Revenge is sweet

Season 1994-95

Game 28, 1995

Sunday, April 23, 1995

Stadio Olimpico, Rome

Lazio Roma 2-0

Lazio change skin and avenge previous derby by triumphing 2-0

Source Lazio Wiki

A full house and 75,000 spectators for the 131st "derby della capitale" (104 in A). The crowd included the boy band Take That who had come to support Paul Gascoigne. The game was shown live on the national network RAI but only in the Lazio region and the United States.

Lazio were without Alen Boksic and Aron Winter but Beppe Signori was back while Roma were missing Daniel Fonseca.

In the first derby game in November Lazio had been favourites and tried to play the Zdenek Zeman way but had been severely punished, losing 0-3. Today they seemed to have learnt their lesson and started off more cautiously.

The first 20 minutes were a tense battle with no goal mouth action. The first shot at goal came from a set piece in the 23rd minute. Totti was blocked outside the box on the left and Balbo took the freekick, he fired a threatening, curling shot towards goal which Luca Marchegiani did well to tip over the bar, diving to his right.

In the 25th minute came the first of many potential brawls between the two sets of players. Following a foul by Fabio Petruzzi on Roberto Di Matteo, some pushing and shoving ensued but was considered derby stuff by the referee.

The game changed on the half hour mark without much warning. Lazio took their second corner of the afternoon with Diego Fuser from the left, under Curva Sud, it swung in and Giovanni Cervone completely mis read it and it bounced off his stomach into the heart of the box where Cristiano Bergodi bicycle kicked it forward to Gigi Casiraghi in front of goal, the Brianzolo striker emulated the defender from Bracciano and sent a flying bicycle kick into the back of the net. An acrobatic goal with a double bicycle kick. More importantly, Roma 0 Lazio 1.

Roma did not manage to muster much of a reaction and Lazio easily sudued Totti and Balbo with a compact midfield and good defending by Bergodi and José Antonio Chamot. Halftime Roma 0 Lazio 1.

An ugly game and Lazio beating Roma at their own game so far. Zeman was known to be stubborn and a "bit" of a fundamentalist but this was a Roman derby..

For the second half the Giallorossi brought on a more attacking midfielder, Massimo Cappioli for Giovanni Piacentini. In the Curva Sud a Roma supporters' banner mysteriously caught fire, a bad omen for the "Lupacchiotti"?

Roma predictably attacked and had territorial supremacy but continued to be confused and unthreatening up front. Cappioli had a long range shot go over the bar. Lazio playing differently from their usual style, absorbed the pressure well and waited for chances on the break. Signori became unstoppable and caused Roma all sorts of problems.

In the 58th minute Signori shaved the post with a low left footed strike and in the 63rd Fuser shot wide but the goal was coming. In the 70th minute Signori broke away on the left of midfield, skipped past an opponent and teed up Casiraghi, 40 metres away on the other side, he charged into the right side of the box, pushed the ball past Cervone in an attempt to go round him and then was clearly pulled down. Penalty to Lazio but only a yellow for the keeper as the referee claimed there was a defender running back to cover the goal so Cervone was not considered last man, a fair decision.

So in the 71st minute (a number to earn cult status many years later..) Signori stood in his customary pose and slotted a perfect, low shot to the right of Cervone, who went the other way. Roma 0 Lazio 2.

Signori continued his run under the Curva Nord and lifted himself up on the glass barriers to celebrate nearer and with the fans.

Roma were finished and started to lose their heads. The contest became dirty, Aldair fouled Casiraghi in the air, Alessandro Nesta went in hard on Moriero and then Giuseppe Giannini got himself sent off for retaliating badly after being fouled by Fuser.

In the 76th minute Signori was replaced by Paul Gascoigne while for Roma, Jimmy Maini came on for an injured Totti.

In the 80th minute Cappioli risked an early shower too for a filthy foul on Gascoigne but was let off with just a yellow.

A few minutes later Lazio could have made it three. In the 84th minute  Gascoigne glided past a couple of opponents on the right of midfield  and with the corner of his eye spotted Casiraghi charging forward on the left, he squared a lovely ball which the Italian striker chested forward into the area and hit a low left-footed shot but Cervone went down and it came back off his outstretched left foot. So close to 0-3.

The game was won anyway, Lazio keeping ball possession in the last minutes to the joy of the Lazio fans' "Olés". There was time for one more substitution, local young forward Marco Di Vaio getting the satisfaction of a derby appearance, replacing Roberto Rambaudi.

The game had nothing more to say. Full time Roma 0 Lazio 2.

Wild celebrations for Lazio and their fans after the unexpected drubbing in the previous derby.

Celebrations which were criticised by the Romanisti who as usual thought they had the right to dictate how and to what extent Lazio could party after winning. The Giallorossi also hinted the victory was not "fair" as Lazio had not played in the usual Zeman style. A frustrated and crotchety Roma, only adding to Lazio's satisfaction.

In truth Lazio had won deservedly. The Biancocelesti had been concentrated, compact and taken their chances against an opposition who had only  one shot on goal, on a freekick, the whole match. A derby is not about aesthetics anyway, it's about winning (or at least not losing) and Roma had done neither today.

Lazio moved up to solitary 5th place on 47 points, only one point behind Roma and Milan in joint 3rd on 48. Parma in 2nd were now only 6 points away on 53.

Who played for Roma

Cervone, Aldair, Lanna, Statuto, Petruzzi, Carboni, Moriero, Piacentini (46' Cappioli), Balbo, Giannini, Totti (78' Maini)

Substitutes: Lorieri, Annoni, Benedetti

Manager: Mazzone

Who played for Lazio

Marchegiani, Negro, Nesta, Di Matteo, Bergodi, Chamot, Rambaudi (89' Di Vaio), Fuser, Casiraghi, Venturin, Signori (76' Gascoigne)

Substitutes: Orsi, Cravero, L.Colucci

Manager: Zeman

Referee: Amendolia

Goals: 30' Casiraghi, 71' Signori

Red card: Giannini

Source

Lazio Wiki