May 3, 2015: Atalanta-Lazio 1-1
- Dag Jenkins
- 3 hours ago
- 13 min read
Decent point but complicates direct CL
Lazio snatch point with Parolo but are overtaken by Roma for second place
The season so far
The previous season Lazio had finished a poor 9th. They had replaced manager Vladimir Petkovic with Edy Reja after 16 matches, so the honeymoon with the Swiss was over but not his legacy (2013 Coppa Italia triumph).
This season Lazio had a new manager in Stefano Pioli. There had also been several changes to the squad, some major, some minor. The biggest buy for Lazio was Dutch central defender Stefan de Vrij (Feyenoord) who had impressed at the recent 2014 World Cup. Other good signings were defender Dušan Basta (Udinese) and midfielder Marco Parolo (Parma). Another new face was Serbian striker Filip Djordjevic (Nantes - end of contract) while local lad Danilo Cataldi was back from a loan period (Crotone). In the January winter session the defender Mauricio had arrived (Sporting Lisbon).
Sadly, some players left, in particular Giuseppe Biava (end of contract) and André Dias (retired). Other minor movements were mainly in attack: Emiliano Alfaro (Liverpool Montevideo - loan), Brayan Perea (Perugia - loan/ he would return in January) and Hélder Postiga (Valencia - end of loan). In the winter session popular Uruguayan midfielder Álvaro "El Tata" Gonzalez had left for Torino.
The beginning of the season had been a mixed bag. Lazio had lost three out of the first four matches but then won the next four (Palermo, Sassuolo, Fiorentina, Torino). Since then, the Biancocelesti had won 14 (including Milan 3-1, Atalanta 3-0 and Fiorentina 4-0 at home), drawn 5 (including the derby and Inter away both 2-2) and lost 6 (including Juve twice). At a certain point they had won 8 matches in a row (23-30).
The Biancocelesti were in 2nd place on 62 points (2nd straight into CL, the 3rd to preliminary). A week earlier Lazio had defeated Parma 4-0 at home.
In the Coppa Italia Lazio had qualified for the final to be played on May 20 against Juventus. The Biancocelesti had eliminated Bassano 7-0 and Varese 3-0 at home and then Torino 3-1 and Milan 1-0 away. In the semi-finals Lazio got the better of Napoli 2-1 on aggregate.
Dutch International de Vrij had confirmed to be a class act, Parolo a reliable, solid club player but Djordjevic had not impressed.
Atalanta had finished 11th the previous season under Stefano Colantuono. The Bergamaschi had beaten Lazio twice, 2-1 at home and 1-0 away. Their best results however were defeating Inter 2-1 away and Milan 2-1 at home. The top scorer was Germán Denis with 13 league goals.
This season Colantuono had started but then been replaced by former Lazio Edy Reja after 25 games (W4, D8, L13 and only +3 on B zone). The main new signings were: defenders Yohan Benalouane (Cesena), Giuseppe Biava (Lazio), Nicolò Cherubin (Bologna - on loan), Boukary Dramé (Chievo) and Davide Zappacosta (Avellino), midfielders Marco D'Alessandro (Roma - via Cesena) and Alejandro Gomez (Metalist) plus forwards Rolando Bianchi (Bologna - on loan) and Richmond Boakye (Genoa - via Elche). In January the Dea had added: midfielder Urby Emanuelson (Roma - on loan) and forward Mauricio Pinilla (Genoa - on loan).
Leaving Bergamo were: goalkeeper Andrea Consigli (Sassuolo), defenders Davide Brivio (Verona - on loan), Michele Canini (Chievo - on loan), Stefano Lucchini (Cesena) and Mario Yepes (San Lorenzo de Almagro), midfielders Giacomo Bonaventura (Milan), Franco Brienza (Cesena), Riccardo Cazzola (Cesena - on loan) plus forward Guido Marilungo (Cesena - on loan).
The Bergamaschi had various Lazio connections in the squad: apart from Biava there were also Giorgio Frezzolini (youth sector 1990-93), Marco D'Alessandro (youth sector 2003-05), Guglielmo Stendardo (2005-2008, 2009-12), Lionel Scaloni (2007-08, 2009-13), Rolando Bianchi (2008) and of course manager Edy Reja (2010-12, 2014).
Atalanta were currently 17th, on 32 points (+8 on Cagliari on last relegation slot) and virtually safe. Since Reja took over they had won 1, drawn 6 (including Roma and Napoli both 1-1 away and recent 2-2 at Cesena) and lost 1.
In the Coppa Italia they had reached the last 16 but lost 1-3 away to Fiorentina. The Bergamaschi had previously beaten Pisa and Avellino both 2-0 at home.
Not an easy game today for Lazio. The Nerazzurri were in decent form (unbeaten in four) and it was always tough in Bergamo.
The match: Sunday, May 3, 2015, Stadio Atleti Azzurri d'Italia, Bergamo
An overcast but dry day in Bergamo and a classic Sunday 3 p.m kick off brought just under 15,000 spectators to the stadium originally called the Mario Brumana.
Lazio were without defender Stefan de Vrij, midfielders Lucas Biglia and forward Miro Klose while Cristian Ledesma was on the bench but not fully match fit.
Atalanta were missing defenders Yohan Benalouane and Guglielmo Stendardo, midfielder Daniele Baselli and forward Germán Denis.
Lazio started with confidence and hit a post with a Keita Balde curling shot but Atalanta soon took control of the proceedings. Edy Reja, who had been at Lazio until recently, knew his former players inside out and tactically set the hosts up well to confront the Romans. One tactic was to man-mark Stefano Mauri with Giulio Migliaccio and another was to block the wings.
Atalanta played fast, one-touch football and Lazio were in difficulty. It was Federico Marchetti who helped Lazio survive with at least three excellent saves, on Migliaccio, Giuseppe Biava and Papu Gomez.
Lazio had problems constructing moves without Biglia and Ledesma in midfield and de Vrij at the back. The Biancocelesti played with long balls, easy pray for the Atalanta defence. Half time: Atalanta 0 Lazio 0 but the Bergamaschi were well on top.
The hosts' superiority was rewarded soon after the break. In the 48th minute Gomez hit the post with a powerful shot and then Lazio conceded a corner. Gomez took it and Biava outjumped a hesitant Mauricio and headed in, 1-0. The classic "gol dell'ex" (goal by a former player).
At this point Lazio finally stirred and began to play better. Felipe Anderson woke up and put Keita in front of Marco Sportiello but the Spanish-Senegalese wasted the chance as he did with a header some minutes later.
In the 64th minute came the first change as striker Filip Djordjevic came on for midfielder Mauri.
After five minutes of reflection came a flurry of substitutions. In the 69th minute Atalanta made two and Lazio one: Davide Zappacosta and Rolando Bianchi for Marco D'Alessandro and Mauricio Pinilla plus Edson Braafheid for Stefan Radu for Lazio. A more defensive move by Atalanta while Lazio needed fresh legs.
Atalanta tired after their energetic first half performance and Lazio gained ground. In the 76th minute they decided to reinforce their aerial power and brought on Brayan Perea (1.89 metres) for Keita.
In the 78th minute Lazio won a corner. Danilo Cataldi took it and Marco Parolo placed a brilliant half bicycle kick past Sportiello, 1-1.
Atalanta then tried to remedy by bringing on forward Maximiliano Moralez for injured midfielder Luca Cigarini. The Bergamaschi however had little left to give.
It was Lazio who looked more likely to score but Biava defended well on Djordjevic and his defence resisted the Biancocelesti's last aerial attacks. Final score: Atalanta 1 Lazio 1.
A fair result in the end. The Dea had won it tactically for at least an hour but then ran out of energy and Lazio had fought back to deserve a point.
A point probably more useful to Atalanta than Lazio but seeing as the game had gone the Romans could accept it without too many regrets.
Lazio now slipped down to 3rd place, overtaken by Roma who had beaten Genoa 2-0 at home. The table read; Juventus 79, Roma 64 , Lazio 63, Napoli 59, for three CL places. With three games to go it would almost certainly go down to the wire.
Atalanta were still 17th, on 33 points but now only +6 on Cagliari who had crushed Parma 4-0 at home. With only four games to go however the Dea could still be relatively relaxed.
Who played for Atalanta
Sportiello, Bellini, Biava, Masiello, Del Grosso, Cigarini (79' Moralez), Migliaccio, Carmona, D'Alessandro (69' Zappacosta), Pinilla (69' Bianchi), Gomez
Substitutes: Avramov, Frezzolini, Cherubin, Dramé, Scaloni, Emanuelson, Grassi, Boakye, Rossetti
Manager: Reja
Who played for Lazio
Marchetti, Basta, Mauricio, Ciani, Radu (69' Braafheid), Cataldi, Parolo, Candreva, Mauri (64' Djordjevic), F.Anderson, Keita (76' Perea)
Manager: Pioli
Referee: Orsato
Goals: 49' Biava, 78' Parolo
What happened next
In the next 3 games Lazio won 1 (Sampdoria 1-0 away) but lost 2 (Inter and Roma both 1-2). The 2nd place slipped away but 3rd place Champions League qualification all went down to the last match, away in Naples.
It was a dramatic match to say the least. Lazio needed a draw to clinch third place while Napoli had to win. The first half ended with the Biancocelesti 2-0 up and seemingly in control with goals by Marco Parolo and Antonio Candreva.
The second half was a rollercoaster. In the 55th minute Napoli pulled one back with Gustavo Higuain. In the 62nd minute Lazio were reduced to ten men when Parolo was shown a red card. In the 64th minute Higuain scored again to make it 2-2.
The Napoli faithful smelt blood and the stadium was on fire, things were not looking good for Lazio. A glimmer of hope came in the 70th minute when Napoli too were forced to play in a man less as Goulam was given his marching orders.
The hope was short lived as in the 76th minute the "Partenopei" were awarded a penalty probably worth about 9 billion Euros. The "Pepita" Higuain stepped up and, to the horror of the locals and relief of the Laziali, blasted the ball over the bar towards Vesuvius.
Lazio regained vigour after being on the brink of disaster. Four minutes after the penalty drama an unlikely hero appeared in the form of Eddy Onazi. In the 80th minute he took advantage of a Napoli mistake and from midfield went straight towards goal and then beat the keeper as he came out. Napoli 2 Lazio 3, an incredible turnaround in the space of a few minutes.
Napoli were distraught and Miro Klose made it 4-2 in the 92nd minute. An incredible night gave Lazio third place and a Champions League preliminary qualification.
The hero of the hour was Nigerian Onazi and the Laziale saying "Onazi è l'unico nazi che ci piace" was never as popular. The saying is obvious lost in translation but is a play on words stating that the Nigerian is the only nazi we like.
Lazio finished the season third with 69 points after 21 wins, 6 draws and 11 defeats. The top scorer was Klose with 16 (13 in Serie A).
In the final of Coppa Italia the Biancocelesti battled hard but were defeated 1-2 by Juventus in extra time (in which Djordjevic had hit a freakish double post on 1-1).
Alas Lazio would never get into the Champions League group stage as they were defeated 3-1 on aggregate by Bayer Leverkusen in the preliminary round.
Atalanta finished 17th, on 37 points (+3 on Cagliari). In the last 4 games they won 1 (following game 3-2 at Palermo virtually clinching survival), drew 1 and lost 2. The top scorer was Denis with 8 league goals.
The league title was won by Juventus for the 31st time (4th consecutive), so they won the double. At the other end Parma (who had started at -7), Cesena and Cagliari dropped to the second tier of Italian football, the dreaded Serie B.
Let's talk about Edy Reja
Edoardo Reja was born in Lucinico (Gorizia), on October 10, 1945. He has Slovenian origins.
He started playing football in local San Lorenzo di Mossa before moving to Ferrara at 18 to join SPAL. He played in their "Primavera" (U19s) and in 1965 alongside Fabio Capello won the Italian championship.
He then joined the first team and played 70 league games with 2 goals in 5 years (4 in A and 1 in B). In 1968 the "Estensi" were relegated and Reja moved south.
In the summer of 1968 he joined Palermo in Serie A. The manager was Carmine Di Bella and the "Rosanero" finished 11th. Reja played 27 league games and 2 in Coppa Italia. The following season they were relegated in 15th place. In 1970-71 Di Bella was replaced by Benigno De Grandi after 18 games and Palermo finished 13th in Serie B. In 1971-72 Palermo were promoted again but the following year went straight back down under Umberto Pinardi (1-22) and then Alvaro Biagini (23-30). At Palermo Reja played 124 league games with 1 goal plus 12 games in Coppa Italia.
In 1973 he joined Alessandria and stayed three seasons. In the first the "Grigi" were promoted to Serie B under Dino Ballacci first and then Mario Pietruzzi. The following year the "Orso Grigio" was relegated under Sergio Castelletti and then Anselmo Giorcelli. In his last year in Piedmont, Alessandria finished 16th in Serie C. Reja made 76 league appearances and scored 1 goal for the "Mandrogni".
In 1976-77 he played for Benevento in Serie C. The "Stregoni" (The Sorcerers) finished 6th. The Sanniti started with Carlo Orlandi, then Antonio Napolitano, Andrea Bassi and then finished with Carlo Orlandi again. Reja only made 7 league appearances and then retired at 32.
Reja was a midfielder. He had a decent career playing 7 years in Serie A. He won a promotion to Serie A with Palermo and to Serie B with Alessandria.
Two years after retiring he started his extremely long career as a manager. His first job was with Molinella (Bologna) at amateur regional level. He then spent a year at Monselice (Padova) in Serie D and a period with Pordenone in C2 before his first sacking.
In 1982-83 he was back at Monselice but was relegated from C2.
In 1983-84 he was near home at Pro Gorizia in C2. The Biancazzurri finished 15th.
In 1984-85 he coached Treviso in C1. The Biancocelesti were relegated.
In 1985-86 he was in Mestre near Venice, in C2. The Arancioneri finished 9th.
In 1987 he took over at Varese in C2 during the season, replacing Pietro Marroso. The Biancorossi finished 10th.
Between 1987 and 1989 he was head of Pescara's Primavera (U19s) and in 1989 became Pescara's first team coach in Serie B. The "Delfini" (The Dolphins) finished 8th.
Between 1990 and 1992 he was at Cosenza in Serie B. I "Lupi della Sila" (The Sila Wolves) finished 16th and 5th (going close to promotion).
In the following five seasons he changed club every year; Verona (B-12th), Bologna (C1-replacing Alberto Zaccheroni after 12 games, 4th), Lecce (B, briefly for 10 games between Luciano Spinosi and Piero Lenzi, relegated), Brescia (B, 1st and promoted), Torino (B, from 6th game onwards taking over from Giancarlo Camolese, joint 4th but lost promotion playoff to Perugia on penalties.).
After a year off he reappeared at Vicenza in 1999-2000 in Serie B. He took the "Lane" (The Woolies) up to Serie A in 1st place but the following season was unable to avoid relegation with a 16th place (they lost twice to Lazio but did beat Milan). The squad included future Lazio Ousmane Dabo and Fabio Firmani and future World Champion Luca Toni.
In 2001 he was appointed Genoa manager at Christmas taking over from "Professore" Franco Scoglio but only lasted two months. For the record the Rossoblù finished 12th in Serie B.
In 2003 he took over at Catania for 9 games in Serie B in a farcical season. The Etnei started with Francesco Graziani and Maurizio Pellegrino but they lasted one game.. in came Welsh legend John Toshack for one game before the original duo returned until the 12th game when Toshack returned until the 20th game, then in came Edy Reja for 9 games until Vincenzo Guerini took over for the last 9 games. The "Elefanti" were unsurprisingly relegated in 17th place but then stayed up due to other clubs' financial irregularities.
In 2003-04 after 17 games he took over, from future Italy manager Giampiero Ventura, at Cagliari in Serie B. He got the "Casteddu" promoted in 2nd place. His squad included future Chelsea legend Gianfranco Zola and future Lazio, Rolando Bianchi.
Between 2005 and 2009 Reja was at Napoli. He started off in serie C1 (Napoli had gone bust) and got the Partenopei promoted to Serie B. The following year came another promotion to Serie A with 2nd place. He then finished 8th and 12th in Serie A.
In 2009 he went for his first foreign experience when he joined Croatians Hajduk Split. He was manager from August 18 to February 9. Then during the winter break in Croatia he was called back to Italy to help salvage Lazio's collapsing season.
He arrived in Rome and took over from Davide Ballardini who had won the Italian Supercoppa (Inter 2-1) but was having a disastrous Serie A campaign. Lazio were in deep trouble in the relegation battle. Reja won the first match 2-0 away at Parma and then after some bad results Lazio finished strongly and came 12th (even qualifying for the Intertoto Cup due to Livorno and Messina dropping out). Reja won 7, drew 3 and lost 5.
He was confirmed for the following season. Lazio finished 5th going close to a Champions League qualification.
In 2011-12 he stayed on in the capital. Lazio again went extremely close to a Champions League slot but just lost out to Udinese again. Lazio finished 4th, after 18 wins, 8 draws and 12 defeats. After many years Lazio triumphed in both derbies, both 2-1.
For the 2012 season he was replaced by Vladimir Petkovic but it was not the end of his connection with Lazio. During the Christmas break in 2013-14 he was called back to replace the Bosnian polyglot, due to bad results and his having already signed a contract with Switzerland for July.
Reja debuted beating Inter 1-0 and led Lazio to 9th place (W10, D6, L5) but was knocked out of Europa League by Bulgarians Ludogorets 3-4 on aggregate. For the following season Stefano Pioli arrived.
In March 2015 Reja was called up by Atalanta to substitute Stefano Colantuono. He won 2, drew 8 (including Lazio and Roma) and lost 3 and the Nerazzurri avoided relegation.
In 2015-6 he was confirmed by Atalanta and the "Dea" finished 13th. The Nerazzurri won 11 (including Lazio 2-1 at home, Roma 0-2 away and Milan), drew 12 (including Roma) and lost 15 (including Lazio away 0-2).
In April 2019 he became national manager of Albania. He stayed with the Albanian Eagles until December 2022. His record reads; 14 wins, 9 draws and 15 defeats. His best result was winning promotion to Group B in the Nations League in 2020-21.
In March 2023 he became the coach of Gorica in the Slovenian top flight. The club were in deep trouble four points adrift at the bottom of the league. By April they were joint bottom so had hopes of survival but at this point Reja resigned. For the record Gorica were eventually relegated in penultimate position.
At 80 years of age it is unlikely Reja will continue his career. It has certainly been a long one with ups and downs. Reja is considered an old school manager, strict and defensive. In his career he has won 5 promotions (4 to A and 1 to B).
At Lazio he is well liked despite narrowly missing out on champions league qualifications two years running. He came to help Lazio out twice in times of need. The first time he avoided relegation and the second he improved the team again. In between he won two derbies in the same year after a long time (1997-98) but was possibly too defensive and conservative, which ultimately prevented him conquering Lazio fans' hearts completely, to achieve Champions League qualifications. That said he will always receive a warm welcome in Rome on the Lazio side of town.
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