Derby: seventh consecutive draw
For the seventh time in a row the derby ends in a draw.
Also on this day: October 24, 1976: Lazio Bologna 3-0. The Biancocelesti crush Bologna. The new course seems to be going in the right direction. Player of the day: Roberto Badiani
The season so far
For the first time in 16 years Lazio were finally to play in a European tournament, since they had qualified for the UEFA Cup in the previous season. In order to celebrate the occasion, President Sergio Cragnotti was particularly busy during the summer transfer window: in came Luca Marchegiani (Torino), Roberto Di Matteo (Aarau) and Paolo Negro (Brescia) and Luciano De Paola (Brescia, but he was immediately sold to Atalanta) and Fabrizio Di Mauro on loan from Fiorentina. But more specifically, Cragnotti was able to reach an agreement for the signing of the best player in Europe: Alen Boksic. Unfortunately, the agreement was for the 1994-95 season and Marseille President Bernard Tapie did not want to let the Croat go any earlier. As a consequence, Lazio bought Pierluigi Casiraghi from Juventus. In the end, Cragnotti was a lot more convincing and Boksic arrived in the winter transfer window.
The arrival of the new players meant that some of the old ones had to go. Therefore, Lazio said goodbye to Karl-Heinz Riedle (Borussia Dortmund), Angelo Gregucci (Torino), Giovanni Stroppa (Foggia), Maurizio Neri (Brescia) and Valerio Fiori (Cagliari). In the winter transfer window Thomas Doll and Dario Marcolin were loaned out to Eintracht Frankfurt and Cagliari respectively.
In the UEFA Cup Lazio had qualified for the round of 16 after beating Lokomotiv Plovdiv 2-0 both at home and away. They faced Boavista and beat them at home in the first leg 1-0.
In Campionato Lazio were not really doing that well. They were eighth with two wins, four draws and two defeats.
The match: Sunday October 24, 1993, Stadio Olimpico, Rome
The last time either Lazio or Roma had won a derby was on March 18, 1990 when Roma beat Lazio at the Stadio Flaminio. Since then, six consecutive draws, mostly 1-1. Will there be a winner this time round?
If one just commented on the first half it would be difficult to determine if the teams even wanted to win at all. What they did want however was to physically hurt each other as much as possible. In the end there were seven yellow cards. A couple of players did try to do something to break the stalemate. Sinisa Mihajlovic tried a shot after a Lazio clearance but it went just wide. Roma did actually score in the 34th minute but Giovanni Piacentini’s cross for Abel Balbo was considered to have gone over the byline. A minute later Lazio's only chance of the first half came with a Fabrizio Di Mauro-Beppe Signori-Gigi Casiraghi play that allowed the Biancoceleste centre forward to shoot but Lorieri parried. After a Thomas Haessler free kick well saved by Luca Marchegiani, that was the end of the first half.
In the second half, after 15 minutes of boredom, Roma surprisingly scored. Corner for the Giallorossi, Haessler crossed towards the centre, Marchegiani cleared but was positioned a little too far forward, the ball arrived outside the box and Piacentini with an improbable volley put Roma ahead.
Lazio at this point woke up, took off a defender (Mauro Bonomi) and put in an extra midfield player (Dario Marcolin) and assaulted the Roma fort. In the 78th minute free kick for the Biancocelesti. Marcolin to Cristiano Bergodi who crossed, Casiraghi headed the ball back to the centre of the penalty box hoping there would be someone. There was. It was Di Mauro, former Roma player, who volleyed the ball under Marco Lanna’s legs for Lazio’s equaliser.
The teams then made sure nothing else happened. Seventh consecutive draw in a derby.
Who played for Roma
Lorieri, Garzya, Festa, Mihajlovic, Lanna, Carboni, Hassler (89' Rizzitelli), Piacentini, Balbo, Giannini, Bonacina
Substitutes: Pazzagli, Comi, Berretta, Scarchilli
Manager: Mazzone
Who played for Lazio
Marchegiani, Bergodi, Bacci, De Paola, Bonomi (64’ Marcolin), Di Matteo, Fuser, Winter, Casiraghi, Di Mauro, Signori
Manager: Zoff
Referee: Pairetto
Goals: 60’ Piacentini, 78’ Di Mauro
What happened next
A hesitant start in Serie A changed once Boksic started playing for the Biancocelesti. A win in Naples and 3-1 against Juventus at home, with a goal also by Paul Gascoigne, gave Lazio a good position, behind the greats but not that far off. However, the Christmas pause broke the momentum and Lazio came back from the holidays with a draw against Sampdoria (and a Beppe Signori injury) and a 4-1 loss at Foggia. Without Signori, Lazio lost a lot of potential. They managed to beat Reggiana but then lost again at Parma.
Finally, with Signori back from injury one could see light at the end of the tunnel. Lazio won in Milan against Inter, the derby and by the end of the season they were third, behind Milan and Juventus. Marchegiani and Winter played the most games (40) and Signori was the top scorer with 23 goals.
As everybody imagined, Cragnotti did not confirm Zoff for 1994-95, but in order to keep a man so highly respected in the football world, he made him President of the club. Zdenek Zeman would be the next Lazio manager.
Lazio 1993-94
Competition | Played | Won | Drawn | Lost | Goals scored |
Serie A | 34 | 17 | 10 | 7 | 55 |
Coppa Italia | 2 | - | 1 | 1 | - |
UEFA Cup | 4 | 3 | - | 1 | 5 |
Total | 40 | 20 | 11 | 9 | 60 |
Top five appearances
Top five goal scorers
Let's talk about Fabrizio Di Mauro
Fabrizio Di Mauro was born on June 18, 1965 in Rome. He started his football career in the youth teams of Roma winning a Primavera Championship in 1983-84 and the prestigious Viareggio Cup in 1983. The club then decided to send him on loan to gain experience. He played three years at Arezzo in Serie B, from 1984 to 1986, and one at Avellino in Serie A before returning to the Giallorossi in 1988.
He played four years on the wrong side of the Tiber winning a Coppa Italia in 1990-91. After 139 appearances and 9 goals he was sold to Fiorentina in 1992. After a year the Viola sent him on loan to Lazio. A weird decision since the player was an obvious Roma supporter as well as a former player. Coincidence had it that he scored Lazio’s equaliser in the first derby of 1993-94 and he ran under Curva Nord to receive the embrace of all Biancoceleste supporters. He has been hated by the Roma fans ever since.
He stayed at Lazio just one season with 25 appearances (24 in Serie A and 4 in Coppa Italia) with two goals. He then went back to Fiorentina for another year before ending his career with Reggiana in 1995-96.
At international level he has three caps with the Nazionale, two of which were qualifying games for the 1994 World Cup.
Once he stopped active football but he stayed in the “calcio” world, first as Sports Director for Lodigiani and then worked for the Roma youth sector. In 2008 he started working for the now defunct Lupa Roma as sports director and in charge of the youth sector.
His goal in the derby and run under the Curva Nord stand out as memories for Lazio fans and are certainly fond ones.
Lazio Career
Season | Total appearances (goals) | Serie A | UEFA Cup |
1993-94 | 25 (2) | 21 (2) | 4 |
Sources
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