A win but not much else

Dag Jenkins

Oct 16, 2022

4 min read

Season 1993-94

Game 8, Serie A

Sunday, October 17, 1993

Stadio Olimpico, Rome

Lazio Piacenza 1-0

Lazio struggle but win with a last minute Signori penalty

This was the 8th league game of the season. On their debut Lazio had drawn 0-0 at home against Zdenek Zeman's Foggia (it was also the first Pay-tv game in the history of Italian football). Lazio had then won 1 (Parma 2-1 at home), drawn 3 (including the recent 0-0 away to Milan) and lost 2 (Cremonese 0-1 and Cagliari 1-4 away). The Biancocelesti were currently 10th, on 6 points with Foggia. Not a great start.

Piacenza were newly promoted. So far "Il Piace" had won 1 (Lecce 2-1 at home), drawn 3 (including Milan 0-0 at home) and lost 3 (including Torino 0-3 at home on debut). They were currently 12th (with Genoa, Roma, Udinese and Atalanta) on 5 points.

A game today between two teams in difficulty but while Piacenza's problems were expected, Lazio's were not.

The match

A cloudy day with occasional rays of sun gathered just over 40,000 at the Olimpico. The two teams wore black armbands to commemorate the recent passing of Sampdoria president Paolo Mantovani. He had made Sampdoria great but was originally from Rome and a Lazio fan.

Lazio were missing defender Mauro Bonomi and midfielder Fabrizio Di Mauro. Lazio had five players back from injury (Favalli, Cravero, Fuser, Gascoigne and Signori)

Piacenza had defender Roberto Chiti and forward Antonio De Vitis unavailable.

The game was immediately one way traffic but plodding and predictable. Lazio attacked but Piacenza were hermetically closed in front of keeper Massimo Taibi. The Biancocelesti looked slow while the visitors were reactive and won almost all the 50-50 challenges.

For Lazio the only light was Paul Gascoigne but he found little collaboration from his teammates especially Aron Winter and Roberto Di Matteo in midfield. Up front Beppe Signori was lively but received very little service. In the 28th minute however he freed himself on the right and let off a powerful strike which Taibi saved well on the front post.

When after about 30 minutes Gascoigne ran out of steam the Biancocelesti went even flatter.

Piacenza poked their noses out and had a shot by Antonio Carannante comfortably saved by Luca Marchegiani and another by Marco Ferrante, who turned well on Robero Cravero, a couple of metres wide.

In the 38th minute Lazio then had a dangerous shot by Di Matteo but Taibi stretched low and tipped it behind for a corner.

Just before halftime both sides lost a player through injury, Beppe Favalli for Lazio replaced by Roberto Bacci and Carannante for Piacenza replaced by Massimo Brioschi. Halftime: very much 0-0.

In the second half things did not change but Signori saw more of the ball which could only be positive. Beppe-gol immediately forced Taibi into an instinctive save over the bar after a clever back heel by Gigi Casiraghi.

In the 51st minute Cravero had a header from a Signori corner but it was parried away by Taibi and then Casiraghi headed high soon after.

Gascoigne too had a chance but his header went wide as it turned out to be neither an assist nor a goal attempt.

In the 55th minute Paolo Negro tried his luck from the distance but it was saved in beach mode by Taibi with a flashy dive.

In the 63rd minute Winter had a good effort but his low right-footed volley shaved the right post.

In the 67th minute the visitors took off midfielder Daniele Moretti and introduced Giuseppe Ferazzoli.

Both sides were tired and nerves frayed. On the hour-mark Settimio Luci was sent off for time wasting when he was already on a yellow and a few minutes later Luca Luzardi joined him for retaliating after being fouled.

In the 82nd minute Gascoigne was taken off for Dario Marcolin. The Englishman clearly lacked match fitness but had still been one of Lazio's brighter players.

The referee Racalbuto then decided he had had enough of Gigi Cagni's protests from the touch line and sent him packing. Not content, he then gave Roberto Cravero his marching orders too for a second yellow after a foul in midfield. Lazio down to nine men and Piacenza in ten.

Just as Lazio were losing hope they were awarded a penalty. In the 90th minute Signori was tripped up by Agostino Iacobelli and Racalbuto, about a couple of metres away, had no doubts. The diminutive blonde striker impeccably placed the ball to Taibi's left, 1-0.

A precious win for Lazio but it had not been pretty. Lazio had too many players off form and had looked rusty and monotonous. All in all however they just about deserved the win for sheer will power. They had not played well but had more chances than Piacenza who limited themselves to playing for a point, which they came very close to taking.

Lazio were now on joint 8th on 8 points (with Cagliari and Cremonese) while Piacenza were joint 15th on 5 points (with Atalanta and Reggiana)

Lazio now had a mid-week European game against Boavista and then there was the Roman derby.

Who played for Lazio

Marchegiani, Negro, Favalli (41' Bacci), Di Matteo, Luzardi, Cravero, Fuser, Winter, Casiraghi, Gascoigne (82' Marcolin), Signori