Game 14, Serie A
Sunday, December 4, 2005
Stadio Olimpico, Rome
Lazio Siena 3-2
Lazio win the game thanks to a great performance from Pandev coming on from the bench
Lazio had European ambitions and their start to 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 they suffered away from home and against the big teams and when things were not working team-wise, there was trouble. The previous weekend the Biancocelesti had finally won after a five-game drought and were currently mid-table on 19 points.
The match
The Irriducibili staged a protest in the first 15 minutes against President Claudio Lotito, guilty of not wanting to sell his shares, deciding to come into the stands only after a quarter of an hour.
Without Massimo Oddo and Tommaso Rocchi, manager Delio Rossi opted to use Paolo Di Canio and Igli Tare in attack and put Goran Pandev on the bench.
In the first 15 minutes Lazio could have scored twice. In the tenth minute César crossed from the left, the ball, deflected by a defender, reached Di Canio who tried a difficult volley parried by Antonio Mirante. Another cross from the left, this time by the Lazio hero, reached Tare who tried an acrobatic volley which Mirante yet again managed to parry.
The Irriducibili at this point came in, and Lazio mentally left the game. Siena could have done something but they were too busy defending the goalless draw to think about attacking and since the Biancocelesti were not really doing anything themselves, boredom prevailed.
All this changed in the final minutes of the first half. In the 42nd minute Di Canio received the ball in the box on the right near the by-line. He feigned to shoot and then tried a difficult shot, Mirante saved. A few seconds later, Manuel Belleri crossed from the right, Tare headed the ball towards the goal, Mirante made a remarkable save but could do very little to stop Di Canio’s tap in. 1-0 to Lazio and first goal of the season for the former Hammer.
In the beginning of the second half, Tare headed the ball to César who galloped towards the box and once in dribbled past Igor Tudor but instead of passing the ball to Tare or Di Canio he tried an impossible shot which went nowhere.
Then, out of the blue, Siena equalised. In the 52nd minute Paolo Foglio crossed from the right, Erjon Bogdani, man marked by little Belleri, did not have to jump too high to head the ball and when he did Angelo Peruzzi could do nothing about it.
At this point Delio Rossi decided to send in Pandev and out went Di Canio, not entirely pleased with the decision. But the move worked. In the 61st minute Ousmane Dabo lobbed the ball towards the centre just outside the Siena penalty area, Sebastiano Siviglia headed towards Goran who controlled the ball, turned around and passed to César. Splendid shot from the Brazilian, Lazio back ahead.
At this point Siena tried to get back into the game and in the 70th minute Roberto D’Aversa gave Peruzzi some work to do on a free kick. In the 78th minute Foglio hit the top of the crossbar again on a free kick. But in the 80th minute the Biancocelesti closed the game. Pandev dispossessed Simone Vergassola, quick counter attack, ball to Tare who made it three.
Siena still tried to get back into the game but a Massimo Marazzina header shaved the post. In the 90th minute Cristian Molinaro crossed from the left, Peruzzi had all the time in the world to grasp the ball mid area, but he fumbled and sent it into his own net. 3-2 but there was no time left.
Good win, despite the absences.
Who played for Lazio
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Peruzzi, Belleri, Siviglia, Cribari, Zauri, Behrami, Dabo, Liverani (90’ Baronio), Cesar (68’ Manfredini), Di Canio (59’ Pandev), Tare
Manager: D. Rossi
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Who played for Siena
Mirante, Negro, Tudor, Legrottaglie, Bachini (46' Locatelli), D'Aversa, Foglio, Vergassola, Gastaldello (73'Molinaro), Chiesa (70' Marazzina), Bogdani
Substitutes: Fortin, Portanova, Paro, Volpato
Manager: De Canio
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Referee: Marelli
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Goals: 42’ Di Canio, 53’ Bogdani, 61’ Cesar, 80’ Tare, 90’ Peruzzi (og)
Sources
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