Five in a row

Dag Jenkins
Mar 11, 2024
4 min read

Season 2006-07

Game 28, Serie A

Sunday, March 11, 2007

Stadio Oreste Granillo, Reggio Calabria

Reggina Lazio 2-3

Pandev shines in Calabria as Lazio win fifth consecutive game to strengthen Champions League credentials

In Serie A the Biancocelesti were doing well and currently 4th on 44 points. Lazio had won 13 (including Roma 3-0), drawn 7 (including Reggina 0-0) and lost 6. They also came from four wins in a row.

Reggina started the season with an 11-point docking for their involvement in Calciopoli. They were climbing the table however and were 18th at the moment on 22 points (only one from safety - Messina and Chievo on 23). The Amaranto had won 8 (including Roma 1-0) drawn 9 (including Lazio away) and lost 9.

A difficult game today for Lazio against a battling Reggina. The Biancocelesti however were in good form and hoped to continue their winning run.

The match

An overcast day in Calabria saw just over 10,000 gather at the Granillo.

Lazio had a few absences; defenders Sebastiano Siviglia and Emílson Cribari plus midfielders Stefano Mauri and Massimo Mutarelli. This meant Luciano Zauri moved into the centre of defence and played alongside Guglielmo Stendardo. In midfield Christian Manfredini and Luis Jimenez were chosen.

Reggina were missing goalkeeper Ivan Pelizzoli and defender Maurizio Lanzaro (both former Roma).

The first dangerous shot at goal was Lazio's but, on a Goran Pandev chipped lob, Christian Puggioni stretched and tipped it out for a corner.

Lazio took the initiative but were punished at their first hesitation. In the 26th minute Gaby Mudingayi tried to anticipate a horizontal pass outside the box and failed thus leaving Giacomo Tedesco with time and space to take aim and he sent a brilliant shot past Angelo Peruzzi and into the top right corner, 1-0.

Lazio continued to be positive and took the game to the hosts. Manfredini hit a cracking left foot from the left edge of the box but Puggioni parried well.

The Biancocelesti were amply rewarded for their efforts right at the end of the half. In the 45th minute Tommaso Rocchi did well on the right and crossed into the goalmouth where Manfredini beat the offside trap and volleyed in from close range, 1-1.

Only a minute later the Romans were in front. It was courtesy of a great Pandev move as the Macedonian took advantage of a passive defence to enter the box and smash an unstoppable mid-height shot to Puggioni's left, 1-2.

Lazio seemed in control at the beginning of the second half until Reggina decided to make a change. In the 61st minute Mazzarri, seeing Lazio's superiority, made a substitution and took off struggling defender Antonio Giosa and threw on midfielder Daniele Amerini.

The Amaranto immediately looked more balanced and determined. They started to peg Lazio back and threaten. Peruzzi was forced into a superb save on Nicola Amoruso and then Rolando Bianchi was wasteful on the rebound.

The equaliser came in the 65th minute when former and future Lazio Pasquale Foggia wonderfully volleyed a Giandomenico Mesto cross into the roof of the net, after a period of sustained pressure by the home side, 2-2.

Reggina continued to attack, believing in the three points. Lazio absorbed the pressure well and in the 73rd minute brought on Stephen Makinwa for Rocchi.

With Reggina over enthusiastic, Lazio then struck on the break. In the 79th minute it was the Nigerian replacement who immediately left his mark on the afternoon. An intelligent Pandev pass sent him down the right side of the area where he cut back, beat a defender and fired past Puggioni, 2-3.

The Biancocelesti, predicting a final assault, then took off midfielder Jimenez and put on defender Manuel Belleri.

Reggina tried desperately to salvage a point but Peruzzi after a four-game absence showed he was back on form by saving on Foggia in a one-on-one situation.

The hosts tried with two more changes: midfielder Riccardo Nardini for Luca Tognozzi (85') and Danish forward Nicki Bille Nielsen for Foggia (89') while Lazio made a late change, mainly to break up the rhythm, with Igli Tare for today's star performer Pandev (92').

Lazio held on in the five minutes of added time and brought back a good win to Rome after a hard-fought and exciting game. A fifth consecutive win for Lazio and tenth game without defeat.

A solid and mature performance by Lazio despite missing their two regular central defenders. Man of the match was with no doubt Pandev.

Reggina had given all they had but were possibly too keen to grab the three points rather than settling for a draw. They left the field head high while their fans contested the referee probably more for recent mistakes against them, as today there was little to complain about.

Lazio were now joint 3rd with Palermo on 46 points (with a game in hand - Chievo at home on April 18).

Reggina were still 18th on 22 points. The safety zone was now two points away (Chievo and Messina, who had drawn 1-1, on 22 points).

Who played for Reggina

Puggioni, Aronica, A.Lucarelli, Giosa (61' Amerini), Mesto, Tognozzi (85' Nardini), Tedesco, Modesto, Foggia (89' Nielsen), Bianchi, Amoruso

Substitutes: Novakovic, Di Dio, Esteves, Missiroli

Manager: Mazzarri

Who played for Lazio

Peruzzi, Behrami, Stendardo, Zauri, Bonetto, Mudingayi, Manfredini, Ledesma, Jimenez (81' Belleri), Rocchi (73' Makinwa), Pandev (92' Tare)