February 7, 1993: Fiorentina-Lazio 0-2
- Dag Jenkins
- 13 hours ago
- 9 min read
Lazio Resist and Strike
With the help of keeper Orsi and wasteful Viola the Biancocelesti survive first half onslaught and then pounce in second for important win
The season so far
Lazio had finished 10th the previous season under Dino Zoff.
The main change had been the club takeover by Sergio Cragnotti halfway through last season. The Roman entrepreneur, head of food conglomerate Cirio, had ambitious plans for Lazio.
This season the Italian legend Zoff had been kept on as manager but sadly top scorer Rubén Sosa (13 league goals) was sold to Inter.
Upset as Lazio fans may have been sad to see the "principito" leave, they were soon pacified by Cragnotti's summer signings.
They were many, interesting and in some cases exciting. Three promising young players arrived from Cremonese: defenders Mauro Bonomi and Giuseppe Favalli plus midfielder Dario Marcolin. In defence Lazio had also added experienced Roberto Cravero (Torino) plus Luca Luzardi (Brescia). The midfield had been strengthened with Diego Fuser (Milan) and accomplished Dutchman Aron Winter. The most exciting signing had definitely been English star Paul Gascoigne (Tottenham), considered one of the best players in the world at the time although he was still recovering from a serious injury. In attack, especially in hindsight, the best buy was Giuseppe Signori (Foggia). Lazio were suddenly a team to be reckoned with.
Leaving Lazio apart from Sosa were defenders Raffaele Sergio (Torino), Claudio Vertova (Lecco), midfielders Stefano Melchiori (Lecce) and with great sadness Gabriele Pin (Parma, after 225 games) plus forward Berardino Capocchiano (Bari). In the autumn defender Roberto Soldà (Monza) and midfielder Armando Madonna (SPAL) had also left.
The season had started with four consecutive draws (including Fiorentina 2-2). Since then Lazio had won 7, drawn 3 (including Juventus 1-1 at home) and lost 4. There had been a last gasp derby draw with a Gascoigne header and a good 3-1 win over Inter at the Olimpico. The Biancocelesti's most recent game had been a 2-1 home win against Sampdoria. Lazio were joint 3rd with Juventus and Atalanta on 21 points and things seemed to be looking up.
Fiorentina had finished 12th the previous season. They started with Brazilian manager Sebastião Lazaroni but after six games replaced him with Gigi Radice. The Gigliati had drawn 1-1 both at home and away against Lazio. The top scorer was Gabriel Batistuta with 14 goals (13 in A).
This season Radice had started but was replaced by Aldo Agroppi after 14 games (W5, D5, L4). A strange decision considering La Viola were not doing too badly and had even beaten Juventus 2-0 at home in early December.
The main new signings this year were defender Daniele Carnasciali (Brescia), midfielders Brian Laudrup (Bayern Munich), Fabrizio Di Mauro (Roma) and Stefan Effenberg (Bayern Munich) plus forward Francesco Baiano (Foggia). On paper a decent incoming transfer market.
Leaving were defender Massimiliano Fiondella (SPAL), midfielder Carlos Dunga (Pescara), Pietro Maiellaro (Venezia), Mazinho (Palmeiras), Stefano Salvatori (SPAL) plus forwards Marco Branca (Udinese) and Stefano Borgonovo (Pescara).
Since the change of managers Fiorentina had drawn 3 and lost 3. Their most recent result was a 2-2 away draw at Genoa. The Florentines were currently joint 10th with Foggia on 17 points. They were however only two points above the last relegation slots, Napoli and Udinese on 15.
In Coppa Italia they were already out. They had beaten Perugia 4-1 but then lost 3-5 to Roma, both on aggregate.
So, the two sides came into this game in different moods. Lazio were starting to look to the higher positions while Fiorentina, winless since December 6, were starting to look over their shoulders.
The match: Sunday, February 7, 1993, Stadio Artemio Franchi, Florence
A sunny day attracted about 35,000 to the Florentine stadium in the Campo di Marte area of town. There were 3,000 Lazio fans too as Florence is the nearest on the road venue from Rome, a mere 272 kilometres.
Lazio were without defenders Mauro Bonomi, Beppe Favalli, Roberto Cravero and, at the last minute, Gigi Corino.
Fiorentina were only missing defender Stefano Pioli.
The game took time to take off as in the first half hour both sides were very cautious. When either team had the ball the other pulled eleven players back into the last third of the field.
The first real action came in the 27th minute when Stefano Carobbi crossed into the middle where Gabriel Batistuta headed what looked like a winner under the crossbar but Nando Orsi produced a superb save to deny the Argentine.
Then suddenly the Viola chances came flowing but Batistuta was off target in the 37th, 38th and 47th minutes. A minute earlier, in the 46th minute, Orsi had pulled off another brilliant save on a close range Ciccio Baiano header. Half time Fiorentina 0 Lazio 0.
After a slow start the home side should have been leading but Orsi and poor finishing had kept the game goalless.
In the second half Lazio finally took more initiative and the game became more open.
In the 59th minute Lazio scored. Angelo Gregucci pushed forward and after a one-two with Aron Winter, set up Beppe Signori whose powerful left footed strike took a slight deflection off Mario Faccenda and beat Alessandro Mannini, 0-1.
There was still plenty of time for the home side to remedy the situation but they went flat and made no changes either. The end of the first half frenzy without results seemed to have drained them of energy.
La Viola held onto the ball too much while Lazio were far more direct
Only towards the end did the Gigliati stir. In the 86th and 90th minute Orsi was safe on efforts by Brian Laudrup and Batistuta.
Lazio were far more efficient and seconds later showed the hosts how it was done. In the 90th minute Paul Gascoigne was the assist man and Diego Fuser the executioner. The Geordie, surrounded by three defenders, cleverly squared the ball across to the unmarked Piedmontese who blasted the ball past the hapless Mannini, 0-2 and end of the show.
A cynical win by Lazio. The Biancocelesti had survived the brief but intense Fiorentina onslaught, also thanks to Orsi, and then struck on their few chances after the break. It had been fifteen years since Lazio had won in Florence, a great satisfaction. The stand out performers were Orsi and Winter, who was here, there and everywhere.
Lazio were still 3rd, on 23 points but now only with Atalanta who had defeated Juventus 2-1 at home.
Fiorentina were 11th, on 17 points with Udinese, Napoli and Foggia. The relegation zone was now only one point further down, Brescia and Genoa on 16 (Ancona and Pescara were already gonners). Worrying times in the Tuscan capital.
Who played for Fiorentina
Mannini, Carnasciali, Carobbi, Di Mauro, Faccenda, Luppi, Effenberg, Laudrup, Batistuta, Orlando, Baiano
Substitutes: Mareggini, D'Anna, Iachini, Vascotto, Beltrammi
Manager: Agroppi
Who played for Lazio
Manager: Zoff
Referee: Cesari
Goals: 59' Signori, 90' Fuser
What happened next
Lazio had a good season and improved on the previous one finishing 5th (only many years later would a top-four finish give Champions league places). So, after 15 years they were back in Europe qualifying for the UEFA Cup. This was welcomed by big celebrations on the last home game against Napoli (a highly entertaining 4-3 win).
In the remaining games Lazio won 5, drew 5 (including derby 0-0 and Milan 2-2 at home) and lost 4. Lazio ended the season with 13 wins, 12 draws and 9 defeats but more importantly were back in Europe!
Giuseppe Signori would win the first of his top Serie A scorer awards with 26 goals.
In Coppa Italia, Lazio then lost 2-3 away to Torino and were eliminated.
Fiorentina ended up with a shock relegation. In the next ten games under Agroppi they won 2, drew 4 and lost 4. After the 29th fixture, a 0-3 away defeat at Juventus, Agroppi was sacked. For the last five games, in came former players Luciano Chiarugi and legend Giancarlo Antognoni and they managed to win 1 (Foggia 6-2), draw 3 and lose 1 and finish joint 14th with Udinese and Brescia on 30 points. This meant three teams for two relegation places. Unfortunately for Fiorentina it was Brescia and Udinese who went to a playoff as they had better results in the direct matches while Fiorentina went straight down. A disastrous and chaotic season.
The Scudetto was won by Milan for the 13th time. Torino won the Coppa Italia (Roma 5-5, on away goals, 3-0, 2-5). Fiorentina were relegated with Pescara, Ancona and Brescia (who lost 1-3 to Udinese).
Let's talk about Gabriel Omar Batistuta
Gabriel Omar Batistuta was born in Avellaneda (Santa Fe), Argentina, on February 1, 1969.
As a boy he preferred basketball but was won over by football watching the 1978 World Cup in Argentina.
His youth team was Newells Old Boys from Rosario.
In 1988-89 he went up to the first team squad. It was not an easy year but he played 16 league games and scored 4 goals. The squad included future Lazio, Nestor Sensini (1999-2000). Batistuta played his first and only Copa Libertadores final but lost to Nacional Montevideo. In 1989 he was also briefly loaned to Deportivo Italiano (La Matanza, Buenos Aires).
In 1989-90 he signed for River Plate. He played reguarly and scored 4 goals but then fell out with manager Daniel Passarella and moved to bitter rivals Boca Juniors.
He stayed with Los Xeneizes (Genoese) for a season and a half. He played 47 games and scored 19 goals. He won a Clausura title, a Supercoppa and a Recopa. His managers included Carlos Aimar and Óscar Tabárez.
In 1991 he arrived in Europe and signed for Fiorentina in Serie A. He stayed nine seasons becoming a legend in Florence. He played a total of 333 games and scored 208 goals (152 in A). La Viola finished 12th, 15th (relegated), 1st in B, 10th, 4th, 9th, 5th, 3rd and 7th. In 1996, under Ranieri, Fiorentina won the Coppa Italia (Atalanta 3-0 on aggregate with 2 Batistuta goals) and the Supercoppa (Milan 2-1).
His managers included Sebastiăo Lazaroni briefly, Gigi Radice, Aldo Agroppi, Giancarlo Antognoni briefly, Claudio Ranieri (promotion year plus three more), Alberto Malesani and Giovanni Trapattoni (for two years). The various squads included Lazio connections; Valerio Fiori (1986-93), Fabrizio Di Mauro (1993-94), Paul Okon (1996-99), Enrico Chiesa (2002-03) and Stefano Pioli (manager 2014-16).
In 2000 Batistuta made a surprise move to Roma. Their city rivals Lazio had just won the Scudetto and the Giallorossi splashed out 70 billion lire for Batistuta. Despite knee problems in the second part of the season, he scored 20 league goals and Roma won the title under manager Fabio Capello and then the Supercoppa (Fiorentina 3-0). The following year he only scored 6 league goals and Roma finished 2nd. In January of his third season, after 4 more league goals, he left for Inter. He played a total of 87 games for Roma with 33 goals. He was a success the first year but then physical problems limited him.
He stayed with Inter until June playing 12 league games with 2 goals. The Nerazzurri finished 2nd under Héctor Cúper. The squad included several former Lazio players; Gigi Di Biagio (1988-89), Matías Almeyda (1997-2000), Christian Vieri (1998-99), Sergio Conceiçăo (1998-2000), Hernan Crespo (2000-02) plus future Lazio, Bernardo Corradi (2002-04). At this point Batistuta's body could not enable him to play at top level anymore.
In 2003 Batistuta went for the Arabic experience and joined Al-Arabi in Qatar. He stayed just over a season only playing 21 games but scoring 27 goals. He was top scorer in his first year with 25 league goals but then badly injured his ankle at the beginning of the second and had to stop.
At 36 he then retired.
After retiring he looked after his lands in Reconquista, became a polo player and also worked in television punditry.
In 2010 he was in the staff working for Argentina manager Sergio Batista (his teammate at River Plate). From 2012 to 2013 he worked for Colon de Santa Fe as a link between the club, manager and players. In 2018 he obtained his UEFA coaching license which enables him to train up to Serie C and be assistant in A and B.
For Argentina he won 77 caps with 54 goals. He is the second top scorer, behind Lionel Messi. He took part in three World Cups and scored 10 goals. He won the Copa América in 1991 and 1993 and the Confederations Cup in 1992.
Batistuta was a centre-forward. At 1.85 and 73 kilos he was a physically strong player. He was not overly skillful but he could score goals, often spectacular ones (volleys, bicycle or scissor kicks). He had a powerful shot, an excellent header and he had the natural ability to free himself from his marker. With the power of his shot he was also prolific with freekicks but not so much with penalties (he missed 9 for Fiorentina). He was considered a leader and was a fair player rarely booked or involved in theatrics. He was famous for his goal celebations which included playing the guitar, firing a machine gun, sending love to his wife via the television cameras, silencing the opposing fans, standing and leaning on the corner flag and more. He also once burst out crying when in 2000 he scored for Roma against his beloved Fiorentina.
In Florence he is a legend. Batigol or Re Leone (Lion King) was captain and is their leading all time Serie A goalscorer with 152 goals (out of 208 total). He has a statue dedicated to him outside the Franchi ground.
Batistuta is considered one of the best forwards of his generation. The World Soccer magazine placed him 23rd best player of the 20th century. No small feat for a boy who battled with his weight and preferred other sports to football.
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