Not a classic but Lazio deserved more
The game came alive in the second half but Tacconi denied Lazio a winner
Also on this day: January 29, 1984, Lazio Genoa 2-1. An extremely balanced game goes Lazio’s way thanks to second half goals by Manfredonia and D'Amico. Player of the day: Lionello Manfredonia
The season so far
The previous year Lazio had finally won promotion back to Serie A. In June, in a packed Olimpico already under renovation for Italia '90, Lazio had beaten Taranto 3-1 to book their place back in the big time.
The new season started with a new manager. The -9-point deduction and promotion hero Eugenio Fascetti had left and in had come Giuseppe Materazzi.
Lazio’s promotion top scorer Paolo Monelli (13 goals) had also gone (Bari) along with midfielders Vincenzo Esposito (Atalanta) and Domenico Caso (Latina) while loaned forward Giuseppe Galderisi had returned to his original club (Milan) after a disappointing spell at Lazio.
Lazio fans were very sad to see Fascetti leave and he would never be forgotten but they also had reasons to be optimistic. Lazio were out of the purgatory of Serie B and had bought some interesting players.
Three South-Americans for a start; relatively unknown (pre-internet days) defender Nelson Gutierrez (River Plate) and Abel Dezotti (Newell's Old Boys) plus better known and promising forward Ruben Sosa (Real Zaragoza). Lazio had also signed some Italians: defender Marco Monti (Virescit Bergamo) plus midfielders Andrea Icardi (Atalanta) and Claudio Sclosa (Pisa).
Lazio’s objective this season was to enjoy their new elite status and hopefully not have to suffer excessively to maintain it.
So far Lazio had played 14 games. The Biancocelesti had won 2, drawn 8 and lost 4. They were on 12 points and in 9th place but only two points above the relegation zone. The highlight was beating Roma on January 15 with a Paolo Di Canio winner. It was Lazio’s first derby win for ten years. Lazio, however, were having difficulty winning games as the eight draws testify. A week before today's game Lazio had lost 0-1 away to Inter and today came another difficult challenge against the "Old Lady" of Italian football.
In Coppa Italia, in August and September, Lazio had qualified from the first group stage winning 3 (Licata 3-0, Campobasso 2-0 and Messina 4-3) and losing 2 (Pescara 1-2 and Milan 1-2). In the second round group stage, Lazio had surprisingly beaten Fiorentina 1-0, drawn 1-1 with Inter and then beaten Udinese 1-0. In the quarter finals, Lazio had been knocked out four days earlier by Atalanta 3-4 on aggregate. Abel Dezotti had scored 6 cup goals and Ruben Sosa 4.
Juventus had finished 6th the previous season under Rino Marchesi. A disappointing campaign and this year Dino Zoff was the new manager. The main new arrivals were: midfielders Roberto Galia (Verona) and Giancarlo Marocchi (Bologna) plus forwards, veteran Alessandro Altobelli (Inter), Rui Barros (Porto) and Oleksandr Zavarov (Dinamo Kiev). The main departures were legendary defender Gaetano Scirea (retiring after 554 appearances) and disappointing Welsh forward Ian Rush (back to Liverpool).
So far Juventus had won 6, drawn 5 and lost 3. Two of their defeats however had come in the last two games (Fiorentina 1-2 away and Atalanta 0-1 at home). The Bianconeri were 5th, on 17 points.
In Coppa Italia, Juventus had got through the first stage in August /September with 2 wins (Vicenza 5-1 at home, Taranto 4-2 away) and 3 draws (Atalanta 1-1, Cosenza 0-0, Verona 3-3, all away). In the second group stage, in September, they were eliminated winning 1 (Brescia 2-0 away), drawing 1 (Como 0-0) and losing 1 (Ascoli 0-2 at home).
In Europe, in the UEFA Cup they had qualified for the quarter finals, to be played in March against Napoli. The "Zebre" had eliminated Romanians Oțelul Galati 5-1 on aggregate, Basques Athletic Bilbao 7-4 and Belgians RFC Liégeois 2-0.
The game at the Olimpico today was of uncertain outcome. Lazio had problems winning games but Juventus came from two consecutive league defeats. An opportunity for both to bounce back.
The match: Sunday, Janaury 29, 1989, Stadio Olimpico, Rome
The weather was spring like and a good 50,000 crowd came to the Olimpico, for what was always a big game against Juventus. The Bianconeri had good away support too as Rome is a convenient and popular fixture for the many Juventini in southern Italy.
The first half was extremely blocked and played mainly in midfield. Lazio however attacked more albeit without any massive chances. The Biancocelesti had a penalty appeal for handball on a Gabriele Pin cross waved away and then Pin had a free kick from the edge of the box go just wide. Juventus had one chance when, on an Antonio Cabrini's cross, Luigi De Agostini had a diving header but it was too central, low and comfortably saved by Silvano Martina. That was all that happened in a dull first half. Lazio 0 Juventus 0.
The second half saw Lazio more dominant. They pegged Juventus back for long periods and looked by far the more likely to score. First Pin was fed on the right of the area and he squared a ball to Raimondo Marino who fired it over the bar from a favourable position. Then Di Canio jiggled his way into the area on the right and crossed for an unmarked Antonio Rizzolo but his acrobatic volley hit the ground, bounced up and Tacconi saved. Sosa then hit the post, his deflected cross hit the woodwork but had it come straight across Di Canio and Rizzolo were ready to score. Tacconi then made a superb save on a thundering long range shot by Di Canio, tipping the ball over the bar.
Lazio after their constant efforts to score started to tire and Juventus started to find some space on the break. Rui Barros ran forward centrally from midfield and having reached the edge of the box fired a powerful mid-height shot that Martina parried.
Lazio however still tried to win it. Marino tried a low through ball but it was intercepted by Marocchi who lunged back and inadvertently set up Andrea Icardi, the midfielder hammered a low shot but Tacconi pulled off another excellent save into corner.
Juventus then had a penalty appeal of their own. In the 83rd minute a risky high back pass by Marino was pounced on by Renato Buso who was challenged by Angelo Gregucci, protecting the bouncing ball waiting for Martina to come out and claim it. The goalkeeper hesitated and Buso got in front of Gregucci and then collapsed. It was a difficult call, not an obvious penalty but maybe something in it, the referee however saw no foul by Gregucci apart from minor obstruction and played on.
Lazio had tried to win it and failed while Juventus had their penalty call ignored and so the game petered out. Final score Lazio 0 Juventus 0.
A boring first half followed by a livelier second in which Lazio had deserved more but were denied by Zoff's heir, Stefano Tacconi.
A comforting performance by the Biancocelesti who had given everything they could to get a prestigious win while Juventus confirmed to be in a transitional period between past and future triumphs.
Who played for Lazio
Martina, Marino, Monti, Pin, Gregucci, Piscedda, Di Canio (83' Beruatto), Icardi, Rizzolo, Acerbis, Sosa
Manager: Materazzi
Who played for Juventus
Tacconi, Favero, Cabrini, De Agostini, Brio, Tricella, Galia, Rui Barros, Altobelli (63' Buso), Zavarov, Marocchi
Substitutes: Bodini, N.Napoli, Magrin, Laudrup
Manager: Zoff
Referee: Magni
What happened next
Lazio finished 11th. The Biancocelesti flirted with relegation but ultimately a 1-0 home win against Sampdoria and an away draw at Ascoli avoided any nasty surprises.
In the end Lazio won 5, drew 19 (including derby) and lost 10 (including Juventus 2-4). Top scorer was Rubén Sosa with 12 (8 in A, out of 23...)
A respectable first season back. Lazio were solid and not easy to beat but had to be more clinical and transform some of the draws into wins. The relegation zone was only two points away but Europe was only five the other way. The season however was to be considered a success, firstly for staying up and secondly for that fantastic derby win in January, giving Lazio the inebriating joy of defeating city rivals after ten long years.
Juventus finished 4th and qualified for the UEFA Cup. They never challenged the front runners and ended up with 15 wins, 13 draws and 6 defeats. Top scorer was Alessandro Altobelli with 15 in total while in Serie A it was Rui Barros with 12.
In Europe, Juventus were knocked out by Napoli 2-3 on aggregate (collapsing 0-3 in Naples). Napoli then went on to win the UEFA Cup (Stuttgart 5-4 on aggregate).
Inter won the Scudetto with an 11-point lead over Maradona's Napoli.
The four teams with Serie B to look forward to were Torino, Pescara, Pisa and Como.
Lazio 1988-89
Competition | Played | Won | Drawn | Lost | Goals scored |
Serie A | 34 | 5 | 19 | 10 | 23 |
Coppa Italia | 10 | 6 | 1 | 3 | 17 |
Total | 44 | 11 | 20 | 13 | 40 |
Top five appearances
Player | Total | Serie A | Coppa Italia |
Ruben Sosa | 43 | 33 | 10 |
Dezotti | 38 | 29 | 9 |
Beruatto | 37 | 28 | 9 |
Di Canio | 37 | 30 | 7 |
Monti | 36 | 29 | 7 |
Pin | 36 | 27 | 9 |
Top five goal scorers
Player | Total | Serie A | Coppa Italia |
Ruben Sosa | 12 | 8 | 4 |
Dezotti | 9 | 3 | 6 |
Gregucci | 5 | 4 | 1 |
Rizzolo | 5 | 3 | 2 |
Pin | 3 | 2 | 1 |
Let's talk about Massimo Piscedda
Massimo Piscedda was born in Rome, on March 14 1962.
He played all his youth football with Lazio and in 1981 was sent to Siena on loan.
The Tuscan Bianconeri were in Serie C2 and won promotion in first place under Guido Mammi. Piscedda played 32 league games.
In 1982 he joined Sanremese on loan in C1. The Matuziani finished 12th and Piscedda played 33 league games.
In 1983-84 he returned to Lazio. The Biancocelesti had just returned to Serie A, after three years in B, and legend Giorgio "Long John" Chinaglia was the new owner. It was a difficult year, first under Juan Carlos Morrone and then Paolo Carosi, but Lazio survived on the last day of the season. Piscedda played 15 league games and 5 in Coppa Italia.
In 1984-85 he was sent out on loan again, this time to Taranto in Serie B. The Rossoblu from Apulia got through four different managers (Bruno Pinna, Angelo Becchetti, Lauro Toneatto and Umberto Buonfrate) and were relegated. Piscedda played 31 league games.
In 1985 he came back home to Lazio and this time it was to stay. Lazio were back in Serie B after a disastrous season and Chinaglia was about to leave (December). The new manager was promotion specialist Luigi Simoni but off field uncertainties meant things did not go to plan and Lazio finished 11th. Piscedda only played 3 league games as he was put out of the squad for most of the season for having refused to join Ternana.
In 1986-87 Lazio started the season with a nine-point handicap due to Claudio Vinazzani's alleged involvement in the Totonero- bis betting scandal. Lazio with a new manager, Eugenio Fascetti, had an epic season and survived after a three-team playoff in July with Campobasso and Taranto. The feat made the players heroes for life at Lazio. Piscedda played 21 league games plus the 2 playoff games and 5 in Coppa Italia with his first goal for Lazio, against Taranto.
In 1987-88 Lazio won promotion back to Serie A under Fascetti. Piscedda played 26 league games with 1 goal (Brescia) and 2 games in Coppa Italia.
In 1988-89 Fascetti surprisingly left after divergences on transfer strategies and was replaced by Giuseppe Materazzi. Lazio finished 11th (with 19 draws) but won a local derby after ten years with a Paolo Di Canio winner. Piscedda played 25 league games and 9 in Coppa Italia.
The 1989-90 season would be his last with Lazio. The Biancocelesti finished 9th and Piscedda only played 7 league games. Lazio had bought defenders Roberto Soldà, Cristiano Bergodi and Raffaele Sergio and the Roman defender from Corviale got less playing time.
In 1990-91 he played for Avellino in Serie B. The Irpini finished 13th under Francesco Oddo (Massimo Oddo's father). Piscedda played 30 with 3 goals (Lucchese, Verona, Padova, all winning goals). His teammates included, former Lazio, Claudio Garella (1976-77) and Francesco Fonte (1983-85).
In 1991-92 he played one last season, at Ascoli in Serie A. The Bianconeri started under Giancarlo De Sisti and finished with Massimo Cacciatori (Lazio-1978-85) but ended up relegated. Piscedda played 18 league games. Two of his teammates were former Lazio, Bruno Giordano (1975-85) and Pedro Troglio (1989-91).
Piscedda then retired at 30.
Since retiring he has become an Italian Federation man. He started coaching the Serie C national team and then had spells with Italy U16's and U17's (2001-03), the U18's and U19's (as assistant, 2003-06). In 2006 he then had two brief stints at Messina in Serie A, as assistant to Bruno Giordano. He then returned to the Federation and coached the U20's (2007-08), U18's and U19's (2008-09), Italy B (2011-20) and Italy's University team (2015- won gold at University Games). He still works for the Football Federation as a talent scout.
He also works as a pundit for the national network, RAI.
Piscedda was a defender. He could play as left-back or 'libero'. He is 1.79 and 75 kilos. He was a solid defender, not particularly quick but with good positioning and a skilful left foot. He played 68 games in Serie A and 111 in Serie B.
He grew up with Lazio and then played 120 games for the Biancocelesti. He was part of the heroic -9 squad and put the cross in for Fabio Poli's playoff winner against Campobasso. He won promotion the following year and then stayed two years in Serie A. He is an integral part of the Lazio family, is considered a true Laziale and is still often heard on local radio programs talking about Lazio.
Lazio Career
Season | Total appearances (goals) | Serie A | Serie B | Coppa Italia |
1983-84 | 20 | 15 | - | 5 |
1985-86 | 3 | - | 3 | - |
1986-87 | 28 (1) | - | 23 | 5 (1) |
1987-88 | 28 (1) | - | 26 (1) | 2 |
1988-89 | 34 | 25 | - | 9 |
1989-90 | 7 | 7 | - | - |
Total | 120 (2) | 47 | 52 (1) | 21 (1) |
Sources
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