Flattering score line but mission accomplished
Lazio struggle for almost an hour but helped by three own goals see off battling Sorcerers
The season so far
Lazio had finished 12th the previous season under Delio Rossi. A disappointing campaign, the highlight being beating Roma 3-2 in March with a 92nd minute Valon Behrami winner. In the Coppa Italia Lazio had reached the semi-finals but lost to Inter 0-2 on aggregate.
This season Rossi was still in charge and the main new players were: keeper Juan Pablo Carrizo (finally... from River Plate), defender Stephan Lichtsteiner (Lille), midfielders Cristian Brocchi (Milan), Pasquale Foggia (Cagliari-end of loan), Francelino Matuzalém (Real Zaragoza-on loan) plus forwards Mauro Zárate (Al-Saad-on loan) and Libor Kozak (Opava).
Leaving were popular keeper Marco Ballotta (Calcara Samoggia), defender Luciano Zauri (Fiorentina-on loan), midfielders Valon Behrami (West-Ham United), Gaby Mudingayi (Bologna), Roberto Baronio (Brescia-on loan) plus strikers Rolando Bianchi (Manchester City-end of loan) and Igli Tare (retiring but he would be back in another role).
The league would start on August 31 but before there was this 3rd round of Coppa Italia to play.
Benevento were in Lega Pro Prima Divisione (3rd tier). The previous season the Giallorossi had won the Serie C2 league and been promoted, under manager Giovanni Simonelli.
This season the manager was Aldo Papagni. One of their new signings was former Lazio forward Felice Evacuo (2001-02).
In theory no more than a training match for Lazio but all games have to be played with concentration and won.
The match: Saturday, August 23, 2008, Stadio Olimpico, Rome
This August evening cup game did not bring in a big crowd, about 10,000 and at least 3,000 were from Benevento.
Lazio were without Tommaso Rocchi and Stefan Radu plus Aleksandar Kolarov suspended.
Lazio showed their superiority from the start but the Sanniti were unlucky to fall behind so early on. In the 9th minute in a crowded area the ball went back and forth until it came off defender Cattaneo and ended up in the back of the net. Lazio 1 Benevento 0.
The "Stregoni" (The Sorcerers) however looked organised and up for a fight and in the 13th minute Evacuo took advantage of a David Rozehnal mistake and raced forward but was challenged by Carrizo. In the impact Evacuo got injured and was forced off on a stretcher replaced by Bueno, a pity for the former Lazio player.
Lazio doubled their lead a little fortuitously in the 23rd minute. Mourad Meghni tried his luck from about 25 metres out and his shot took a deflection off Ignoffo and beat Gori. Lazio 2 Benevento 0.
Benevento had chances to change their bad luck but Carrizo saved on Bueno and Palermo. Halftime Lazio led by two goals but were far from dominating.
For the second half the hosts brought on Emilson Cribari for Sebastiano Siviglia and Christian Manfredini for an injured Meghni.
The Giallorossi visitors got a deserved goal almost immediately. In the 48th minute Palermo shot, Carrizo saved but Bueno was ready for the tap-in. Lazio 2 Benevento 1 and the Sorcerers back in it.
In fact, the Stregoni almost equalised soon after when De Liguori hit the post. At this point Lazio seemed to change gear and in three minutes practically closed the contest.
In the 54th minute a Manfredini header hit the post and then the keeper before going in and then three minutes later Goran Pandev made it 4-1, slotting in a hesitant clearance by the keeper on a cross.
The Macedonian scored again in the last minute to excessively punish the Campani who had played well and battled hard for almost an hour. It was a good goal though as Pandev weaved his way past two defenders and put the ball in the top hand corner. Lazio 5 Benevento 1.
Not a particularly convincing performance by Lazio who despite the final score line had struggled for long periods against the 3rd tier opponents. Hopefully the return of forward Tommaso Rocchi and a fit Mauro Zarate would give some spark to Lazio's play.
Who played for Lazio
Carrizo, De Silvestri, Siviglia (46' Cribari), Rozehnal, Lichtsteiner, Ledesma, Matuzalem, Meghni (46' Manfredini), Mauri (73' Foggia), Pandev, Makinwa
Manager: Rossi (Crialesi on bench due to Rossi's suspension)
Who played for Benevento
Gori, Cattaneo, Ferraro, Ignoffo, Colombini, Palermo, Cejas, De Liguori, Imbriani (51' Statella), Evacuo (13' Bueno), Castaldo (72' Clemente)
Substitutes: Doardo, Gregori, D.Cinelli, Tesser
Manager: Papagni
Referee: Trefoloni
Goals: 9' Cattaneo (og), 22' Meghni, 48' Bueno, 54' Manfredini, 57' Pandev, 90' Pandev
What happened next
Lazio finished 10th in Serie A. The highlight was beating Roma 4-2 in April. Top scorer was Zárate with 16 goals (13 in A).
Things definitely went better in the Coppa Italia. In the next round, on October 1 Lazio beat Atalanta 2-0 with goals by Ledesma and Pandev.
In the last 16, on December 3, Lazio surprisingly won 2-1 away (a.e.t) at Milan with goals by Zarate (pen) and Pandev.
On January 22, in the quarter finals, Lazio beat Torino 3-1, coming from behind with goals by Pandev, Mauri and Rocchi.
Then came the double-legged semi-final against Juventus. In Rome, in March, Lazio won 2-1 again coming from behind with Pandev and Rocchi. Lazio then also won in Turin with goals by Zárate and Kolarov while Del Piero pulled one back for the Zebras. Lazio were in the final.
On May 13 Lazio faced Sampdoria in Rome (Olimpico is now the fixed final venue). A hard-fought game ended up 1-1 with goals by Zárate and Pazzini. The penalty shootout went Lazio's way after seven penalties, Muslera saving two and Ousmane Dabo firing home the winning spot kick. Lazio 7 Sampdoria 6. Lazio won their 5th cup and it was a fitting end to Delio Rossi's positive reign with the Biancocelesti. Next up was the Supercoppa against Inter, in August in Beijing, but that's another story.
Benevento finished 2nd in Lega Pro but lost the promotion playoff to Crotone 1-2 on aggregate. During the season manager Papagni was replaced by Antonio Soda. Top scorer was Giampiero Clemente with 17 league goals.
Lazio 2008-09
Competition | Played | Won | Drawn | Lost | Goals scored |
Serie A | 38 | 15 | 5 | 18 | 48 |
Coppa Italia | 7 | 6 | 1 | - | 17 |
Total | 45 | 21 | 6 | 18 | 63 |
Top five appearances (complete player statistics)
Player | Total | Serie A | Coppa Italia |
41 | 34 | 7 | |
41 | 36 | 5 | |
40 | 33 | 7 | |
39 | 33 | 6 | |
37 | 31 | 6 |
Top goal scorers (complete player statistics)
Player | Total | Serie A | Coppa Italia |
Mauro Zarate | 16 | 13 | 3 |
Goran Pandev | 15 | 9 | 6 |
11 | 9 | 2 |
Let's talk about Stephen Makinwa
Stephen Makinwa was born in Lagos, Nigeria, on July 26, 1983. In 2012 he obtained Italian citizenship too.
His first team as a youngster in his homeland was Ebedei but at 17 he arrived in Europe and joined Reggiana's youth setup.
In 2000-01 he spent a season at Conegliano (Treviso and also Alessandro Del Piero's hometown)) on loan in Eccellenza (5th tier). He played 8 league games with 2 goals.
In 2001-02 he joined Como in Serie B but did not play at all.
In 2002-03 he returned to Reggio Emilia. Reggiana were in Serie C1 and finished 12th under manager Adriano Cadregari. Makinwa played 29 league games with 6 goals.
In 2003 he started with Genoa in Serie B but before playing left in January and joined Como again on loan in Serie B. The Lariani were relegated under former Lazio, Eugenio Fascetti and then Roberto Galia. Makinwa played 21 league games with 6 goals.
In January 2004 he moved to Modena on loan in Serie A. The manager was first Alberto Malesani and then Gianfranco Bellotto. Makinwa played 17 league games with 1 goal (Inter) and Modena finished 16th and relegated.
In 2004 he returned to Genoa in Serie B. The manager was Serse Cosmi and Makinwa stayed until January, playing 18 league games with 6 goals before leaving for Atalanta. Genoa ended up relegated to C1 for corruption (they had finished 1st).
He stayed six months in Bergamo. The manager was Delio Rossi and Atalanta finished 20th and relegated to Serie B. Makinwa played 17 league games with 6 goals (Lazio, Bologna, Cagliari, Milan, Sampdoria, Chievo).
In 2005-06 he played for Palermo, first under Luigi Del Neri and then former Lazio Giuseppe Papadopulo. The Rosanero finished 5th (UEFA Cup) and Makinwa played 23 league games with 5 goals (Inter, Siena, Empoli, Cagliari, Treviso). His teammates included Lazio connections Giuseppe Biava (2010-14) and Massimo Bonanni (2006).
In 2006 he joined Lazio. The manager was Delio Rossi and Lazio had an excellent season finishing 3rd (Champions League). Makinwa played 25 league games with 3 goals (Milan, Messina, Reggina).
In 2007-08 he stayed on but only until January. He played 14 league games, 1 in Coppa Italia and 4 in the Champions League. Lazio finished 12th.
In January 2008 he joined Reggina on loan. The manager was first Renzo Ulivieri and then Nevio Orlandi. The Amaranto finished 15th in A and he played 9 league games.
In 2008-09 he was back at Lazio but again only until January. The manager was still Rossi and Makinwa played 4 league games and 2 in Coppa Italia. Lazio finished 10th but won the Coppa Italia.
In January 2009 he joined Chievo on loan. The manager was Domenico Di Carlo and the Clivensi finished 16th. Makinwa played 9 league games with 1 goal (Cagliari) and was limited by an injury.
In 2009-10 he was again back in the capital. The manager was now Davide Ballardini. Lazio won the Supercoppa in August beating Mourinho’s Inter 2-1 but then struggled and finished 12th. In February Ballardini was replaced by Edy Reja. Makinwa played 2 league games, 1 in Coppa Italia and 3 in the Europa League.
In July 2010 he moved to Greece to play for Larissa on loan. He played 10 league games with 1 goal and 1 game in the Greek Cup.
In the summer of 2011, he returned yet again to Lazio. This time however, under Edy Reja, he got no games and in June 2012 his contract expired. The Biancocelesti had a good season and finished 4th (Europa League).
His last three clubs were at a lower level: Carrarese (Serie D, 13 games and 6 goals), Beijing Baxy (11 games and 4 goals) and finally Gorica in Slovenia (17 games and 2 goals).
He then retired at almost 38.
At international level he earned 19 caps for Nigeria with 2 goals (South Africa, Lesotho). He won a bronze medal at the 2006 Africa's Cup.
Makinwa was a forward. At 1.86 and 78 kilos he was a strong player but also fast. He was a prospect early in his career and had some good spells especially at Genoa, Atalanta and Palermo. He did not however really fulfil his potential, not helped by several injuries.
At Lazio he started well, scoring on his league debut at San Siro. In his various spells he lacked the consistency to impose himself as a regular. He played a total of 56 games for the Biancocelesti with 3 goals. He won a Supercoppa in 2009.
Lazio Career
Season | Apperances (goals) | Serie A | Coppa Italia | Champions League | Europa League |
2006-07 | 25 (3) | 25 (3) | - | - | - |
2007-08 | 19 | 14 | 1 | 4 | - |
2008-09 | 6 | 4 | 2 | - | - |
2009-10 | 6 | 2 | 1 | - | 3 |
Total | 56 (3) | 45 (3) | 4 | 4 | 3 |
Sources
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