This Week In Lazio History | August 12-18 | Matches, Memories, Birthdays

Champions League Play-Offs, a win against Real Madrid, a Supercoppa triumph. A lot happened in the week of August 12-18 in Lazio history, as we also remember Claudio Garella.

Matches of the Week

Date: Sunday, August 12, 1990
Venue: Estadio Municipal, La Línea de la Concepción
Fixture: Real Madrid Lazio 1-1 (4-6 on pens), Ciudad de la Línea Trophy
Lazio win prestigious trophy by beating Real Madrid on penalties

Date: Wednesday, August 13, 2003
Venue: Stadio Olimpico, Rome
Fixture: Lazio Benfica 3-1, Champions League Play-Off
A tough game in uncomfortable heat, but Lazio take two-goal lead to Portugal thanks to Corradi, Fiore and Mihajlovic

Date: Sunday, August 14, 2022
Venue: Stadio Olimpico, Rome
Fixture: Lazio Bologna 2-1
Down to 10 men from the early minutes of the game and losing 1-0 the Biancocelesti managed to overturn the result thanks to yet another goal from Immobile and a Bologna own goal prompted by Lazzari.

Date: Tuesday, August 14, 2007
Venue: Stadio Olimpico, Rome
Fixture: Lazio Dinamo București 1-1, Champions League Play Off
Lazio manage to draw a chaotic game and give themselves a chance to reach the Champions League Group stage.

Date: Tuesday, August 18, 2015
Venue: Stadio Olimpico, Rome
Fixture: Lazio Bayer Leverkusen 1-0, Champions League Play-Off
Keita breaks Bayer’s defence but will it be enough to go through?

Match In Focus

Date: Sunday, August 13, 2017
Venue: Stadio Olimpico, Rome
Fixture: Juventus Lazio 2-3, Supercoppa

Juventus who had won both the Scudetto and the Coppa Italia in the final against Lazio were clear favourites on this hot evening in Rome, but the Biancocelesti had their new star player Lucas Leiva playing for the first time, and there was hope. Felipe Anderson was injured so space for Luis Alberto, who so far had not performed too well but towards the end of the previous season had shown some signs of improvement.

The Bianconeri came out flying and had three chances in the first five minutes but then slowed down and Lazio grew into the game. Their increasing confidence was rewarded just after the half-hour mark. Sergej Milinkovic-Savic anticipated Cuadrado and sent a perfect low through ball to Ciro Immobile, putting the Lazio striker one-on-one with Buffon. He went around the Italian national keeper and was clearly pulled down. Immobile scored the spot kick with a powerful low and angled shot, despite the keeper going the right way, so after 32 minutes, Lazio 1 Juventus 0.

At the beginning of the second half, Lazio scored again. In the 54th minute, a Marco Parolo cross from the right was met by Immobile who outjumped Medhi Benatia and Andrea Barzagli and headed over and past Buffon. But towards the end, Juve turned the game around in six minutes.

In the 85th minute, they won a free kick on the edge of the box which Dybala wonderfully curled around the wall and found the net. Lazio clung on but in the 91st minute, Juventus were awarded a penalty. A fifty-fifty ball between Alex Sandro and Marusic was reached a fraction earlier by the Brazilian who then went down, for Mr. Massa it was a foul. Dybala stepped up and coolly put a perfect mid-height penalty to Thomas Strakosha’s right.

Extra time was approaching with Juve on top and Lazio struggling. But in the 93rd minute, Luis Alberto fed Jordan Lukaku on the left and the big Belgian powered forward, going past Mattia De Sciglio towards the by-line. What happened next was a sublime combination of strength and agility as the “Sinjoren” nimbly cut in from the wing somehow keeping his balance, leaving De Sciglio behind and squaring a low ball back to the penalty spot.

Who was there? Immobile? Luis Alberto? Milinkovic-Savic? No. Alessandro Murgia became a Lazio hero for life by stretching and slotting a low right foot past Buffon, under the Curva Nord. Lazio 3 Juventus 2.

By the time all the players and staff had come back from their celebratory travels under the Curva Nord, there was barely time to continue before the referee whistled the end. The match went down in history as Murgia’s Supercoppa, a moment of glory for the then-youngster, in the right place at the right time.

In Memory: Claudio Garella

Claudio Garella did not probably have fantastic memories of his stay at Lazio, but on the other hand neither did the Lazio fans. But he must be considered among the best goalkeepers in Italian football.

Born in Turin, on May 16, 1955, he arrived in Rome in 1976. The manager was Luis Vinicio and Lazio finished 5th. The regular keeper however was Felice Pulici and Garella did not make any appearances. Things changed the next season as Garella was promoted to first keeper. He played 29 league games, 2 in Coppa Italia and 4 in the UEFA Cup.

His performances were not always impeccable and after some hesitant displays against Lens in Europe and Vicenza in Serie A, he was harshly criticized by the fans and the media. The Lazio supporters gave him the nickname “Paperella” (a play on words between little duck and howler in Italian, a sort of butter fingers). A top national journalist, Gianni Brera, coined the term “Garellate” to refer to goalkeeping blunders. He left.

In the years after Lazio he became a great keeper. He went on to win two league titles. One with Verona in 1984-85 and one with Napoli in 1986-87 alongside Diego Armando Maradona and Bruno Giordano.

Garella was a tall goalkeeper at 1.84 and 80 kilos. He was also a controversial one. He had a very unorthodox style, often saving the ball with all parts of his body except his hands. He was famous for blocking shots with his feet rather than diving low. Gianni Agnelli was once quoted as saying, “Garella is the best keeper in the world, without hands though”.

He died on August 12, 2022, following cardiocirculatory complications after heart surgery.

Birthdays This Week

• Djibril Cissé, 12-8-1981, forward, France, 27 appearances, 5 goals (2011-12)

• Francesco Gabriotti, 12-8-1914, midfielder, Italy, 27 appearances, 6 goals (1932-37)

• Alfredo Monza II, 12-8-1912, defender, Italy, 253 appearances, 1 goal (1935-43, manager in 1958 and assistant 1958-59)

• Alessandro Capponi, 13-8-1919, midfielder, Italy, 28 appearances, 10 goals (1936-39, 1942-45)

• Joaquín Correa, 13-8-1993, forward, Argentina, 117 appearances, 30 goals (2018-21)

• Massimo Giacomini, 14-8-1939, midfielder, Italy, 15 appearances (1963-64)

• Gino Ottier II, 16-8-1902, forward, Italy, 60 appearances 32 goals (1921-28)

• Maurilio Prini, 17-8-1932, forward, Italy, 86 appearances, 11 goals (1958-62)

• Dusan Basta, 18-8-1994, defender, Serbia, 116 appearances, 2 goals (2014-18)

• Vittorio Sentimenti III, 18-8-1918, midfielder, Italy, 77 appearances, 10 goals (1949-52)