April 15, 2006: Lazio-Livorno 3-1
- Dag Jenkins
- 10 hours ago
- 9 min read
Eagles eat up mullets
Lazio comfortably defeat lowly Livorno and spoil Mazzone's big day
Also on this day:
The season so far
The previous season Lazio had flirted with relegation but had managed to escape and ended up 13th. They had then even qualified for the Intertoto Cup, due to Livorno and Messina dropping out for various reasons.
This year saw the arrival of new manager Delio Rossi, who took derby and relegation battle hero Giuseppe Papadopulo's place.
The main players coming in were: defenders Manuel Belleri (Udinese), Guglielmo Stendardo (Perugia) and Emilson Cribari (Udinese on loan), midfielders Valon Behrami (Genoa), Gaby Mudingayi (Torino) and Fabio Firmani (Catania) plus forward Igli Tare (Bologna).
Over twenty players were leaving Lazio, but those worthy of note were Scudetto heroes Fernando Couto (Parma) and Paolo Negro (Siena) plus the Filippini twins (both to Palermo and then Treviso), Giuliano Giannichedda (Juventus) and Roberto Muzzi (Torino).
The atmosphere surrounding the club was heavy with the fan base unsatisfied with the owner Claudio Lotito's lack of ambition and investment in the transfer market. In January midfielders Stefano Mauri (Udinese - on loan) and Massimo Bonanni (Palermo - on loan) were added while César left for Inter and Roberto Baronio was loaned to Udinese.
Lazio's season had started in July in the Intertoto Cup (to get into the UEFA Cup). The Biancocelesti had beaten Tampere United 4-1 on aggregate but then been eliminated by Olympique Marseille 1-4 on aggregate.
In Serie A Lazio however were doing surprisingly well. The Biancocelesti were in 6th position on 49 points and occupied a UEFA Cup slot (four above Palermo). Lazio had won 12, drawn 13 (including derby 1-1) and lost 8 (including Livorno 1-2 and second derby 0-2). Top scorer so far was Tommaso Rocchi with 12 league goals.
In the Coppa Italia Lazio had been knocked out by Inter 1-2 on aggregate in the quarterfinals. In the previous round Lazio had beaten Cittadella 2-0 on aggregate.
Livorno had finished 9th the previous season. For the first 18 games the manager was Franco Colomba and then Roberto Donadoni. Their best results were beating Milan 1-0 and winning the Tuscan derby with Fiorentina 2-0, both at home. The Amaranto had beaten Lazio 1-0 at home but lost 1-3 in Rome. Top scorer was Cristiano Lucarelli with 25 league goals (24 in A).
This season Donadoni had stayed on but then was replaced by Carlo Mazzone after 23 games (with Livorno in 6th place... on 38 points but winless for 5 games). The main new players were: defender Francesco Coco (Inter - on loan), César Prates (Botafogo), midfielders Giuseppe Colucci (Verona - on loan via Reggina), Diego De Ascentis (Torino), Nikola Lazetić (Genoa, but he then left in January to Torino), Stefano Morrone (Palermo) plus forwards Ibrahima Bakayoko (Istres), and Raffaele Palladino (Juventus - on loan via Salernitana).
Leaving Leghorn were: defender Andrea Giallombardo (Lazio - on loan), Alessandro Lucarelli (Reggina), midfielders José Luís Vidigal (Udinese), Luca Vigiani (Reggina) plus forwards Corrado Colombo (Sampdoria - end of loan) and Tomas Danilevičius (Avellino - on loan but he would be back for two more spells in Livorno).
In Serie A Livorno were now in 9th place on 44 points. The "Triglie" (Mullets) had won 11 (including Lazio 2-1), drawn 11 and lost 11. They however came from 6 consecutive defeats (on February 26 they had been 6th and in last UEFA slot).
In the Coppa Italia the Amaranto had been eliminated in the 3rd round by Cittadella 2-3 away. In the first two they beat Forlì 3-0 at home and Catanzaro away on penalties.
Lazio were expected to win today and against a Livorno side in a crisis of results. Lazio had their eyes on Europe.
The match: Saturday, April 15, 2006, Stadio Olimpico, Rome
A warm and sunny day but the Saturday afternoon kick-off limited the crowd to just over 25,000.
Lazio had defender Sebastiano Siviglia and Paolo Di Canio unavailable while Livorno were without defender Francesco Coco.
Livorno's intentions were clear from the start as they fielded a very defensive 4-5-1 line-up.
The warm April weather meant the game was not played at a particularly fast pace. It only came alive in the 19th minute when Luciano Zauri was fouled clumsily by Marc Pfertzel for a clear penalty. Massimo Oddo then coolly slotted in a low spot kick to Marco Amelia's right. Lazio 1 Livorno 0.
In the 23rd minute Lazio could have doubled but, from a Valon Behrami cross from the right, Tommaso Rocchi missed his attempt at a scissor kick from a favourable position.
Lazio had no interest in increasing the tempo of the game and seeing Livorno's few and sterile initiatives the half carried on eventless until the break. The only excitement was the arrival of a few hundred away fans who had obviously been delayed for some reason or possibly intentionally held up by the police which sometimes unfairly happens in matches with strong fan rivalries. They had not missed much anyway.
In the second half the Amaranto side started with more determination and belief, perhaps motivated by the sight of their own fans or by some harsh words by Carlo Mazzone during the interval.
The fact is they were more threatening. First Cristiano Lucarelli had a low shot comfortably saved by Angelo Peruzzi, then they had an unlikely penalty appeal for an Emílson Cribari handball (his hands were aligned to his body and only shot out after the impact) and then the Tuscans equalised.
In the 52nd minute César Prates tried his luck from outside the box, his low shot was parried by Peruzzi and fell to Giuseppe Colucci who had an easy tap-in. Peruzzi not faultless and Lazio 1 Livorno 1.
At this point Lazio decided to step up a gear. They took back the lead only four minutes later. In the 56th minute Oddo crossed from the right and Goran Pandev twisted his head and put the ball in on the far post. A great header and a rare one by the Macedonian. Lazio 2 Livorno 1.
After the hour mark, the substitutions started; for Livorno forward Ibrahima Bakayoko for defender Stefano Argilli in the 61st minute and midfielder Gennaro Ruotolo for same role Diego De Ascentis and for Lazio Gaby Mudingayi for a subdued Fabio Liverani in the 62nd minute.
Lazio were now back in control and in the 71st minute made it three. On an almost fortuitous Mudingayi pass, Pandev in the centre of the box energetically freed himself of Jorge Vargas and poked the ball past Amelia. Lazio 3 Livorno 1.
Livorno then immediately replaced former Lazio defender Alessandro Grandoni with Stefano Fanucci while some minutes later, in the 78th minute, the Biancocelesti put on a more defensive Christian Manfredini for Stefano Mauri.
If the game was not already over it certainly was in the 82nd minute when Chilean Vargas received a second booking and his marching orders.
In the 87th minute Rossi gave match winner Pandev his deserved round of applause as he took him off for Igli Tare.
Livorno then ended up in nine men as Colucci limped off injured, but by that point the game had said what it had to say. Final score Lazio 3 Livorno 1.
An ultimately routine win for Lazio who stopped and started but when they decided to accelerate managed to win without excessive difficulties.
Lazio were still 6th, on 52 points but now with a six-point advantage on Palermo. Europe was getting closer.
Livorno suffered their 7th consecutive defeat, a pity for Mazzone on his record breaking 788th Serie A appearance on the bench (one more than Nereo Rocco). The Tuscans were joint 9th with Parma on 44 points.
Who played for Lazio
Peruzzi, Oddo, Cribari, Stendardo, Zauri, Behrami, Dabo, Liverani (62' Mudingayi), Mauri (78' Manfredini), Pandev (87' Tare), Rocchi
Manager: D. Rossi
Who played for Livorno
Amelia, Grandoni (71' Fanucci), Vargas, Galante, Cesar Prates, Morrone, Argilli (61' Bakayoko), De Ascentis (67' Ruotolo), Pfertzel, Colucci, Lucarelli
Substitutes: Acerbis, Passoni, Palladino, Paulinho
Manager: Mazzone
Referee: Trefoloni
Goals: 20' Oddo (pen), 52' Colucci, 56' Pandev, 71' Pandev
Red Card: 82' Vargas
What happened next
Lazio had a good end of season, at least on the pitch. In the last 4 games the Biancocelesti won 3 and drew 1 (1-1 away draw at Juventus). In the end they won 16, drew 14 and lost 8. They would have come 6th and qualified for the UEFA Cup had it not been for off field issues. Top scorer was Tommaso Rocchi with 17 goals (16 in A).
Lazio were accused of being involved in the "Calciopoli" scandal and docked 30 points (initially the sentence was relegation), so ended up 16th. The scandal was basically alleged lobbying by certain clubs on the choice of referees.
A pity as Lazio had performed well and had a surprisingly good season in Serie A. They would also start the next season with a docking of 11 points, then reduced to 8 and finally to 3 but would qualify for the Champions League.
Livorno finished 9th on 49 points but were then upgraded to 6th place due to Calciopoli (Milan, Lazio and Fiorentina all lost 30 points). In the last 4 games the Labronici won 1, drew 2 and lost 1. Top scorer was Lucarelli with 22 goals (19 in A).
Juventus won the league but were stripped of the Scudetto and relegated for their involvement in Calciopoli. The title was given to second placed Inter. Juventus went down to unfamiliar B territory with Lecce and Treviso (the Trevigiani have never been back while Juventus obviously bounced straight up again).
Lets talk about Felice Piccolo
Felice Piccolo was born in Pomigliano d'Arco (Naples) on August 27, 1983.
He started playing football with local club Rapid Pomigliano. He joined the Juventus youth setup at 15 and was added to the first team squad in 2001. He made no league appearances under Marcello Lippi but played a game in Coppa Italia. The Bianconeri won the Scudetto.
In 2002-03 he spent a year at Lucchese on loan. The Rossoneri were in C1 and finished 14t. The manager was first Francesco D'Arrigo (1-4) and then Osvaldo Jaconi (5-34). Piccolo played 26 league games with 1 goal and 1 game in Coppa Italia. His teammates included future Lazio Riccardo Bonetto (2006-07, 2009-11).
In 2003-04 he joined Como on loan. The Lariani were in Serie B but were relegated. The manager was initially Lazio legend Eugenio Fascetti and then Roberto Galia. Piccolo played 35 league games.
In 2004-05 he played on loan for Reggina in Serie A. The Amaranto finished 10th under Walter Mazzarri. Piccolo played 8 league games.
In 2005-06 he joined Lazio on loan. The manager was Delio Rossi and Lazio had a good season finishing 6th but were then docked 30 points for the Calciopoli scandal so ended up 16th. Piccolo played 2 league games.
In 2006 he returned to Juventus who had been relegated to Serie B for their involvement in Calciopoli. The Bianconeri won promotion under Didier Deschamps (Giancarlo Corradini for last two games). Piccolo played 7 league games. His teammates included Lazio connections, Giuliano Giannichedda (2001-05) and Pavel Nedved (1996-2001).
In 2007 he was sold to Empoli. The Tuscans were in Serie A but got relegated under Luigi Cagni, Alberto Malesani and then Cagni again. Piccolo played 20 league games, 1 in Coppa Italia and 2 in the UEFA Cup with 1 goal (F.C Zurich). He stayed on the following year and the Azzurri finished 5th under Silvio Baldini. He played 21 league games and 3 in Coppa Italia. In August 2009 after playing 1 Coppa Italia game he left Empoli.
He joined Chievo in Serie A but only played 1 game in CoppaItalia before leaving in February.
Piccolo left Italy and moved to Romania. He signed for Cluj in the Romanian top flight. He stayed four and half years. He played 107 games with 3 goals and won 2 league titles, 1 Cupa Româniel and 1 Supercupa Româniel.
In 2014 he returned to Italy and joined Spezia in Serie B. He stayed two seasons, in the first he played regularly making 31 league appearances with 1 goal (Bologna) and Spezia finished 5th under Nenad Bjelica. In the second he played less, only 6 total appearances (5 in B) and 1 goal in Coppa Italia (Brescia). From November Bjelica was replaced by Domenico Di Carlo.
Piccolo's last club was Alessandria. The Grigi were in Lega Pro (3rd tier) and finished 2nd but then lost the playoff final to Parma 2-3 on aggregate. Piccolo played a total of 73 games and scored 2 goals (Tuttocuoio, Prato). The following year they finished 6th but won the Serie C Coppa Italia. His managers were: Piero Braglia, Giuseppe Pillon, Cristian Stellini and Michele Marcolini.
Piccoli then retired at almost 35.
Piccoli was a defender. In his youth he was considered a prospect and he represented Italy at various youth levels; U16's (7 games), U17's (10 games, 1 goal), U19's (9 games, 1 goal), U20's (20 games, 1 goal) and U21's (8 games ,1 goal).
His career however never really took off at top club level. He played 348 professional games with 9 goals and won 1 Scudetto, a Serie B, 2 Romanian league titles, a Romanian Cup and Supercup plus a Serie C Coppa Italia.
At Lazio he only stayed one season. He was on loan and never got much playing time. Lazio had defenders Guglielmo Stendardo, Sebastiano Siviglia and Emílson Cribari as centre-backs plus Luciano Zauri, Manuel Belleri, Massimo Oddo and a young Lorenzo De Silvestri in the squad so he never broke into the first team.
Lazio Career
Season | Total Serie A Appearances |
2005-06 | 2 |
Sources
Kommentare