April 10, 1994: Lazio Atalanta 3-1
- Lazio Stories
- 2 days ago
- 13 min read
Signori freekick hat-trick spares Lazio’s blushes and it's Europe again
Three Signori goals, all on freekick, in the last 25 minutes give uninspired Lazio decisive European points.
Also on this day:
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.
There was optimism for the start of the season. Alas, the European adventure did not last long. Lazio were eliminated by Boavista in the second round. Coppa Italia went even worse, eliminated by Avelino, a team in Serie C1.
A poor 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. At the end of the first half of the season Lazio were fifth, just five points behind leaders Milan.
The Biancocelesti in the next game won at Lecce and were only three points off leaders Milan. The Christmas break 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 both in Milan against Inter and the derby. The Biancocelesti were currently in joint 4th place, on 38 points. They were unbeaten since February 20. The table read: Milan 47, Juventus 41, Sampdoria 40, Lazio 38, Parma 38, Torino 32 (there were 4 UEFA slots behind Milan). Lazio were on course for Europe.
Atalanta had struggled all season. Under manager Cesare Prandelli (who had replaced Francesco Guidolin after 11 games), the Bergamaschi were second from bottom on 18 points. Their fate had been sealed a week earlier when they were officially relegated as they were now 9 points from safety, Piacenza on 27 points, with only four games to go. Things had gradually degenerated for the "Dea" who were winless since January 2, when they had surprisingly beaten Inter 2-1 away. A long time ago.
The Atalantini's main players were: keeper Fabrizio Ferron, Uruguayan defender Paolo Montero, Brazilian midfielder Alemão, Thomas Locatelli, Domenico Morfeo, Pierluigi Orlandini and striker Maurizio Ganz. They also had three Lazio connections, Roberto Rambaudi (1994-98), Giampaolo Saurini (1988-89, 90-91) and Luciano De Paola (1993 and sold to Atalanta in November).
Lazio strong favourites today. The Biancocelesti were battling for a European slot against an Atalanta side with no motivation apart from pride.
The match: Sunday April 10, 1994, Stadio Olimpico, Rome
A crowd of 45,000 turned up to push Lazio towards Europe.
A lot of the support was for Paul Gascoigne, with several banners of encouragement, after his recent serious injury in training. The Biancocelesti were also missing Cristiano Bergodi, Diego Fuser, Roberto Di Matteo and Beppe Favalli.
Atalanta predictably shuffled things up a bit after the previous week's final verdict. Their fate had been sealed a week earlier when they were officially relegated as they were now 9 points from safety with four games left (still two points for victory). Fabrizio Ferron, Alemão, Giuseppe Minaudo and Maurizio Ganz were out.
The first half was a tedious affair. Lazio seemed to take the victory for granted, convinced they would score sooner or later. Atalanta battled with pride, trying to enjoy some last top-flight satisfactions.
Atalanta defended well and Lazio had very few chances despite attacking constantly. The closest was a Fabrizio Di Mauro header from a Beppe Signori freekick, instinctively tipped over the bar by Davide Pinato. The visitors defence was tight, organised and the keeper was quick off his line when his defenders were beaten. A lot of pressure but few threats and above all no goals. Halftime Lazio 0 Atalanta 0.
Lazio started the second half with more sense of purpose and twice went close to taking the lead, both times with Aron Winter. First Di Mauro put in a precise cross from the right but the Dutchman, unmarked, incredibly put his header wide. Then Winter found himself in front of goal but clumsily tried to lob the keeper and the chance was wasted.
The crowd at this point thought and hoped a goal would come soon and it did but for Atalanta. In the 50th minute the ever present Pierluigi Orlandini on the right crossed high to the far post where Mauro Valentini headed down into the opposite corner, Lazio 0 Atalanta 1.
Shock and horror at the Olimpico but it almost got worse a minute later. Atalanta orchestrated an efficient counter attack with Orlandini who teed up Giampaolo Saurini, the former Lazio striker was then blocked by a last gasp Roberto Bacci tackle and then Luca Marchegiani was quick to just beat Roberto Rambaudi to the loose ball.
At this point Dino Zoff realised he had to change something and he took off Roberto Cravero, placing Bacci as "libero" and bringing on another striker Pierluigi Casiraghi.
Lazio attacked desperately, pegging Atalanta almost in their own area for prolonged periods.
In the 64th minute the Orobici made a tactical substitution, bringing on a midfielder, Locatelli, for a striker, Saurini.
The tactic hardly had time to be tested that Lazio equalised. The Biancocelesti were awarded a freekick at the edge of the box, for a foul on Di Mauro, and Signori blasted a low shot which went through the wall and into the right-hand corner. Lazio 1 Atalanta 1.
Lazio continued to hammer away and exactly ten minutes later had another identical freekick opportunity, this time for a foul on Paolo Negro. Signori struck again. Lazio 2 Atalanta 1.
The home side were both relieved and galvanised and almost made it three but Montero managed to clear the ball off the goal line.
In the 86th minute there was time for 17-year old Domenico Cristiano to get his Lazio and Serie A debut, replacing Claudio Sclosa.
Lazio’s third eventually came in the 90th minute and no prizes for guessing how it came… from a Signori freekick. This time the goal was more spectacular, curling round the wall into the top left corner. Lazio 3 Atalanta 1.
An important but unflattering win for Lazio. An under-par performance had been salvaged by Signori's magic left foot from set pieces. The diminutive blond striker had now scored 20 goals and rumour had it the Lazio owner Sergio Cragnotti owed him some extra prize money.
The embarrassment of losing to an already relegated side had been avoided but the two points came in handy too, the table now read: Milan 48, Juventus 42, Sampdoria 41, Lazio 40, Parma 38, Torino 33.
With three games to go Lazio were in Europe again but could now even eye second place.
Who played for Lazio
Marchegiani, Bonomi, Bacci, Sclosa (86' Cristiano), Luzardi, Cravero (51' Casiraghi), Negro, Winter, Boksic, Di Mauro, Signori
Manager: Zoff
Who played for Atalanta
Pinato, Valentini, Codispoti, Magoni, Pavan, Montero, Rambaudi (82' Morfeo), Sgrò, Saurini (64' Locatelli), Scapolo, Orlandini
Substitutes: Ambrosio, Assennato, Perrone
Manager: Valdinoci (Prandelli was without manager's license)
Referee: Franceschini
Goals: 50' Valentini, 66' Signori, 76' Signori, 90' Signori
What happened next
In the next game Lazio lost 6-1 against Juventus then beat Lecce and Sampdoria. 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 predicted, 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.
What happened in Serie A 1993-94
The previous season Milan had won the scudetto quite comfortably, losing their substantial lead only in the last few games. As a consequence, they were the obvious favourites also for the 1993-94 Serie A.
In the summer transfer window, the Rossoneri, already with a formidable team, added Christian Panucci, Brian Laudrup, brother of Michael, and in the autumn Marcel Desailly. They however let go of Ruud Gullit (to Sampdoria) after six years of triumphs and Frankie Rijkaard after five years (Ajax). Samp also got David Platt hence on paper had an interesting team. Parma signed Gianfranco Zola and Massimo Crippa from Napoli who were in a state of financial bother. Roma got hold of Abel Balbo from Udinese and Lazio continued on their spending spree with the additions of Luca Marchegiani and Pierluigi Casiraghi. Inter added Dutch International Denis Bergkamp and Juventus a young promising forward: Alessandro Del Piero. Roma had a new manager in Carletto Mazzone, a long-time fan, and Napoli gave the leadership of the team to Marcello Lippi. They also brought in Paolo Di Canio and said goodbye to Careca.
On the whole, a few interesting teams but none which could rival the might of Silvio Berlusconi’s Milan
August-September
Milan started the season well winning the Supercoppa played on August 21 in Washington DC. They beat Torino 2-0.
In the first six games of Serie A, the Rossoneri had already taken the lead followed by Parma, Torino and Sampdoria. The Romans were already behind. They had a slow start even though Roma did beat Juventus, but then lost at home to Napoli and away to Milan, and Lazio beat Parma and drew with Inter.
In the Champions League first round, Milan eliminated Aarau 1-0 on aggregate. Parma and Torino eliminated Degerfors and Lillestrom in the first round of the Cup Winners Cup. In the UEFA Cup, Cagliari, Inter, Juventus and Lazio eliminated Dinamo Bucharest, Rapid Bucharest, Lokomotiv Moscow and Lokomotiv Plovdiv.
Milan 11, Parma 9, Torino 9, Sampdoria 9, Juventus 8, Inter 8, Cagliari 7, Foggia 6, Napoli 6, Atalanta 5, Cremonese 5, Roma 5, Lazio 5, Genoa 4, Piacenza 4, Udinese 3, Reggiana 3, Lecce 1
October
Milan's pace slowed down and the top of the table was taken by Juventus and Sampdoria with the Rossoneri, Parma and Inter one point behind. Milan drew with Lazio and Juventus but lost against Sampdoria despite being 2-0 up. The winning goal was scored by Gullit, revenge is sweet. Juve won the Turin derby whereas the Rome clash saw the seventh consecutive draw.
In the first leg of the Champions League second round Milan won 6-0 away at Copenhagen. Parma won 1-0 away and Torino 3-2 at home against Maccabi Haifa and Aberdeen in the first leg of the Cup Winners Cup second round. In the UEFA Cup second round first leg, Cagliari and Juventus drew 1-1 away to Trabzonspor and Kongsvinger, Inter and Lazio won 1-0 at home against Apollon Limassol and Boavista.
Three big surprises in the second round of the Coppa Italia. The first round had taken place in August without the Serie A teams. In the second, Napoli, Lazio and Juventus were eliminated by Empoli, Avellino and Venezia.
Juventus 15, Sampdoria 15, Parma 14, Milan 14, Inter 14, Napoli 12, Cremonese 11, Lazio 11, Torino 10, Cagliari 10, Foggia 9, Roma 9, Piacenza 8, Udinese 6, Genoa 6, Reggiana 6, Atalanta 6, Lecce 4
November
Milan and Parma caught up with Sampdoria at the top of the table followed by Juventus. The Rossoneri won the derby, Inter and Juventus drew 2-2 in a spectacular match. Lazio, slowly recovering from the bad start, signed Alen Boksic, big Croatian centre-forward from Olympique Marseille.
Milan obviously qualified for the group stage of the Champions League after winning against Copenhagen 7-0 on aggregate and in the first game drew 0-0 against Anderlecht away. Parma and Torino qualified for the quarter finals of the Cup Winners Cup. Parma won on penalties, and Torino won 2-1 away. In the UEFA Cup second round, Cagliari drew 0-0 at home and qualified for the third round as did Juventus who won 2-0 and Inter who drew 3-3 away. Lazio were eliminated after they lost to Boavista 2-0. In the first leg of the third round Juventus won 3-0 at home against Tenerife, Inter 1-0 away to Norwich City and Cagliari 3-1 against Mechelen.
Parma 19, Sampdoria 19, Milan 19, Juventus 17, Torino 16, Inter 15, Lazio 15, Napoli 14, Cagliari 14, Cremonese 13, Roma 13, Piacenza 12, Foggia 10, Genoa 10, Udinese 8, Atalanta 8, Reggiana 8, Lecce 4
December
The final three games of the year saw Milan back as solitary leaders, followed at a short distance by Samp, Parma and Juve. Parma lost to Roma and Napoli, Juventus were beaten by Lazio in Rome and Sampdoria lost against Inter.
Milan beat Porto 3-0 in the second match of the Champions League group stage. After two games, Milan had 3 points, Porto and Werder Bremen 2, Anderlecht 1. Inter, Cagliari and Juventus all went through to the UEFA Cup quarter finals.
Milan played the Intercontinental Cup against Săo Paulo after Olympique Marseille were excluded due to the match fixing scandal that led them to being banned from playing international club competitions. Săo Paulo won 3-2.
In the round of 32 of the Coppa Italia, Piacenza eliminated Milan and the big clash between Sampdoria and Roma went to the former after a penalty shootout.
Milan 23*, Sampdoria 22, Parma 21, Juventus 21, Inter 20, Lazio 20, Napoli 18, Torino 17, Cremonese 17, Roma 16, Foggia 15, Cagliari 14, Piacenza 14, Reggiana 12, Genoa 11, Atalanta 11, Udinese 10*, Lecce 4
* one game in hand
January
Milan said goodbye to the rest of the field and now the gap was four points. Juventus, who drew against Roma at home, Sampdoria and Parma, who beat Lazio, followed. Below there were quite a number of teams who were fighting it out to avoid relegation. A first spot had already been booked by Lecce, last and way behind.
Torino, Ancona, Parma and Sampdoria qualified for the Coppa Italia semi-finals eliminating Piacenza, Venezia, Foggia and Inter.
Milan 32, Juventus 28, Sampdoria 28, Parma 27, Inter 25, Lazio 25, Napoli 23, Torino 23, Foggia 20, Roma 20, Cagliari 20, Piacenza 19, Cremonese 18, Udinese 17, Reggiana 16, Genoa 16, Atalanta 15, Lecce 6
February
Milan extended their lead, winning twice in Rome. They were followed by Juventus, who drew the derby, and Sampdoria, who lost to Parma but won away to Roma. Inter lost at home to Lazio and sacked Osvaldo Bagnoli replacing him with former World Champion Gianpiero Marini. Roma were sucked into the relegation battle but there were seven teams involved.
In the Coppa Italia semi-finals, Ancona beat Torino 1-0 on aggregate and Sampdoria eliminated Parma 3-1 on aggregate. They would meet in the double final in April.
Milan 40, Juventus 34, Sampdoria 34, Parma 33, Lazio 31, Torino 27, Inter 26, Foggia 25, Napoli 25, Cagliari 25, Roma 22, Piacenza 22, Cremonese 21, Udinese 21, Genoa 21, Reggiana 18, Atalanta 16, Lecce 9
March
Milan beat Juventus away and that was it for the scudetto this year. They also won the derby and beat Sampdoria. Enough said. Juventus, Sampdoria, Parma and Lazio had more than a foot in next year’s UEFA Cup, Torino and Napoli could have a chance in the case one of the top five won a Cup. Inter risked being sucked down even though they still had a five-point lead over the relegation zone. Finally, the Rome derby after many years had a winner: it was Lazio, obviously. Atalanta would follow Lecce into Serie B. Two places remaining.
Milan beat Werder Bremen away and drew at home in the Champions League group stage. They then drew at home 0-0 against Anderlecht. They led Group B with seven points and already qualified for the semi-finals, Porto were on 6, Anderlecht 4, Werder Bremen 3. The first two would qualify for the semis. Torino were eliminated by Arsenal in the quarter finals of the Cup Winners Cup 1-0 on aggregate, whilst Parma reached the semi-finals after beating Ajax 2-0 on aggregate. In the first leg of the semi-final, Parma lost 2-1 against Benfica.
In the UEFA Cup quarter finals, Cagliari eliminated Juventus 3-1 on aggregate and Inter beat Borussia Dortmund 4-3 on aggregate and they would face each other in the semi-finals. In the first leg of the latter, Cagliari beat Inter 3-2, coming from behind.
Milan 46, Juventus 39, Sampdoria 39, Parma 37*, Lazio 37, Torino 30, Napoli 30, Inter 28, Cremonese 27, Foggia 27, Genoa 27, Piacenza 27, Cagliari 27, Roma 26, Udinese 23, Reggiana 22*, Atalanta 17, Lecce 11
* one game in hand
April
Milan secured the scudetto with 180 minutes to spare by drawing at home to Udinese. It was their 14th title and third consecutive. Juventus, Lazio and Parma would play in the UEFA Cup. Sampdoria won their fourth Coppa Italia. After a goalless draw in Ancona, Samp won 6-1 in Genoa. They would play in the Cup Winners Cup. The last European place with one game to the end of the season, would be battled out between Torino and Napoli. Foggia and Roma still had a chance but were slightly behind. These four teams would meet in the last game (Foggia-Napoli and Roma-Torino). Inter, Cremonese and Genoa were almost safe, Reggiana, Piacenza and Udinese in a difficult spot.
Milan drew the last match of the group stage of the Champions League against Porto ensuring the home advantage in the single matched semi-final. They played Monaco and won 3-0. They would play Barcelona in the final in Athens in May.
Parma would play Arsenal in the final of the Cup Winners Cup in Copenhagen. They beat Benfica 1-0 in the second leg. Inter reached the final of the UEFA Cup after beating Cagliari 3-0 in the second leg of the semi-final. In the first leg of the final, they won 1-0 away against Salzburg.
Milan 50, Juventus 45, Sampdoria 44, Lazio 42, Parma 40, Napoli 34, Torino 34, Roma 33, Foggia 33, Inter 31, Cremonese 31, Genoa 31, Cagliari 30, Reggiana 29, Piacenza 29, Udinese 28, Atalanta 19, Lecce 11
May
In the last game of the season Napoli won at Foggia and secured the last spot for the following year’s UEFA Cup as Torino were beaten by Roma. Below, on Friday April 29, Piacenza drew at Parma. This meant that the table now read Inter 31, Cremonese 31, Genoa 31, Cagliari 30, Piacenza 30, Reggiana 29, Udinese 28. This meant that Cagliari needed a point and Reggiana needed to win to stay in Serie A. They both won, Cagliari at Lecce and Reggiana against a Milan side who were already on holiday.
In a fantastic match, Milan won their 5th Champions League after they beat favourites Barcelona 4-0. Parma lost the final of the Cup Winners Cup to Arsenal 1-0. Inter won the UEFA Cup after beating Salzburg 1-0 in the return match too.
Next year Milan would be in the Champions League, Samp in the Cup Winners Cup, Juve, Lazio, Parma and Napoli in the UEFA Cup. Piacenza, Udinese, Atalanta and Lecce in Serie B, Fiorentina, Bari, Brescia and Padova (winner of the playoff against Cesena) in Serie A.
Top scorer: Beppe Signori with 23 goals.
Final table: Milan 50, Juventus 47, Sampdoria 44, Lazio 44, Parma 41, Napoli 36, Roma 35, Torino 34, Foggia 33, Cremonese 32, Genoa 32, Cagliari 32, Inter 31, Reggiana 31, Piacenza 30, Udinese 28, Atalanta 21, Lecce 11
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