Piovanelli and off went Roberto Di Matteo and Winter.
A minute later Lazio scored again. In the 84th minute a good team move was finished off by Fuser with a crisp low shot to the keepers left, 0-3.
The winner was no longer in doubt but Vlaovic was determined to get his name on the scoresheet. He tried again but after a good run was denied by Marchegiani who came off his line and deflected the Croat's shot.
The Padovani wanted a consolation goal and got one in the last minute. Dutchman Kreek hit the crossbar with a lovely scissor kick from just outside the area and on the rebound Vlaovic was deemed to have been pulled down in the air. A bit generously the referee awarded a penalty which Amoruso put away perfectly in the bottom left hand corner, 1-3.
There was still time for a little more drama as in the second minute of added time Lazio too were reduced to ten men. José Antonio Chamot chested a high ball down in his own half but was slow in clearing it and was anticipated by Amoruso who he then clumsily hacked down. A last man foul and the Argentine was off.
There was no more time however, and Lazio brought home a precious away win.
A game of two halves as they say. Padova should have been in front in the first half considering the missed penalty and other chances. In the second with the extra man Lazio could have scored five or six.
A good afternoon for Lazio who gave continuity to their results, 4 wins and a draw in the last five games including the derby triumph.
Lazio were now joint 4th with Juventus on 39 points while Padova were still joint 15th with Torino on 21 points with the same three-point negative margin from safety. Things had improved for Lazio and stayed the same for Padova but with one less game to play.
Who played for Padova
Bonaiuti, Coppola (75' Fiore), Rosa, Giampietro, Cuicchi, Gabrieli, Longhi, Nunziata, Kreek, Amoruso, Vlaovic
Substitutes: Dal Bianco, Ossari, Ciocci, Van Utrecht
Manager: Sandreani
Who played for Lazio
Marchegiani, Gottardi, Favalli, Di Matteo (83' Marcolin), Negro, Chamot, Rambaudi, Fuser, Casiraghi, Winter (83' Piovanelli), Signori
Referee: Cesari
Goals: 34' Signori, 66' Casiraghi, 84' Fuser, 90' Amoruso (pen)
Red Cards: 42' Nunziata, Chamot 90+2'
What happened next
Lazio then lost the next two (Inter and Juventus) but finished a positive joint 3rd (Fiorentina) and qualified for the UEFA Cup. In the remaining matches after today the Biancocelesti won 6 (including Fiorentina 4-0 at home), drew 2 (including Milan 0-0 away) and lost 3. A good season with numerous great wins but also too much inconsistency and too many unexpected defeats to challenge for the Champions League positions. The top scorer was Beppe Signori with 26 goals (24 in A).
Padova ended up 18th, bottom and relegated (13 points from safety). They then only won 1 more game and lost 10 (including Juventus 0-5 at home, Fiorentina 4-6 and Inter 2-8 away). The top scorer was Nicola Amoruso with 14 league goals. Out of today's squad Stefano Fiore would one day play for Lazio (2001-04).
The Scudetto was won by Milan for the 15th time. The other three going down were Bari, Cremonese and Torino. Padova have never been back in Serie A since but are now at least back in Serie B.
Let's talk about Pierluigi Casiraghi (known as 'Gigi')
Pierluigi Casiraghi, known as "Gigi", played for Lazio from 1993 to 1998.
He was born in Monza (Lombardy), on March 4, 1969.
He grew up in his hometown youth sector and in 1985-86 joined the first team squad. His debut came against Fiorentina in a cup game on 21 August, when he came on for the last 20 minutes. His league debut in Serie B was on October 20, 1985, against Arezzo. His first goal came against Pescara on June 1, 1986. He played 14 times that season but Monza had a poor year and were relegated to C1.
In his second season he played more, 25 appearances with 6 goals, plus a brace against Sampdoria in the cup.
The 1987-88 season saw Casiraghi flourish and he scored 12 times as the Brianzoli got promoted back to Serie B.
The following season he paired up with Maurizio Ganz (later to play for Inter and Milan) and with 9 goals helped Monza survive in Serie B. In total at Monza he played 113 games, with 33 goals.
In 1989 came Casiraghi's jump into the big time. He was bought by Juventus for 6.4 billion Lire (approx 3 million Euros). His debut arrived against Bologna on August 27. That year he played 23 times with 6 goals, under manager Dino Zoff. He was also a protagonist in Juventus' 2 Cup triumphs. He scored consistently in the Coppa Italia and got a goal in the UEFA Cup Final against Fiorentina.
His second season in Turin saw the arrival of new manager Luigi Maifredi and by Juventus standards the season was a disaster but Casiraghi continued to perform well.
Things improved in the 1991-92 season with the return of historic and successful manager Giovanni Trapattoni. The zebra's finished in 2nd place and Casiraghi got 7 goals.
The 1992-1993 season started with more competition up front for Casiraghi. Gianluca Vialli (Sampdoria) and Fabrizio Ravanelli (Reggiana) were signed and added to Roberto Baggio and German Andreas Moeller this meant limited playing time for Casiraghi. He played a total of 25 games in all competitions with 5 goals. He was already in the Italy squad so in order to play more regularly and keep his place he decided it was time for a change. At Juventus he played 147 times and scored 36 goals.
At this point of his career Lazio stepped in. He signed for the Romans on 6 August, 1993, initially on loan with a subsequent fee of 10 billion Lire (approx 5 million Euros). He was reunited with manager Zoff and paired up with Beppe Signori, who he helped win the Italian Golden Boot. Casiraghi played 31 games and got 5 goals in the various competitions.
The following season 1994-95 new manager Czech Zdenek Zeman was chosen. He was well known for his attacking philosophy and tactics and in fact the trio of Signori, Alen Boksic and Casiraghi made up a formidable scoring machine. Casiraghi himself got 15 goals in 47 games, including 4 against Fiorentina and a memorable acrobatic beauty against Roma in the derby.
The next season, 1995-96, was even more prolific for Casiraghi with 18 goals in 35 games.
In the 1996-97 season Zeman was sacked and back came Dino Zoff. Casiraghi played 31 times with 11 goals.
In the 1997-98 season, with the advent of new manager, Swedish Sven-Goran Eriksson, and forward Robert Mancini from Sampdoria, Casiraghi played less. He did however score in the derby (3-1) and helped Lazio to the UEFA Cup Final with 4 goals (the final was then lost against Inter in Paris). He played a total of 188 games for Lazio with 56 goals. He scored many memorable goals and won the Coppa Italia in 1998.
At 29 years of age he went for an experience abroad. In the summer of 1998 he joined Chelsea for 5.5 million pounds. In London he teamed up with compatriots Gianfranco Zola and Gianluca Vialli and from his Lazio days, Roberto Di Matteo. In his first season Chelsea won the European Super Cup against the mighty Real Madrid. Casiraghi however was not involved. On November 8 disaster had struck. In a game against West-Ham United he badly fractured his leg. Despite several operations he would never play again and at 31 he was finally released by Chelsea and retired. He only played 15 times for the Blues and scored once.
At International level he played 44 times for Italy, scoring 13 goals. He was part of the Italian squad that won a runners-up medal in the USA World Cup in 1994 (defeated by Brazil on penalties).
Since retiring he has gone into management, and between 2006 and 2010 was in charge of the Italy Under 21s (3rd place in Euro 2009 in Sweden). He also managed the Italian Olympic team in Beijing 2008. He has had experiences abroad at Al-Arabi (Qatar) and at Birmingham City (England) as deputy manager.
Before his premature retirement Casiraghi had an excellent career at Juventus and Lazio. He won 2 Italian Cups (Juventus and Lazio), an FA Cup (Chelsea), 2 UEFA Cups (Juventus) and a UEFA Supercup (Chelsea). He also earned a World Cup runners-up medal.
Casiraghi was 1.82 metres tall but he was strong, very strong. At Lazio he was nicknamed Gigi “Tyson” Casiraghi for his sheer physical power. He was a classic centre-forward and a good team player, not being a selfish goal grabber. He was not overly technical but made up for it in strength and acrobatic skills. He was a generous player and opened up space for his teammates. At Lazio Signori in particular thrived from Casiraghi's partnership. He was a favourite at Lazio for his altruism, hard work and unsurprisingly for his goals.
In Rome he will always be remembered for his derby goals, in association with the goal machine Lazio were in those years and linked to their emergence as a trophy winning team.
Lazio Career
Season | Total appearances (goals) | Serie A | Coppa Italia | UEFA Cup |
1993-94 | 31 (5) | 26 (4) | 2 | 3 (1) |
1994-95 | 47 (15) | 34 (12) | 6 (3) | 7 |
1995-96 | 35 (18) | 28 (14) | 3 | 4 (4) |
1996-97 | 31 (11) | 24 (8) | 4 (2) | 3 (1) |
1997-98 | 44 (7) | 28 (3) | 6 | 10 (4) |
Total | 188 (56) | 140 (41) | 21 (5) | 27 (10) |
Sources
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