Lazio kill Inter's European hopes
Lazio take full advantage of a number of Inter mistakes to secure three points
Also on this day: May 8, 1966, Lazio Sampdoria 0-0. A point each allows both teams to reduce chances of relegation. Player of the day: Antonio Renna
The season so far
Edy Reja had left after the end of the previous season and Lazio had given the keys to the squad to Vladimir Petkovic, a Swiss National of Bosnian origin, who had had a successful managerial career in Switzerland. Lazio had added Ederson and Michael Ciani in the summer plus Bruno Pereirinha in the winter transfer session.
Lazio started the season very well and by the end of the first half were second. The Champions League looked possible. But in the next 16 games the Biancocelesti won just four times so top tier Europe was not going to be a possibility. There was still Europa League qualification hope via both the Campionato or the Coppa Italia.
In Serie A Fiorentina, Roma, Udinese, Inter and Lazio were battling it out for two Europa League places, the third spot going to the winner of the Coppa Italia. The latter would either be Roma or Lazio, the two finalists.
In the fourth round Lazio had beaten Siena in the penalty shootout after Ciani saved the campaign with a last second equaliser and Juan Pablo Carrizo stopped two penalties. Things went smoother in the quarterfinals with a 3-0 win over Catania.
In the semi-finals Lazio had to face Juventus. In the first leg in Turin Lazio managed to draw 1-1 thanks to a number of miracles from goalkeeper Federico Marchetti and another last gasp goal from Stefano Mauri. In the return match, Lazio scored with Alvaro Gonzalez in the beginning of the second half and it looked as if the Biancocelesti had secured the final. But a Stefan Radu mistake in the second minute of injury time gave Juventus the equaliser. Extra time was on the cards but a Sergio Floccari header with one minute to go gave Lazio the ticket for the final. A ticket which was about to be thrown away as Juventus had an open goal chance in the 95th minute but Claudio Marchisio kicked the ball wide.
The final would be against Roma who had eliminated Inter in the other semi-final. This was going to be the first derby in a final. Whoever won would have their names in the history books.
In the Europa League Lazio did very well. After beating Mura in the playoff in August, Lazio topped their group (Tottenham, Panathinaikos and Maribor the opponents), and later eliminated Borussia Mönchengladbach and Stuttgart. They faced Fenerbahce in the quarterfinals but they lost in Turkey following a horrendous refereeing display and were not able to overcome the deficit in the return match.
Coming back to today’s game, it would be important to keep Inter behind in the table.
The match: Wednesday May 8, 2013, Stadio Giuseppe Meazza, Milan
Inter started very strongly and in the 2nd minute Ricardo Alvarez tried his luck from outside the box but Federico Marchetti parried. In the 9th Senad Lulic on the left passed to Miroslav Klose in the box but his shot went over the crossbar. Former Lazio captain Tommaso Rocchi also had a chance in the 10th minute and Marchetti performed his first miracle.
In the 21st minute Antonio Candreva on the right crossed in the box for Sergio Floccari. Four possible players could have got that ball: Floccari, Jonathan, Andrea Ranocchia or Samir Handanovic. In the end it was the goalkeeper who got the ball but he sent it into his own goal. 1-0 for Lazio.
A minute later a colossal chance for Lazio to double the score. Quick counter attack, Klose to Candreva who was completely unmarked just inside the Inter half. In solitude he ran towards the box and, just inside, had a shot. Wide by a whisker.
As a natural consequence, Inter in the 33rd minute equalised. Alvaro Pereira crossed from the left, Alvarez jumped higher than Stefan Radu and headed the ball under the crossbar.
Marchetti performed his second miracle in the 36th minute. Fredy Guarin to Esteban Cambiasso, outside the box but dead centre. The Argentinian promptly shot and the Lazio goalkeeper managed to put a hand to it and push the ball onto the post.
In injury time, Cristian Ledesma found a great corridor for Candreva. Once in the box on the right, the Lazio winger crossed low in the centre and Ranocchia fouled Floccari as he was about to shoot. Penalty. Hernanes took the spot kick and it was 2-1 for Lazio.
Inter put pressure on the Biancocelesti very early in the second half. A Guarin shot in the 49th minute went just wide. Ten minutes later the Colombian had another chance from a favourable position but again shot wide. In the 70th minute Guarin again the protagonist. Lorik Cana fouled him in the box and it was a penalty for Inter. Alvarez took the spot kick but unluckily (for him) slipped as he was about to shoot and the ball ended up in the stands.
Lazio regained a bit more courage and a massive whack from outside the box by specialist Hernanes in the 71st minute was well saved by Handanovic. Guarin tried again in the 74th, Marchetti saved.
There was nothing any goalkeeper could have done in the 76th minute. Even Superman would have had trouble saving Eddy Onazi’s shot from 30 metres. A missile that went in the far top right hand corner for Lazio’s third.
In injury time Rocchi and Luca Garritano had chances but Marchetti was in a state of grace this evening and performed miracle number 3 and 4.
A great win for Lazio, their first away from home since December. Inter had to say goodbye to European ambitions.
Who played for Inter
Handanovic, Jonathan (30' Benassi), Ranocchia (53' Pasa), Juan Jesus, Pereira, Kuzmanovic (80' Garritano), Kovacic, Cambiasso, Guarin, Alvarez, Rocchi.
Substitutes: Belec, Carrizo, Chivu, Ferrara, Spendlhofer, Schelotto, Forte, Colombi.
Manager: Stramaccioni
Who played for Lazio
Marchetti, Konko, Cana, Dias (46’ Ciani), Radu, Candreva, Ledesma (60’ Onazi), Hernanes, Lulic, Floccari (60’ A. Gonzalez), Klose
Substitutes: Bizzarri, Guerrieri, Biava, Stankevicius, Pereirinha, Kozak, Rozzi, Saha
Manager: Petkovic
Referee: Bergonzi
Goals: 22’ Handanovic (og), 33’ Alvarez, 45+3 Hernanes (pen), 77’ Onazi
What happened next
In campionato, despite beating Sampdoria in the next match, Lazio finished seventh and missed out on a Europa League qualification. It all came down to the Coppa Italia final.
Lazio won the Cup thanks to a goal from Senad Lulic in the now famous 71st minute. Among the most important wins in the history of the club, it gave the players eternal glory, Lulic is now worshipped like a Saint, and Lazio qualified for next season’s Europa League. One of the best seasons ever.
Lazio 2012-13
Competition | Played | Won | Drawn | Lost | Goals Scored |
Serie A | 38 | 18 | 7 | 13 | 51 |
Coppa Italia | 5 | 3 | 2 | - | 8 |
Europa League | 14 | 8 | 5 | 1 | 25 |
Total | 57 | 29 | 14 | 14 | 84 |
Top five appearances
Player | Total | Serie A | Coppa Italia | Europa League |
Hernanes | 53 | 34 | 5 | 14 |
Ledesma | 52 | 36 | 5 | 11 |
Lulic | 50 | 33 | 5 | 12 |
Candreva | 49 | 35 | 3 | 11 |
Gonzalez | 49 | 34 | 4 | 11 |
Top five goal scorers
Player | Total | Serie A | Coppa Italia | Europa League |
Klose | 16 | 15 | - | 1 |
Hernanes | 14 | 11 | 2 | 1 |
Floccari | 10 | 5 | 1 | 4 |
Kozak | 10 | - | - | 10 |
Candreva | 7 | 6 | - | 1 |
Let's talk about Hernanes
Anderson Hernanes de Carvalho Viana Lima, better known as Hernanes, was one of the best players Lazio have ever had. A formidable midfield player, he could shoot with both feet with the same amount of precision. His only real defect was that at times he looked slow so, despite the fact that he wanted to play in front of the defence, managers often put him forward because it was in the last 20-30 metres that he could be more effective. He is nicknamed “The Prophet”.
Hernanes was born in Recife on May 29, 1985. He started playing football with Santa Cruz to then move to Unibol. In 2001 he joined Sao Paulo and debuted professionally in 2005. A year later the club sent him to Santo André in the Brazilian second division. He was very successful, so in 2007 he went back and became a first team player. That year Sao Paulo won the championship and he was awarded the Bola de Prata as best midfield player of the League. He repeated both victories again in 2008.
In 2010 he signed for Lazio for five years. He was a star in Brazil and there was a lot of expectation. Hernanes lived up to it. Manager Edy Reja placed him behind the forwards and he thrived. He scored and provided assists. He played at excellent levels for three years culminating in the winning 2013 derby cup final. For this feat he will always be remembered as one of the heroes of May 26.
Theoretically the summer of 2013 should have seen the start of negotiations for the renewal of his contract. But nothing happened. Hernanes played pretty awfully in the 2013-14 season with the exception of the match at Udine. Down to ten men and losing 2-1, Lazio won the game thanks to a typically spectacular Hernanes shot in the dying seconds. But this was his last game for Lazio as he refused to renew his contract and the club sold him to Inter to at least recover some much needed money.
He played 156 games for Lazio (118 in Serie A, 8 in Coppa Italia and 29 in Europa League) scoring 41 goals (33 in Serie A, 4 in Coppa Italia and 4 in Europa League).
He stayed in Milan for a season and a half, never reaching the heights of his Lazio stint (not even coming close). In 2015 he was surprisingly bought by Juventus. He did not play much in Turin, just 35 games in 18 months, but he won a scudetto and another Coppa Italia.
In February 2017 he signed for Hebei China Fortune and in July, after just a handful of games, he was loaned to Sao Paulo until the end of the year. Back in China in 2013, he did not play much and in 2019 he joined Sao Paulo again this time definitely. After winning a Campeonato Paulista in 2021, he signed for Sport Recife.
He quit football in May 2022.
He played 28 times for Brazil and in the World Cup of 2014. He also participated in the Olympic Games of 2008 and won a bronze medal.
Lazio Career
Season | Total apperances (goals) | Serie A | Coppa Italia | Europa League | Super Coppa |
2010-11 | 37 (12) | 36 (11) | 1 (1) | - | - |
2011-12 | 42 (11) | 31 (8) | 2 (1) | 9 (2) | - |
2012-13 | 53 (14) | 34 (11) | 5 (2) | 14 (1) | - |
2013 -Jan 2014 | 24 (4) | 17 (3) | - | 6 (1) | 1 |
Total | 156 (41) | 118 (33) | 8 (4) | 29 (4) | 1 |
Sources