A win for Gabbo
A last gasp deflected goal by Firmani allows Lazio to honour the memory of Gabriele Sandri
Also on this day: November 25, 2018: Lazio Milan 1-1. A last second equaliser by Correa gives Lazio a deserved point against the visiting devils keeping the one point advantage in the table. Player of the day: Francesco Acerbi
The season so far
Lazio finished an excellent 3rd the previous season under Delio Rossi, despite a three-point handicap due to Calciopoli and qualified for a Champions League preliminary. Lazio's best result was thrashing Roma 3-0. Top scorer was Tommaso Rocchi with 19 goals (16 in league).
This season Rossi was still in his place. The main changes to the squad were in goal as Angelo Peruzzi had retired, the choice was Juan Pablo Carrizo but due to bureaucratic problems he would arrive the following year. This meant the new keeper would be young Uruguayan Fernando Muslera (Nacional). Other signings were defenders Aleksandar Kolarov (OFK Belgrade), Lionel Scaloni (Racing Santander), midfielders Simone Del Nero (Brescia), Mourad Meghni (Bologna) and forward Fabio Vignaroli (free agent). Considering Lazio would hopefully play Champions League football, the fans were not happy.
Lazio had obviously lost some players too: keeper Matteo Sereni (Torino), defender Manuel Belleri (Atalanta-on loan), midfielders Pasquale Foggia (Cagliari -on loan), Luís Jimenez (Ternana -end of loan) and striker Simone Inzaghi (Atalanta -on loan).
The fans thought Lazio had not improved the team and not taken advantage of the Champions League opportunity to strengthen the squad.
In Serie A so far, the fans seemed to be being proved right. Lazio had played 11 games; won 2, drawn 4 and lost 5 (including derby 2-3 and Milan 1-5 at home). The Biancocelesti had 10 points in the table.
The game prior to today's (away to Inter) had been cancelled and postponed to December following a tragedy involving a Lazio fan. Gabriele Sandri, on his way to Milan to watch Lazio, had been killed while sleeping in the backseat of a car in a motorway service station. A policeman had shot him from the other side of the motorway mistakenly thinking a robbery was taking place. The other Serie A games were also called off and there were fan protests all over the country.
In Champions League things had gone better. Lazio got through the preliminary beating Dinamo Bucharest 4-2 on aggregate. In the group phase they had so far won 1 (Werder Bremen 2-1 at home), drawn 2 (Olympiakos 1-1 away and Real Madrid 2-2 at home) and lost 1 (Werder Bremen 1-2 away). In a few days’ time came the crucial home game against Olympiakos.
Parma had finished 12th the previous season, first under future Lazio Stefano Pioli (1-22) and then Claudio Ranieri (23-38). Top scorer was Igor Budan with 16 goals (13 in A).
This season the manager was Domenico Di Carlo. The squad was pretty much unchanged, the only new players were defender Luca Antonelli (Milan) and forward Cristiano Lucarelli (Shaktar Donetsk).
So far, the Ducali had played 12 league games; won 2, drawn 6 (including Milan 1-1 away and Juventus 2-2 at home) and lost 4 (including Roma 0-3 at home). The Gialloblu therefore had 12 points, two above Lazio.
The Parmensi were already out of the Coppa Italia having lost 1-3 at home to Juventus in August.
Parma had two former Lazio players in their squad: Scudetto winner Fernando Couto and Coppa Italia winner Bernardo Corradi.
Today's game promised to be a sombre affair between two teams in difficulty and in a sad environment after Gabriele Sandri's recent tragic death.
The match: Sunday, November 25, 2007, Stadio Olimpico, Rome
A fresh, sunny November day brought about 35,000 fans to the Olimpico. Despite the bright weather however, the mood in the ground was sombre and dark. Today's game was overshadowed by the tragic events of two weeks earlier when Lazio fan and well known Roman dj Gabriele Sandri, known as "Gabbo", had been killed by a policeman. The Lazio player Lorenzo De Silvestri, who was also a personal friend of Gabriele and former Lazio Fernando Couto and Bernardo Corradi, carried flowers and placed them under a giant picture banner of Sandri in Curva Nord. Another banner read "Tears, Sadness, Silence".
The game therefore was played in a surreal atmosphere but as they say the show must go on. The Lazio fans came into the ground twenty minutes after kick-off in protest but even when they did were understandably subdued.
Lazio had several absences, Gaby Mudingayi, Massimo Mutarelli, Valon Behrami, Emilson Cribari, Luciano Zauri, Simone Del Nero plus Stefano Mauri, just back from injury on the bench.
The game started with Parma on the defensive and they would remain so for the whole match. The rhythm was slow, not helped by the atmosphere and the difficult moment both teams were going through.
It was Lazio who tried harder to be positive. Tommaso Rocchi had a volley walled by a defender and Sebastiano Siviglia went close with a header from a corner. Lazio then hit the woodwork twice from the long range, the first with Lionel Scaloni's low right-footed strike which hit the right post and then Fabio Firmani's cracking effort from outside the area which hit the crossbar. Halftime Lazio 0 Parma 0 but Lazio unlucky.
The second half was similar but without any clear-cut chances. Lazio attacked but could not break down the Ducali's resistance. Both sides made a series of substitutions, Lazio bringing on Stefano Mauri and Stephan Makinwa for Meghni and Goran Pandev but the deadlock remained.
The game was heading for a lacklustre goalless draw when in the 90th minute Lazio found a winning goal to dedicate to poor Gabriele. It was Makinwa who stubbornly defended the ball on the right-hand side of the area, beat a player and squared the ball back into the heart of the area where Rocchi dummied and it was then mis-hit by Fabio Firmani, took a deflection off defender Damiano Zenoni's arm, changed direction and tucked itself into the Parma goal, giving Bucci no chance. Firmani, followed by the whole team, then continued his run to the Curva Nord where he hugged the image of Gabriele. Lazio 1 Parma 0 and final score.
If fate had wanted Lazio to win for Gabriele it did a good job. It was particularly apt that the goal was scored by one of the only two Romans on the field, Firmani, the other was De Silvestri.
An emotional win for Lazio on a sad day of football. Tragic events aside the Biancocelesti had deserved the three points as Parma, possibly affected by the circumstances, had never been dangerous apart from an ambitious but half-hearted back heel by Corradi.
Life went on but Gabriele Sandri would never be forgotten.
Who played for Lazio
Ballotta, De Silvestri (25' Scaloni), Stendardo, Siviglia, Kolarov, Firmani, Ledesma, Manfredini, Meghni (65' Mauri), Pandev (77' Makinwa), Rocchi
Substitutes: Muslera, Baronio, Tare, Artipoli
Manager: Rossi
Who played for Parma
Bucci, Zenoni, Falcone (77' Paci), F. Couto, Castellini, Cigarini (60' Parravicini), Morrone, Reginaldo, Gasbarroni, Pisanu (84' Dessena), Corradi
Substitutes: Pavarini, Tombesi, Matteini, Paponi
Manager: Di Carlo
Referee: De Marco
Goal: 90' Firmani
What happened next
Lazio had a mediocre season finishing 12th. In January they signed a few new players: defenders Stefan Radu (Dinamo Bucharest-on loan), David Rozehnal (Newcastle-on loan), midfielder Ousmane Dabo (Mancester City) and forward Rolando Bianchi (Man. City-on loan), too little too late. The highlight came in March when they beat Roma 3-2 with a last gasp Valon Behrami winner. In the end Lazio won 11, drew 13 and lost 14. Top scorers were Tommaso Rocchi and Goran Pandev with 19 (both 14 in A).
In Champions League Lazio slumped to a 1-2 home defeat to Olympiakos, after going ahead, and then lost 1-3 away to Real Madrid.
In Coppa Italia the Biancocelesti reached the semi-finals (eliminating Napoli and Fiorentina) but then lost to Inter 0-2 on aggregate.
Parma finished 19th and were relegated. They tried changing managers from Di Carlo to Héctor Cúper and finally, for the last match, Andrea Manzo but all in vain. The Gialloblu won 7, drew 13 (including Lazio 2-2) and lost 18. Top scorer was Igor Budan with 8 league goals.
The Scudetto was won by Inter for the 16th time. Parma went down with Empoli and Livorno.
Lazio 2007-08
Competition | Played | Won | Drawn | Lost | Goals scored |
Serie A | 38 | 11 | 13 | 14 | 47 |
Coppa Italia | 6 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 7 |
Champions League | 8 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 12 |
Total | 52 | 16 | 18 | 18 | 66 |
Top five appearances
Player | Total | Serie A | Coppa Italia | Champions League |
Rocchi | 48 | 36 | 4 | 8 |
Pandev | 44 | 32 | 5 | 7 |
Ledesma | 43 | 32 | 4 | 7 |
Cribari | 42 | 31 | 5 | 6 |
Ballotta | 39 | 29 | 2 | 8 |
Top goal scorers
Player | Total | Serie A | Coppa Italia | Champions League |
Rocchi | 19 | 14 | 1 | 4 |
Pandev | 19 | 14 | - | 5 |
Bianchi | 4 | 4 | - | - |
Let's talk about Fabio Firmani
Fabio Firmani was born in Rome, on May 26 1978.
He started playing football with Lodigiani (formerly Rome's third team after Lazio and Roma). He made his debut for the first team in 1995 playing 26 league games in Serie C1. The Biancorossi finished 11th under Maurizio Viscidi.
In 1996 Firmani moved to Vicenza in Serie A. He stayed two seasons. In his first he only played 2 league games and 1 in Coppa Italia and Vicenza finished 8th under Francesco Guidolin and won a historic Coppa Italia (Napoli 3-1 on aggregate after extra-time). His teammates included, former and future Lazio, Alessandro Iannuzzi and future Lazio Giovanni Lopez.
In his second season Firmani played more, 16 league games, 1 in Coppa Italia, 7 in the Cup Winners Cup plus the Italian Supercoppa. Vicenza finished 14th but reached the semi-final of the Cup Winners Cup and only lost to Chelsea 2-3 on aggregate. The "Lane" lost the Italian Supercoppa final to Juventus 0-3. The squad included past and future Lazio Roberto Baronio.
In 1998 Firmani joined Reggina in Serie B on loan. The Amaranto were promoted in 3rd place. The managers were first Elio Giustinetti and then Bruno Bolchi. Firmani played 27 league games with 2 goals (Monza, Cosenza).
In 1999 he went back to Vicenza, now in Serie B. Under future Lazio manager Edy Reja, the Biancorossi were promoted in 1st place. Firmani played 26 league games with 1 goal (Savoia) and 4 games in Coppa Italia.
Back in Serie A in 2000-01 Firmani played 23 league games with 1 goal (Napoli). The "Nobile Provinciale" however was relegated under Reja.
In September 2001 after playing 3 more league games and 3 in Coppa Italia with Vicenza, under Lazio legend Eugenio Fascetti, he moved to Chievo in Serie A. With the Clivensi however he only played 1 league game under Luigi Del Neri and in January 2002 he moved to Bologna. For the record Chievo had an excellent season and finished 5th (UEFA Cup) with Christian Manfredini, Bernardo Corradi and Daniele Franceschini in the squad.
In Bologna on loan from January, under Francesco Guidolin, he played 5 league games. The Rossoblu finished 7th (Intertoto Cup). His teammates included future Lazio Mourad Meghni and Julio Cruz plus past Lazio legend Beppe Signori.
In 2002-03 Firmani joined Venezia in Serie B on loan. He played 21 league games and scored 1 goal (Livorno). The Lagunari finished 13th under manager Gianfranco Bellotto. One of his teammates was Lazio hero Alessandro Calori (despite never wearing the Lazio jersey) who was with his last club before retiring.
In 2003-04 Firmani went to Sicily and signed for Catania in Serie B. He stayed two seasons, the first under Stefano Colantuono and the second under Maurizio Costantini and then Nedo Sonetti. The "Elefanti" finished 9th and 12th. Firmani played 39 league games and 2 in Coppa Italia.
In 2005-06 he returned home to Rome and joined Lazio. The manager was Delio Rossi and he played 7 league games and 4 in the Intertoto Cup. Firmani's playing time was limited by a serious injury halfway through the season. Lazio had a good season finishing 6th but were then demoted to 16th place (a docking of 30 points) for their involvement in the Calciopoli scandal.
The following year Firmani played 11 league games. Lazio finished 3rd and qualified for a Champions League preliminary. Firmani also won his first derby in 3-0 thrashing of Roma.
In 2007-08 he played 7 league games with 3 goals (Parma, Palermo, Napoli) and 1 game in Coppa Italia. He again suffered a serious injury which hindered his season. He did not play in the Champions League despite Lazio's participation (after defeating Dinamo Bucharest in preliminary round). Lazio finished 12th but won the return derby 3-2 with a Valon Behrami 92nd minute winner.
In 2008-09 Firmani stayed initially but in January left without having made any appearances. He joined Al-Wasl in the Arab Emirates on loan. He only made 3 league appearances for the yellow and black Emperors before returning to Europe.
In 2009-10 he was back at Lazio. Delio Rossi had left after winning the Coppa Italia (Sampdoria on penalties) and the new manager was Davide Ballardini. Things started well with Lazio unexpectedly winning the Italian Supercoppa 2-1 against Mourinho's Inter in Beijing. Then gradually things went downhill and in February Ballardini was replaced by Edy Reja. Lazio had a difficult season but managed to stay up in the end. Firmani played 12 league games.
In 2010 he stayed with Lazio until January, when he left without having played. He consensually terminated his contract and flew to China to join Guizhou Renhe (now Beijing Chengfeng Z.J). He played 18 league games with 2 goals and 1 in the Chinese Cup.
Firmani then retired at 32 after 83 games in Serie A with 4 goals and 139 in Serie B with 4 goals.
He also played 10 games for Italy U21's with 1 goal and winning a European Championship in 2000.
Since retiring Firmani has become an agent and in 2012 became a transfer market consultant for Al-Nassr (Cristiano Ronaldo's current team) in Saudi Arabia.
Firmani was a defensive midfielder. He is 1.78 and 69 kilos. He was a dynamic and hardworking player whose main assets were dispossessing the opposition with his physicality and tackling skills. Unfortunately, his career was affected by numerous injuries which set him back several times for lengthy periods. He however won two trophies and a Serie B title
At Lazio he played a total of 42 games with 3 goals and won an Italian Supercoppa in 2009. He is remembered as a local lad who made the most of his talent, playing for his hometown team. His goal against Parma in the last seconds and his run under the Curva Nord to dedicate the winner to Gabriele Sandri, after the recent tragic death of the Lazio fan, are an important part of Lazio's history.
Lazio Career
Season | Total appearances (goals) | Serie A | Coppa Italia | Intertoto Cup |
2005-06 | 11 | 7 | - | 4 |
2006-07 | 11 | 11 | - | - |
2007-08 | 8 (3) | 7 (3) | 1 | - |
2009-10 | 12 | 12 | - | - |
Total | 42 (3) | 37 (3) | 1 | 4 |
Sources
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