This Week In Lazio History: January 13-19

In this week in Lazio history we remember some fantastic wins, including two derbies, the fabulous Mancini back heel goal at Parma and the passing of Fulvio Bernardini.

Matches of the Week

Date: Sunday, January 14, 2001
Venue: Stadio Friuli, Udine
Fixture: Udinese Lazio 3-4
Zoff, in his first game after Eriksson’s resignation, steers Lazio to victory.

Date: Sunday, January 15, 1995
Venue: Stadio Olimpico, Rome
Fixture: Lazio Foggia 7-1
After a balanced and goalless first half everything changes in the second with Foggia in ten men. A Boksic hat-trick, a Signori brace plus goals from Casiraghi and Fuser

Date: Friday, January 15, 2021
Venue: Stadio Olimpico, Rome
Fixture: Lazio Roma 3-0
Lazio dominate and annihilate the Giallorossi thanks to Immobile and a Luis Alberto brace

Date: Sunday, January 17, 1999
Venue: Stadio Ennio Tardini, Parma
Fixture: Parma Lazio 1-3
With three goals by their strikers Salas, Mancini and Vieri, Lazio win important title clash. Fantastic back heel acrobatic goal from Mancini.

Date: Sunday, January 17, 1954
Venue: Stadio Olimpico, Rome
Fixture: Lazio Sampdoria 3-0
A brace by Norwegian midfielder Bredesen leads Lazio to a comfortable win over Sampdoria.

Match In Focus

Date: Sunday, January 15, 1989
Venue: Stadio Olimpico, Rome
Fixture: Lazio Roma 1-0

A mild, sunny January day in Rome welcomed the two teams out for the “derby capitolino”. The stadium was under renovation for Italia ’90 so not a massive crowd but the Curva Nord was absolutely packed.

Roma may have been clear favourites before the game but right from the start the pitch told of a clear dominance by Lazio. The Biancocelesti were quicker, solid in defence, sharp on the break and used highly effective pressing. Lazio took control of the midfield especially with Gabriele Pin, assisted by Andrea Icardi and Paolo Beruatto, while Ruben Sosa was rampant on the left wing. Lazio were tactically perfect.

Lazio’s superiority was rewarded after 25 minutes. Antonio Acerbis pushed the ball to Sosa who went down the left flank and pulled an inviting medium height pass across the area. It went behind the off-guard Roma defence and was met by Paolo Di Canio who, without thinking twice, drilled a powerful low shot into the right-hand corner. The Roma keeper Franco Tancredi had no chance and the intensity of the roar from the Lazio end has rarely been heard since. Ten years of frustration and disappointment spilled out from the Lazio faithful.

Paolo Di Canio, a local lad and Lazio fan, enjoyed it too. He continued his run towards the curva sud (the most passionate sector of Roma fans) and with his arm in the air pointed his index finger at the romanisti, almost as his boyhood idol “Long John” Chinaglia had done many years before.

Lazio almost made it 2-0 three minutes later when a Beruatto shot shaved the top hand corner. Roma were sluggish and confused, their only attempt was a header by Renato well over the bar. So, half time came and Lazio were unexpectedly but thoroughly deservedly 1-0 up.

The second half started with Roma having made a change, on came Bruno Conti (world champion in ’82) and off went a comatose Renato.

Roma immediately proved livelier with Conti who almost scored straight from a corner, his venomous left footed cross put Valerio Fiori in serious trouble. The diminutive Italian winger then teed up Rudi Voeller in the 57th minute but his effort was weak and easily saved by the Lazio keeper.

Lazio meanwhile were not mere bystanders. Every counterattack was a danger for Roma. Lazio had several chances on the break to finish the Giallorossi off but wrong choices or mistimed last touches kept Roma in it. On one counterattack in the 77th minute, Lazio came particularly close when something between a shot and a cross by Di Canio reached Gustavo Dezotti in front of goal but the Argentine, slightly late for the ball, hit the outside of the post.

One minute later it was Roma’s turn to hit the woodwork. On a Stefano Desideri corner German striker Vöeller hit the crossbar with a well-timed header.

Lazio had another opportunity in the 84th minute when Dezotti freed Massimo Piscedda but his strike was blocked by Tancredi.

That was the last bit of excitement of the match and the final whistle gave way to wild celebrations by Lazio players and fans alike. Final score Lazio 1- Roma 0 and after ten long years the derby belonged to the light blue and white side of the Tiber.

It was a well deserved win for Lazio. They had more belief, more energy and more goal scoring chances plus the not so minor detail of actually having scored one.

Paolo Di Canio was the hero of the day. A local 20-year-old Lazio fan from a family of Roma fans…he and all Lazio supporters were in heaven.

In Memory: Fulvio Bernardini

Fulvio Bernardini was born in Rome on December 28, 1905. He started playing football in the Lazio youth sector as a goalkeeper. He made his debut on October 19, 1919 in a tournament against Audace. He then made his official debut in the national championship on November 23, 1919 against Pro-Roma, he was not yet 14 years old.

In 1921 he changed position from goalkeeper to forward. There are two versions of the reason that led him to this decision. One is he was demoralized after conceding four goals against Naples while another is he fainted after a bad knock and decided, advised by his family, to play in a “safer” role.

He was a good goalkeeper but he was an even better forward. He became Lazio captain and in 1922-23, with his 24 goals, Lazio reached the Scudetto final, then lost to Genoa. He played 110 games for Lazio with an impressive 73 goals.

In 1926 he left his boyhood club and joined Inter. The Nerazzurri gave him a bank job and the chance to study Economics at the prestigious Bocconi University. He stayed two seasons and played 59 league games with 27 goals.

In 1928 he came back to Rome but joined the newly formed Roma. He stayed with the Giallorossi eleven long years as a midfielder. He played 294 games with 47 goals. The “Lupi” reached one Coppa Italia final in 1937 but lost 1-0 to Genova 1893.

Bernardini then retired in 1945.

In 1949 he became manager of Roma. He resigned after 35 matches (out of 38) and Roma only reached safety in the penultimate match (Novara 2-1) thanks to an extremely “friendly” referee, the infamous Pera from Florence.

His success as manager began in 1953 when he moved to Florence and joined Fiorentina. In 1956 the “Viola” won the Scudetto while in 1957 they reached the European Cup final but lost 2-0 to Real Madrid in Madrid.

In the summer of 1958 Bernardini returned to Lazio. He immediately won the Coppa Italia, for Lazio’s first historic win, ironically against Fiorentina.

In 1960-61, with the Biancocelesti bottom, he was sacked after nine matches and replaced by Enrique Flamini who was later helped by Jess Carver, but neither could save the Biancocelesti from their first relegation.

In 1961 he joined Bologna. He stayed four years. In 1962 he won the Mitropa Cup but in 1964 the Rossoblù won the biggest prize of all, the Scudetto. After an accusation of doping and a point docking Bologna proved their innocence and finished joint top with Inter. The “Felsinei” then won the first ever, and never repeated since, Scudetto playoff, 2-0. Bernardini became the first Italian manager to win the title with two different clubs (since emulated by Giovanni Trapattoni, Massimiliano Allegri and Giuseppe Conte but with the big three…).

After experiences with Sampdoria as technical director first and manager later, and Brescia as sports director, in 1974 he was called to be Italy manager. It was a difficult task, picking up the pieces after the failure of the 1974 campaign. He stayed three years and started to rebuild the team which would later, under Enzo Bearzot finish 4th in ’78 and winners in ’82.

Bernardini was tactically ahead of his time. In Florence he invented a more elastic WM system than the classic one, with players changing position depending on who had the ball. Furthermore, they were told to pass the ball not directly to their teammates but in a free space so that the latter could reach the ball before their opponents. A more modern approach.

A great player and a great coach. He died in Rome on January 13, 1984, at 79.

Birthdays This Week

• Ederson, 13/1/1986, midfielder, Brazil, 50 appearances, 5 goals (2012-15)

• Massimo Mutarelli, 13/1/1978, midfielder, Italy, 63 appearances, 5 goals (2006-08)

• Odoacre Pardini, 14/1/1905, defender/midfielder, 177 appearances, 9 goals (1924-33)

• Lorenzo Bettini, 15/1/1931, forward, Italy, 41 appearances, 16 goals (1955-57)

• Paolo Franzoni, 15/1/1948, forward, Italy, 29 appearances, 3 goals (1973-75)

• Carlo Maranghi, 15/1/1888, defender/forward, Italy, 73 appearances, 26 goals (1912-22)

• Serafino Montanari, 15/1/1921, midfielder, Italy, 83 appearances, 1 goal (1948-54)

• Anthony Seric, 15/1/1979, defender, Croatia, 24 appearances (2004-05)

• Aldo Spivach, 15/1/1909, midfielder, Italy, 74 appearances, 27 goals (1928-32)

• Stephan Lichtsteiner, 16/1/1984, defender, Switzerland, 117 appearances, 3 goals (2088-11)

• Lorenzo Marronaro, 16/1/1961, forward, Italy, 17 appearances (1980-82)

• Aldo Cantarutti, 17/1/1958, forward, Italy, 12 appearances, 1 goal (1978-79)

• Angelo Longoni, 17/1/1933, forward, Italy, 38 appearances, 12 goals (1961-63)

• Antonio Lopez, 17/1/1952, midfielder, Italy, 106 appearances, 2 goals (1975-79)

• Luigi Moltrasio, 17/1/1928, midfielder, Italy, 39 appearances, 3 goals (1956-59)

• Senad Lulic, 18/1/1986, midfielder, Bosnia, 371 appearances, 34 goals (2011-21)

• Anotnio Sessa, 18/1/1924, defender/midfielder, 17 appearances (1946-47)

• Lelio Antoniotti, 19/1/1928 forward, Italy, 53 appearances, 10 goals (1951-53)

• Zeffiro Furiassi, 19/171923, defender, Italy, 124 appearances (1949-54)

• Mauro Tassotti, 19/1/1960, defender, Italy, 47 appearances (1978-80)