Eight in a row !!

Dag Jenkins
Apr 7, 2024
4 min read

Season 2006-07

Game 31, Serie A

Saturday, April 7, 2007

Stadio Olimpico, Rome

Lazio-Messina 1-0

A Stendardo goal is enough to give Lazio eighth consecutive win

Lazio's Serie A campaign started with two defeats, 1-2 away to Milan and 1-2 at home to Palermo. Fortunately things had then improved. Since then the Biancocelesti had won 16 (including Messina 4-1 away and Roma 3-0), drawn 7 and lost 4. They also came from seven consecutive wins and were unbeaten since December 20 (Inter 0-2 at home) so the Eagles were flying high. The Biancocelesti were 3rd on 52 points, four ahead of 4th placed Palermo and seven ahead of 5th placed Empoli. With four Champions League slots available things were looking good.

Today however was a Serie A game and time to consolidate 3rd position and go for an impressive eight wins in a row.

Messina were in difficulty and currently 18th on 24 points. They were one point behind the last survival slot, Reggina from across the straits on 25 points. Messina had won 5 (Including Palermo and Reggina both 2-0 at home), drawn 9 and lost 15 (including Lazio 1-4 and last two games).

On current form Lazio were strong favourites today. Although Messina were desperate for points, anything different from a home win would be a surprise.

The match

On a sunny and warm pre-easter Saturday just under 30,000 turned up at the Olimpico.

Lazio were missing defender Emílson Cribari plus midfielders Cristian Ledesma and Massimo Mutarelli.

Messina were without defender Marco Zoro and forward Ivica Iliev.

The first half was a dull affair. Lazio were slow and predictable and Messina made it obvious they would be more than pleased with a goalless draw.

In the 4th minute Roberto Baronio had a curling free kick from the left saved by Gabriele Paoletti.

In the 11th minute Lazio were denied a penalty for a seemingly clear Marco Zanchi handball on a Goran Pandev initiative. The spring heat and the visitors' crowded area made sure the threats on goal were few and far between. Lazio however had their chances.

Despite the apathy Stefano Mauri almost scored the goal of the season when he chested the ball down and went for an acrobatic scissor kick volley but it went just wide.

Mauri then had a dangerous header from a Valon Behrami cross but he narrowly missed the target from an extremely favourable position.

Christian Manfredini then tried his luck from the left but Paoletti parried away.

One huge chance came in the 43rd minute but Pandev, set up by Tommaso Rocchi, pulled his shot wide from a position where he would usually score blindfolded.

Two minutes later Lazio scored courtesy of a defender. In the 45th minute Manfredini worked the ball well and then Luciano Zauri crossed into the area where Guglielmo Stendardo twisted his body and headed into the right corner, 1-0 at half time.

In the second half, despite trailing, Messina continued with the same approach. Any plan to change tactics was then thwarted in the 53rd minute when former Roma Vincent Candela got himself sent off for a second booking, obviously much to the delight of the Lazio fans.

Messina immediately replaced forward Ibrahima Bakayoko with midfielder and Roma loanee Edgar Álvarez.

It seemed Lazio would now have it easy but a combination of the forwards having an off day, the wings being systematically blocked and Baronio's sluggish and predictable playmaking meant Lazio struggled to be dangerous.

Lazio plodded forward and had another penalty appeal for a clear Paoletti foul on Gaby Mudingayi but the referee was not in a penalty mood today.

In the 68th minute Mauri tried a chipped lob but the idea was better than the execution. In the 72nd minute it was Pandev who tried to close the game but his left footed strike shaved the left post.

Messina tried to change things by making two substitutions: in the 73rd minute defender Enrico Morello for defender Mark Iuliano and in the 81st forward Arturo Di Napoli for defender Salvatore Masiello. A minute later Lazio brought on midfielder Luis Jiménez for Stefano Mauri.

Lazio pushed forward but were imprecise as with Rocchi who sliced a good opportunity wide and as the minutes ticked away the risk of throwing it away increased.

This almost happened as in the dying minutes Daniele De Vezze teed up Christian Riganò in the area and his low cross goal effort gave the shivers to the Lazio fans but flew out to Angelo Peruzzi's left.

From a seemingly easy win Lazio were now holding on for the three points. In the 90th minute to break things up Rossi took off both forwards and put on Fabio Firmani and Stephen Makinwa.

After three minutes of added time, in which Lazio just ran down the clock, the referee blew for full time.

Not a great performance by any means but meant an eighth consecutive win for Lazio. The club record was nine, set by Sven-Goran Eriksson's team in the 1998-99 season.

Lazio had been slow and lazy today, perhaps underestimating the game. Lazio were still 3rd, on 55 points but now eight points ahead of 4th placed Palermo who had lost 1-3 at home to Cagliari. The best player was Mudingayi who had worked hard despite the general apathy.

Messina had been too negative but with a bit of luck could have snatched a point at the death. The Giallorossi were now 19th, on 24 points overtaken by Parma who had beaten Livorno 1-0 at home. Safety was now two points away (Reggina, who had held Inter 0-0 at home, on 26).

Who played for Lazio

Peruzzi, Behrami, Stendardo, Siviglia, Zauri, Mudingayi, Baronio, Manfredini, Mauri (82' Jimenez), Pandev (90' Makinwa), Rocchi (90' Firmani)