January 31, 2017: Inter-Lazio 1-2, Coppa Italia
- Dag Jenkins
- 3 hours ago
- 9 min read
Lazio fly to semi-finals
Lazio deservedly defeat Inter and set up possible double derby tie
The season so far
The previous season Lazio had finished 8th. The Biancocelesti had played 31 league games under Stefano Pioli and then the last 7 with Simone Inzaghi. They had reached the last 16 of Europa League (after failing to get through the CL preliminary round against Bayer Leverkusen) and the quarterfinals of the Coppa Italia.
This year Marcelo Bielsa had been chosen but "El Loco" lived up to his name and resigned after only a few days due to divergences over transfer market issues. At this point Simone Inzaghi was called back.
The main new signings were goalkeeper Thomas Strakosha (Salernitana- end of loan), defenders Bastos (Rostov), Jordan Lukaku (Oostende), Wallace (Braga), midfielder Luís Alberto (Liverpool) and striker Ciro Immobile (Seville).
Leaving were goalkeeper Etrit Berisha (Atalanta - on loan), defenders Edson Braafheid (end of contract), Santiago Gentiletti (Genoa), Abdoulay Konko (end of contract), Mauricio (Spartak Moscow - on loan), midfielders Antonio Candreva (Inter), Ogenyi "Eddy" Onazi (Trabzonspor), Stefano Mauri (end of contract) and striker Miroslav Klose (retired). So, a few players difficult up to replace.
The Serie A season had started with a 4-3 away win at Atalanta followed by a 0-1 home defeat by Juventus and a 1-1 away draw at Chievo Verona. Since then Lazio had done well: won 11, drawn 3 and lost 4 (including derby 0-2). Their most recent game however had been a 0-1 home defeat to bogey team Chievo. The Biancocelesti were currently 5th on 40 points.
In today's competition, the Coppa Italia, Lazio had beaten Genoa 4-2 at home to set up this quarterfinal against Inter.
Inter had finished 4th the previous season under Roberto Mancini. They had lost both at home and away to Lazio, 1-2 and 0-2. They had reached the semi-finals of the Coppa Italia (losing to Juventus on penalties). The top scorer was Mauro Icardi with 16 league goals.
This season the manager was initially Frank de Boer but he had only lasted eleven league games. The manager was now Stefano Pioli. In the summer the main new arrivals were defenders Marco Andreolli (Sevilla - end of loan), Cristian Ansaldi (Genoa), midfielders Éver Banega (Sevilla) Antonio Candreva (Lazio), João Mário (Sporting Lisbon) plus forward Gabriel Barbosa (Santos). Recently midfielder Roberto Gagliardini had also been added (Atalanta).
Leaving were defenders Juan Jesus (Roma), Dodô (Sampdoria), midfielders Adem Ljajić (Roma - end of loan, then Torino), Alex Telles (Porto). Defender Andrea Ranocchia had just left in January and joined Hull City on loan as had midfielders Felipe Melo to Palmeiras and Stefan Jovetić to Sevilla.
In Serie A Inter were currently 4th, on 42 points. The Nerazzurri had won 13 (including Juventus 2-1 and Lazio 3-0 at home), drawn 3 (including derby 2-2 and lost 6). Their most recent game had been a 3-0 home win against bottom placed Pescara.
In the Europa League the Nerazzurri had not gone further than the group stage, with 2 wins (Southampton 1-0 and Sparta Prague 2-1 at home) and 4 defeats (Southampton 1-2, Hapoel Be'er Sheva and 2-3 and Sparta Prague 1-3 away plus Hapoel 0-2 at home). A terrible campaign.
In Coppa Italia, Inter had reached this stage by defeating Bologna 3-2 at home a.e.t.
The pundits were expecting a balanced game this evening. Inter were only two points above Lazio in the league and the Romans have a good tradition in the domestic cup. Inter however came from nine consecutive wins and Lazio from two consecutive defeats.
The match: Tuesday, January 31, 2017, Stadio Giuseppe Meazza, Milan
A crowd of just over 30,000 was present at "La Scala del Calcio", the old San Siro.
Inter decided to place striker Mauro Icardi on the bench but otherwise fielded a strong side.
Lazio too went for their best possible XI with the exception of Sergej Milinkovic-Savic on the bench and only Keita Balde unavailable due to ongoing internal disputes.
Inter started on the front foot and dominated possession and territory. The Nerazzurri however lacked a real centre-forward and Dutch pair Wesley Hoedt and Stefan de Vrij won all the aerial battles in the area.
They did however go close twice as Ivan Perisic fired wide on an Antonio Candreva assist and then when Geoffrey Kondogbia dispossessed Lucas Biglia but his shot shaved the base of the post.
Inter's pressure gradually lessened and Lazio came out of their shell. They started to threaten on the break and struck in the 20th minute. A good cross by Senad Lulic was finished off nicely by a rare Felipe Anderson header, 0-1.
Inter were shaken and unbalanced. Lazio could have punished them again but first Ciro Immobile was perhaps selfish in shooting and not giving it to a better positioned Lulic and then Felipe Anderson, set up by Stefan Radu, had only the keeper to beat but failed, hitting Samir Handanovic instead. Halftime Inter 0 Lazio 1.
The Nerazzurri tried to make amends in the second half and changed Éver Banega and Rodrigo Palacio and brought on João Mario and Marco Icardi.
It was still Lazio however who threatened but Marco Parolo missed a sitter. An open goal opportunity after the keeper had parried a Hoedt header but a few minutes later the Biancocelesti were awarded a penalty. Miranda blundered in defence and then stamped on Immobile's foot, spot kick and the Brazilian defender was also off. In the 56th minute Lucas Biglia stepped up and fired a bullet into the roof of the net, 0-2.
Inter then took off Cristian Ansaldi and introduced Chilean Gary Medel.
Lazio were then wasteful again with a Felipe Anderson miss which kept Inter in it.
It seemed all over but Inter rallied and pushed forward furiously led by an unstoppable Perisic. Lazio were forced on the defensive and dug deep. Jeison Murillo headed just over the bar from a corner and Icardi had a header deflected by Hoedt which shaved the post.
In the 74th minute Inzaghi tried to change things by replacing Felipe Anderson and Lulic with Sergej Milinkovic-Savic and Jordan Lukaku.
The plan was soon complicated by Radu getting a second yellow and being sent for an early shower.
Inzaghi then reinforced the defence with Wallace coming on for midfielder Alessandro Murgia.
The contest was reopened in the 84th minute. A looping Mario Brozovic header went over a not impeccable Federico Marchetti and into the net to give the hosts hope.
The last ten minutes were spent in Lazio's area but the Biancocelesti held firm and Inter never really went close to equalising. Lots of high balls pumped into the box and a few scrambles but no shots. Final score: Inter 1 Lazio 2.
A good win for Lazio. They had beaten Inter away in the cup for the first time since 1961 and above all set up a possible derby semi-final against city rivals Roma who played Cesena at home the following evening.
A deserved win for Lazio who were made to sweat towards the end but could and should have put Inter out of their misery long before the last worrying minutes.
Who played for Inter
Handanovic, D'Ambrosio, Murillo, Miranda, Ansaldi (58' Medel), Brozovic, Kondogbia, Candreva, Banega (46' Joăo Mario), Perišić, Palacio (46' Icardi)
Substitutes: Carrizo, Andreolli, Santon, Éder, Nagatomo, Gagliardini, Biabiany, Gabriel Barbosa, Pinamonti
Manager: Pioli
Who played for Lazio
Marchetti, Patric, de Vrij, Hoedt, Radu, Parolo, Biglia, Murgia (78' Wallace), F.Anderson (74' Milinkovic-Savic), Immobile, Lulic (74' Lukaku)
Substitutes: Strakosha, Vargic, Basta, Bastos, Folorunsho, Luis Alberto, Djordjevic, Rossi
Manager: S.Inzaghi
Referee: Guida
Goals: 20' F.Anderson, 56' Biglia, 84' Brozovic
Red Cards: 54' Miranda, 76' Radu
What happened next
For Lazio next up in the Coppa Italia came a tantalising double derby tie against Roma. In the first "home" game Lazio won 2-0 with goals by Sergej Milinkovic-Savic and Ciro Immobile. In the return game the Giallorossi won 3-2 but Lazio's qualification was never really in doubt as they were winning twice and Roma only scored the winner in the last minute. In the final on May 17 Lazio then lost 0-2 to a superior Juventus.
In Serie A Lazio finished 5th and qualified for the Europa League. They then won 9 (including Roma 3-1, Palermo, Pescara 6-2 and Sampdoria 7-3), drew 3 and lost 4 (including Inter 1-3 at home). The top scorer was Immobile with 26 goals (23 in A).
Inter finished 7th and out of Europe. For the last three games Stefano Vecchi took over from Pioli. After today's cup elimination Inter won 6 (including Atalanta 7-1 at home), drew 2 (derby 2-2 again) and lost 8 (including Fiorentina 4-5 away). The top scorer was Icardi with 26 goals (24 in A). A negative season for Inter.
The 2016-17 Scudetto was won by Juventus for their 33rd title, so the Bianconeri won the double. Relegation was for Palermo, Empoli and Pescara (they are all currently in Serie B).
Let’s talk about: Michael Folorunsho
Michael Ijemuan Folorunsho was born in Rome, on February 7, 1998. He is Italian but his parents are of Nigerian origins.
He played for various youth teams in Rome, Vigor Perconti, Tor Sapienza and Savio before joining the Lazio academy in 2014. A satisfaction for him as they are the club he supports.
In 2016-17 he was an unused substitute a few times in the first team under Simone Inzaghi but left at the end of the season.
In 2017 he joined Virtus Francavilla in Serie C. He stayed two seasons and the Biancazzurri finished 9th and 6th. He played 66 games with 8 goals. His managers were Gaetano D'Agostino in the first year and Nunzio Zavettieri and then Bruno Trocini in the second.
In 2019 he was signed by Napoli but immediately sent out on loan to Bari in Serie C. The Galletti finished 2nd but lost the playoff final to Reggio Audace. Folorunsho played 15 games, first under Giovanni Cornacchini and then Andrea Milani.
In 2020 he was loaned to Reggina in Serie B. The Amaranto finished 11th, first under Domenico Toscano and then future Lazio manager, Marco Baroni. Folorunsho played 32 games with 6 goals.
In 2021 he was loaned to Pordenone in Serie B but only stayed until January. He played 17 games with 3 goals, under three different managers: Massimo Paci (1-2), Massimo Rastelli (3-8) and Bruno Tedino (9 onwards). The Neroverdi were eventually relegated.
In January 2022 he went back to Reggina in B. He played 15 games with 2 goals under Roberto Stellone and the Reggini finished 14th. His teammates included former Lazio, Cristiano Lombardi.
In the summer of 2022 he returned to Bari on loan in Serie B. He played 32 games with 9 goals under Michele Magnani and the Biancorossi finished 3rd. They then went to the playoffs but lost the final 1-2 on aggregate to a 94th minute winner against Claudio Ranieri's Cagliari. The Cockerels were one minute from Serie A.
In 2023-24 he finally played in Serie A anyway, on loan with Verona. The Scaligeri managed to obtain a hard-fought survival under Marco Baroni. Folorunsho had a good season, playing 34 league games and scoring 5 goals (Monza, Roma, Juventus, Lecce, Salernitana). His teammates included Lazio connections Davide Faraoni (1998-2010) Tijjani Noslin (2024-), Reda Belahyane (Feb 2025-)
In 2024 he went back to parent club Napoli. He stayed until January, playing 7 games (6 in A) under Antonio Conte. The Azzurri would eventually win the Scudetto.
In January 2025 he was loaned to Fiorentina. He played 13 league games and 5 in the Conference League. La Viola finished 6th under Raffaele Paladino and reached the semi-finals of Conference League (Betis Sevilla 3-4 a.e.t). He played alongside Lazio player on loan, Danilo Cataldi.
In July 2025 he returned to Cagliari on loan. He is currently playing for the Sardinians, under manager Fabio Pisacane.
Folorunsho has earned 2 caps for Italy, a friendly against Bosnia Herzegovina and Euro qualifier against Albania, both in 2024.
Folorunsho is a midfielder. He is 1.90 and 92 kilos so is physically strong. He can attack and defend making him a versatile player. He is quick despite his size and is renowned for his well-timed runs into the opponent's box. He also possesses a good long-range shot.
He has had a decent club career so far but has not made that last step to a top level. He has not been helped by changing clubs so often.
He is a Lazio fan, attending games in the Curva Nord in his youth and since he left the Biancocelesti there has often been talk of a possible return but until now it has not materialised.
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