7 wins in a row

Dag Jenkins
Apr 1, 2024
4 min read

Season 2006-07

Game 30, Serie A

Sunday, April 1, 2007

Stadio Friuli, Udine

Udinese-Lazio 2-4

Lazio continue Champions League dream with convincing away win in Friuli

In Serie A, at the halfway point, Lazio were joint 4th but 12 points behind Palermo in 3rd.

In the return fixtures things were so far going a lot better. Not only were they unbeaten, with 2 draws and 7 wins but they were currently on a roll of 6 consecutive victories. The Biancocelesti were up to 3rd place with a 3-point advantage on Palermo and 4 on Milan.

The match

A grey and dark afternoon brought about 20,000 to the Friuli stadium.

Lazio were without defender Emílson Cribari plus midfielders Gaby Mudingayi and Massimo Mutarelli.

Udinese were missing former Lazio midfielder Giampiero Pinzi who was suspended plus Damiano Zenoni and forward Asamoah Gyan.

In the first quarter of an hour both sides sized each other up and not much happened.

The game came alive in the 18th minute. Cristian Ledesma curled a central free kick into the box from about 40 metres and Guglielmo Stendardo, from just inside, brilliantly twisted his body to send a header into the right-hand corner. Udinese 0 Lazio 1.

Udinese struggled to regroup and Christian Manfredini almost made it two but his low strike from the left side of the area was saved with his feet by Morgan De Sanctis.

In the 25th minute the hosts finally threatened when a Tomáš Sivok header had to be tipped over the bar by Angelo Peruzzi. In the 27th minute the Bianconeri went close again but a Sulley Muntari freekick went just wide of Peruzzi's left post.

Lazio then controlled the remainder of the half without running any further risks. Half time: Udinese 0 Lazio 1.

At the beginning of the second half Lazio struck on a set piece again. In the 50th minute Ledesma floated in a long freekick from the right and on the far post near the by-line Tommaso Rocchi stretched and put it low into the middle where Stefano Mauri was the quickest to get to it and scored from close range. Udinese 0 Lazio 2.

A minute later Lazio practically closed the contest. Rocchi did well near the left corner flag to get a cross in and Valon Behrami came running in and blasted a mid-height shot past De Sanctis, 0-3.

A minute later, from a corner, Sivok had another header which forced Peruzzi to dive low to his right and parry, a brilliant save.

Udinese pushed forward and in the 58th minute were awarded a penalty. On a cross from the left, the ball hit Luciano Zauri's arm, from about a metre away, and the referee generously pointed to the penalty spot. Totó Di Natale hit a mid-height penalty to the left which Peruzzi got a hand to but could not keep out, 1-3.

Udinese's hopes of a comeback lasted not even a minute. Rocchi, just inside the left vertex of the area, went between two defenders, Raffaele Di Martino and Tomáš Zapotocny, one of whom, if not both, tripped up the Venetian forward and Paparesta had no doubts, penalty. Rocchi stepped up and sent the ball low to the right and De Sanctis to the left. Udinese 1 Lazio 4.

In the 63rd minute the Bianconeri put on World Champion forward Vincenzo Iaquinta for Sivok. The Bianconero striker had been out injured for a month.

In the 65th Iaquinta got involved immediately and squared into the middle for Muntari but the Ghanaian blasted over the bar from a favourable position.

In the 66th the Zebrette tried throwing on Guilherme Siqueira for De Martino.

Goran Pandev then could have made it five but with only the keeper to beat was undecided whether to shoot or go around him and ended up doing neither and De Sanctis clawed away the ball and blocked.

Pandev then had another chance on the break but his low left foot from just inside the area on the right was parried by De Sanctis who also saved Mauri's attempted tap-in on the rebound but the midfielder was in offside anyway.

In the 75th minute for Udinese Christian Obodo replaced Zápotočný and in the 79th Pandev went off for Stephen Makinwa for Lazio.

In the 81st minute Udinese were down to ten men. Ledesma and Gaetano D'Agostino went up for a header in midfield and the referee claimed the Sicilian had used his elbow so got a direct red.

In the 89th minute Lazio made their third substitution bringing on defender Modibo Diakité for Stendardo.

The game was lost but Udinese still attacked in the final minutes. Peruzzi had to push a dangerous Cristián Zapata header over the bar. They then got a consolation goal in the 92nd minute. Obodo crossed in a low freekick from the right into a crowded area and it went through a number of legs before Iaquinta got a touch with his heel and gave Peruzzi no chance. Udinese 2 Lazio 4 and final score.

A good win for the Biancocelesti and an impressive 7th in a row. The win was never really in doubt and Lazio were still 3rd but now had five points advantage on Palermo and six on Milan (they had both drawn). With eight games to go things were looking good.

Udinese were still 7th but now in the company of Fiorentina on 38 points.

Who played for Udinese

De Sanctis, Zapotocny (75' Obodo), Coda, Zapata, De Martino (66' Siqueira), Sivok (63' Iaquinta), D'Agostino, Muntari, Dossena, Barreto, Di Natale

Substitutes: Casazza, Natali, Motta, Gotti

Manager: Malesani

Who played for Lazio

Peruzzi, Belleri, Stendardo (89' Diakité), Siviglia, Zauri, Behrami, Ledesma, Manfredini, Mauri, Pandev (79' Makinwa), Rocchi