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Writer's pictureSimon Basten

January 8, 2006: Lazio Ascoli 4-1

Updated: Jan 8

Lazio come back from behind and demolish Ascoli


No contest between Lazio and Ascoli even if the Biancocelesti were down one zero after 15 minutes.





The season so far


After a difficult first season under President Claudio Lotito, things began to be a little more organised in the 2005-06 season. A new experienced manager was chosen, Delio Rossi, and some interesting players were brought in: Valon Behrami, Guglielmo Stendardo and Gaby Mudingayi, all players that had done very well in Serie B the previous season. The Biancocelesti said goodbye to Roberto Muzzi, Paolo Negro, Giuliano Giannichedda and Fernando Couto plus many of the players bought at the last minute the previous year.


The Lazio official season started in mid-July with the Intertoto Cup. Lazio managed to participate because Messina were not interested in participating. Lazio easily dismissed Tampere United in the quarterfinals but fell to Olympique Marseilles in the semis.


Lazio had European ambition and their start in Serie A was a good one with four wins in the first seven games. Very strong at home but away from home they were unable to switch their defensive mentality to a more attacking one. This meant that Lazio suffered away from home and against the big teams and when things were not working team-wise, there was trouble. From the 8th game to the 16th Lazio won only twice.


Lazio needed to beat Ascoli even if Ousmane Dabo was suspended, and Cesar and Behrami out injured.


The match: Sunday, January 8, 2006, Sadio Olimpico, Rome


Ascoli started really well and Pasquale Foggia, who would become a Lazio player later in the year, created havoc on the Lazio left wing. Luciano Zauri often found himself alone against two opponents. In the 14th minute Ascoli scored. Gianluca Comotto’s long cross was collected by Michele Fini who passed it to Roberto Guana outside the penalty box but central. His shot could not be saved and it was 1-0 for Ascoli.


Lazio reorganised and Rossi made a tactical change to give the team more balance. Christian Manfredini was moved to the left to help Zauri and Goran Pandev to the right.


Lazio equalised almost immediately after. Paolo Di Canio passed back to Fabio Liverani who sent a long ball to the right to Pandev. His cross was perfect and Di Canio made it 1-1.


Six minutes later Lazio went ahead. Pandev reached Tommaso Rocchi in the penalty box, his shot was saved by Ferdinando Coppola but the ball was hammered in by Mudingayi, his first and only goal for Lazio.


In the second half Fabio Quagliarella had a chance helped by a hesistant Emilson Cribari, but his shot went wide. However, Lazio were relentless. Rocchi crossed for Di Canio but his header was stopped on the line by Maurizio Domizzi (if there had been a goal-line technology it would have probably been goal). A minute later Pandev hit the woodwork. In the 73rd minute Lazio closed the game. Pandev headed in a cross from Mudingayi.


There was glory even for Igli Tare in the 80th minute. Massimo Oddo crossed the ball into the penalty box, Tare controlled it and with a scissor kick scored a spectacular goal. Game over.


Who played for Lazio


Substitutes: Ballotta, Stendardo, Giallombardo, S. Inzaghi

Manager: D. Rossi


Who played for Ascoli


Coppola, Comotto, Paci, Domizzi, Tosto, Foggia, Guana (82' Biso), Parola, Fini (79' Cariello), Bjelanovic, Quagliarella (79' Ferrante).

Substitutes: Zotti, Carbone, Adani, Guglielmello.

Manager: Giampaolo.


Referee: Stefanini


Goals: 14' Guana, 28' Di Canio, 34' Mudingayi, 73' Pandev, 80' Tare.


What happened next


Lazio was able to be more consistent in the rest of the season. The signing of Stefano Mauri in January was able to give the team what they needed on the left and even some inventiveness. After the match against Ascoli, Lazio only lost three times (Palermo, Roma and Inter).


This consistency brought with it a place in the UEFA Cup for the next season, secured with two games to go. Unfortunately Lazio were penalised 32 points for its “alleged” involvement in the Calciopoli scandal, so missed out on Europe in the end.


Zauri was the player with most appearances (45 including Coppa Italia and Intertoto) and Rocchi was the leading goal scorer (17).


Lazio 2005-06

Competition

Played

Won

Drawn

Lost

Goals scored

Serie A

38

16

14

8

57

Coppa Italia

4

1

2

1

3

Intertoto Cup

4

1

2

1

5

Total

46

18

18

10

65

Top five appearances

Player

Total

Serie A

Coppa Italia

Intertoto Cup

Zauri

45

37

4

4

41

35

3

3

Rocchi

41

37

1

3

Oddo

38

35

3

-

Cribari

35

28

4

3

Dabo

35

31

4

-

35

29

2

4

Top five goal scorers

Player

Total

Serie A

Coppa Italia

Intertoto Cup

Rocchi

17

16

-

1

12

11

1

-

Oddo

7

7

-

-

Di Canio

7

5

-

2

Manfredini

3

2

1

-

Tare

3

3

-

-


Lets talk about Gaby Mudingayi


When Giannichedda decided not to renew his contract with Lazio and move to Juventus, Lazio had a problem. They needed a player who could “break up” the opposition’s game and protect Fabio Liverani. Lotito, not having much money, turned to Serie B to find the solution and he found Gaby Mudingayi.


Gaby was born in Kinshasa on October 1 1981. At eight years of age his family moved to Etterbeek, one of the Brussels municipalities. He was not really interested in football at first but his father wanted him to do a sport and in the end he did chose soccer.


His career started in the Belgian Third Division with Union Saint-Gilliose in 1998. Two years later he moved to Gent in the first division. He was noted by Torino who decided to sign him for their Serie B campaign in January 2004. Torino got promoted in 2004-05 and he gave a great contribution to the cause. But the club was in serious financial difficulties and basically went bust.


Mudingayi was a free agent and signed for Lazio. His first game in Serie A took place at Udine and he slowly became a fundamental player for Delio Rossi’s team. With four matches to the end of the season, Lazio played away against Juventus. A reckless and senseless tackle by Fabio Cannavaro broke Gaby’s leg (Cannavaro will not even be booked). He came back the next season and contributed to Lazio’s Champions League qualification.


Lotito and Delio Rossi made a little revolution with the team for the 2008-09 season and Mudingayi was sold to Bologna, much to the surprise of both the player and the fans.


In Bologna he will play for four excellent seasons, so good that Inter decided that he was a type of player that they could use and signed him in the summer of 2012. His adventure in Milan was hampered by the breaking of his Achilles Heel during the second match of the season against Torino. He was back a year later but only played 3 games. His contract was not renewed and he became a free agent. He played six months in Spain with Elche but their financial crisis did not allow them to confirm the signed contract.


Back in Italy he played nine games for Cesena in Serie A but remained unemployed in the summer of 2015. He finally found a team in Serie B in the October of 2016 but he terminated his contract in January and stopped playing.


He played 83 times for Lazio (69 in Serie A, 7 in Coppa Italia and 7 in Champions League) with the single goal scored in the game against Ascoli.


Gaby Mudingayi even played 17 games for Belgium and participated in Euro 2008 qualifications and the 2010 World Cup qualifying campaign.


Mudingayi was a much-loved player by the Lazio fans who still remember him fondly to this day.


Appearances and goals for Lazio

Season

Total (Goals scored)

Serie A

Coppa Italia

Champions League

2005-06

17 (1)

14 (1)

3

-

2006-07

31

28

3

-

2007-08

35

27

1

7

Total

83 (1)

69 (1)

7

7

Sources:


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