There is hope
Lazio manage to draw a chaotic game and give themselves a chance to reach the Champions League Group stage
The season so far
The previous season had been an exceptional one for Lazio, arriving third and obtaining a qualification for the Champions League preliminary round, to be played in mid-August. Manager Delio Rossi had been confirmed.
Since it was still August, Lazio were in full transfer mode. There was the problem of the goalkeeper to solve. Angelo Peruzzi had retired and Lazio were looking for a substitute. Juan Pablo Carrizo was the chosen one but there was a problem with his passport. He had applied for an Italian one but it had not arrived yet. So far Lazio had signed Aleksandar Kolarov, a young Serb left back with a powerful shot, Mourad Meghni from Bologna, Lionel Scaloni and Simone Del Nero on a free transfer. It was hoped that more would come, especially considering that Lazio had a Champions League to play.
Today was the first official game of the season, the first leg of the Champions League play-off round to qualify for the group stage.
The match: Tuesday August 14, 2007, Stadio Olimpico, Rome
Lazio, needing a big win for an easier second leg, started strongly and in the 4th minute a splendid Goran Pandev free kick forced Bogdan Lobont into a difficult save. In the 16th minute Pandev to Stefano Mauri who crossed into the box for Tommaso Rocchi, Lobont saved again. Two minutes later Edmilson Cribari tried a header that deserved more luck. In doing this however he got injured but Lazio did not have the time to substitute him and the Romanians took the opportunity to score. In the 18th minute Cristian Pulhac crossed from the left, Ionel Danilescu anticipated Massimo Mutarelli and headed the ball past Marco Ballotta. Alexsandar Kolarov was Cribari's replacement and a cross from the Serb was parried by Lobont but the ball fell perfectly for Rocchi who tried a shot, Stefan Radu saved on the line.
Lazio had their foot on the accelerator but could not get a goal. In the 38th minute the referee spotted a handball in the box by Radu off a corner kick and conceded a penalty to the Biancocelesti. Rocchi stepped up and took the spot kick but Lobont saved.
In the second half Dinamo had a chance in the 51st minute when Danilescu gave a good assist to Claudiu Niculescu but his shot was saved into corner by Ballotta. Three minutes later came Lazio’s deserved equaliser. Lorenzo De Silvestri on the right crossed into the box and Mutarelli headed the ball into the net.
Lazio had the chance to score again with Pandev who missed from a favourable position in the 69th minute and then a Cristian Ledesma shot a minute later deflected by Rocchi saw another great save from Lobont.
The Biancocelesti finished the game in nine men since Valon Behrami was sent off for a dangerous foul in the 73rd minute and Mutarelli got a second yellow card three minutes from time. Lucian Goian too got a second yellow in injury time.
It will be a difficult return game for Lazio, but there is still hope.
Who played for Lazio
Ballotta, Scaloni, Stendardo (46’ De Silvestri), Cribari (22’ Kolarov), Zauri, Behrami, Ledesma, Mutarelli, Mauri (65’ Del Nero), Pandev, Rocchi
Substitutes: Berni, Manfredini, Mudingayi, Makinwa
Manager: D. Rossi
Who played for Dinamo București
Lobont, Blay, Radu, Nastase (32' Goian), Pulhac, Cristea, Ropotan, Izvoranu, Zicu (8' Oprita), Niculescu (76' Chacu), Danciulescu
Substitutes: Romanovs, Munteanu, Fernandes, Stoican
Manager: Rednic
Referee: Henning Ovrebo
Goals: 22’ Danciulescu, 53’ Mutarelli
What happened next
In the return leg Lazio managed to win 3-1 coming from behind.
At this point it was hoped that Lazio would start to do something as far as transfers were concerned but the only major signing was young goalkeeper Fernando Muslera, temporary replacement for Carrizo forced to stay in Argentina due to the fact that his Italian passport had not arrived in time.
In the Champions League, Lazio were knocked out in the group stage, but put on a brave effort, beating Werder Bremen and drawing at home against Real Madrid.
In Serie A Lazio struggled all year. They did not have the squad depth, to face the Champions League, Campionato and Coppa Italia and in the end they finished 12th. The only highlight of the season was a last second winner against Roma in March. President Claudio Lotito made amends in the winter transfer window with the signing of young Romanian defender Stefan Radu, a more experienced defender David Rozenhal, a centre-forward Rolando Bianchi and the return of Ousmane Dado. But these signings should really have been made six months earlier.
Tommaso Rocchi was the player with most appearances (48) and most goals (19) together with Goran Pandev.
Lazio 2007-08
Competition | Played | Won | Drawn | Lost | Goals scored |
Serie A | 38 | 11 | 13 | 14 | 47 |
Coppa Italia | 6 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 7 |
Champions League | 8 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 12 |
Total | 52 | 16 | 18 | 18 | 66 |
Top five appearances
Player | Total | Serie A | Coppa Italia | Champions League |
Rocchi | 48 | 36 | 4 | 8 |
Pandev | 44 | 32 | 5 | 7 |
Ledesma | 43 | 32 | 4 | 7 |
Cribari | 42 | 31 | 5 | 6 |
Ballotta | 39 | 29 | 2 | 8 |
Top goal scorers
Player | Total | Serie A | Coppa Italia | Champions League |
Rocchi | 19 | 14 | 1 | 4 |
Pandev | 19 | 14 | - | 5 |
Bianchi | 4 | 4 | - | - |
Let’s talk about Luciano Zauri
Luciano Zauri was born in Pescina on January 20 1978. He started his career in the Atalanta youth teams and played his first match in Serie A in the 1996-97 season. The next year he went to Chievo in Serie B to gain experience but he was back at Bergamo in 1998 and stayed with the Lombard club for five more years, the first two in Serie B and the next three in Serie A.
Unfortunately, Atalanta were relegated at the end of the 2002-03 season so for the following year he was up for sale. He signed for Lazio together with his team mate Ousmane Dabo. His first stint with Lazio lasted five years and towards the end he even became captain. He will be remembered particularly for his handball on the line in 2005 in a decisive match against Fiorentina, fortunately not seen by the referee. The consequent draw allowed Lazio to stay in Serie A.
In 2008 he was loaned to Fiorentina where he stayed for a year and then to Sampdoria where he stayed for two years.
Back at Lazio in 2011, he played very little and was sold to Pescara in January 2013. In 2014 he quit football.
He played a total of 177 games for Lazio (139 in Serie A, 16 in Coppa Italia, 10 in Champions League, 7 in Europa League, 4 in Intertoto and one Super Coppa final) and scored 6 goals (4 in Serie A, one in Coppa Italia and one in Champions League). He was part of the Coppa Italia winning team of 2004. Zauri also won five caps for Italy.
After quitting football, he became a manager, first for the youth teams of Pescara and then as assistant to Massimo Oddo at Udinese. In 2018 he was back at Pescara to manage the Primavera team and a year later he was promoted to the first team squad in Serie B but he resigned in January. In 2021 he was in charge of the Bologna Primavera but Pescara called him again in April 2022 in order to try and improve their 5th place position in Serie B. He did not and the team lost in the first round of the playoffs. He was not confirmed.
In 2023 he became head coach of Ħamrun Spartans in Malta. He did well, winning the Maltese Super Cup and the national title. He did not renew his contract.
Zauri was highly valued by the various managers at Lazio. He was a player you could put almost anywhere, he played at midfield, left back, right back, wherever he was needed, always with positive results. He was not a classy player, but extremely reliable.
Lazio Career
Season | Total games (goals) | Serie A | Coppa Italia | Champions League | Europa League | Intertoto Cup | Super Coppa |
2003-04 | 30 (3) | 20 (3) | 6 | 4 | - | - | - |
2004-05 | 24 | 21 | - | - | 2 | - | 1 |
2005-06 | 45 (1) | 37 (1) | 4 | - | - | 4 | - |
2006-07 | 39 (1) | 36 | 3 (1) | - | - | - | - |
2007-08 | 27 (1) | 18 | 3 | 6 (1) | - | - | - |
2011-12 | 12 | 8 | - | - | 5 | - | - |
Total | 177 (6) | 140 (4) | 16 (1) | 10 (1) | 7 | 4 | 1 |
Sources
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