First prophecy from Hernanes
First game and first win of the season thanks to Hernanes
Also on this day: August 26, 2022, Lazio Inter 3-1. A wonderful display by Lazio with three exceptional goals from Felipe Anderson, Luis Alberto and Pedro that sink Inter. Player of the day: Pedro
Season so far
Edy Reja had left after the end of the previous season and Lazio had given the keys to the squad to Vladimor Petkovic, a Swiss National of Bosnian origin, who had had a successful managerial career in Switzerland. Lazio had added Ederson and Michael Ciani in the summer.
Lazio so far had played one official match, the first leg of the Europa League playoff against Mura 05. In Slovenia the Biancocelesti had won 2-0. A promising start.
Today was the first league game of the season.
The match: Sunday, August 26, 2012, Stadio Atleti Azzurri d’Italia, Bergamo
Atalanta started really well and, in the 4th minute a Davide Brivio header off a corner hit the woodwork. The ball bounced off the post and Federico Peluso tried another header which hit the crossbar. All in vain because it was off-side. In the 10th minute Maxi Moralez dribbled past Abdoulay Konko and from the left of the box tried a shot which Federico Marchetti deflected into corner. Lazio started to become dangerous shortly after with an Antonio Candreva shot parried by the goalkeeper and a Stefano Mauri header off a Cristian Ledesma freekick that was just wide.
In the 17th minute the Biancocelesti scored. Miro Klose to Mauri just inside the box on the left. Low cross to the middle which Hernanes comfortably slotted in.
Mauri had a chance in the 21st minute but his shot was too central. Atalanta reacted and in the 31st minute had an opportunity with Moralez on a free kick but Marchetti made a superb save.
In the second half, Lazio tried to get control of the match and score a second. Senad Lulic crossed a ball from the left, Klose headed it to Alvaro Gonzalez who tried a volley which shaved the crossbar. Atalanta gradually disappeared from the game. They had one last opportunity when Brivio tried a shot on a free kick in the 73rd minute, the ball hit the wall, Denis raced to it and tried a shot from a difficult angle but Superman Marchetti was already there to save into corner.
The Biancocelesti controlled the rest of the game without too many problems and brought back the first win of the season.
Who played for Atalanta
Consigli, Bellini, Lucchini, Peluso, Brivio, Schelotto (67' Troisi), Cigarini, Biondini (90' Cazzola), Bonaventura (74' Parra), Moralez, Denis
Substitutes: Frezzolini, Polito, Matheu, Raimondi, Ferri, Manfredini
Manager: Colantuono
Who played for Lazio
Marchetti, Konko, Biava, Dias, Lulic, Ledesma, Mauri (80’ Onazi), A. Gonzalez (84’ Cana), Hernanes, Candreva (89’ Scaloni), Klose
Manager: Petkovic
Referee: Gervasoni
Goal: 17’ Hernanes
What happened next
Lazio started the season very well and by the end of the first half were second. The Champions League looked possible. But in the next 19 games the Biancocelesti won just six times so top tier Europe was not going to be a possibility. They finished seventh.
In the Europa League Lazio did very well. After beating Mura in the playoff in August, Lazio topped their group (Tottenham, Panathinaikos and Maribor the opponents), and later eliminated Borussia Mönchengladbach and Stuttgart. They then faced Fenerbahçe in the quarterfinals but they lost in Turkey following a horrendous refereeing display and were not able to overcome the deficit in the return match.
The glory came with the Coppa Italia. In the fourth round Lazio had beaten Siena in the penalty shootout after Ciani saved the campaign with a last second equaliser and Juan Pablo Carrizo stopped two penalties. Things went more smoothly in the quarterfinals with a 3-0 win over Catania.
In the semi-finals Lazio had to face Juventus. In the first leg in Turin Lazio managed to draw 1-1 thanks to a number of miracles from goalkeeper Federico Marchetti and another last gasp goal from Stefano Mauri. In the return match, Lazio scored with Alvaro Gonzalez in the beginning of the second half and it looked as if the Biancocelesti had secured the final. But a Stefan Radu mistake in the second minute of injury time gave Juventus the equaliser. Extra time was on the cards but a Sergio Floccari header with one minute to go gave Lazio the ticket for the final. A ticket which was about to be thrown away as Juventus had an open goal chance in the 95th minute but Claudio Marchisio kicked the ball wide.
The final would be against Roma who had eliminated Inter in the other semi-final. This was going to be the first derby in a final. Whoever won would have their name in the history books.
Lazio won the Cup thanks to a goal from Senad Lulic in the now famous 71st minute. Among the most important wins in the history of the club, it gave the players eternal glory, Lulic is now worshipped like a Saint, and Lazio qualified for next season’s Europa League. One of the best seasons ever.
Lazio 2012-13
Competition | Played | Won | Drawn | Lost | Goals Scored |
Serie A | 38 | 18 | 7 | 13 | 51 |
Coppa Italia | 5 | 3 | 2 | - | 8 |
Europa League | 14 | 8 | 5 | 1 | 25 |
Total | 57 | 29 | 14 | 14 | 84 |
Top five appearances
Player | Total | Serie A | Coppa Italia | Europa League |
Hernanes | 53 | 34 | 5 | 14 |
Ledesma | 52 | 36 | 5 | 11 |
Lulic | 50 | 33 | 5 | 12 |
Candreva | 49 | 35 | 3 | 11 |
Gonzalez | 49 | 34 | 4 | 11 |
Top five goal scorers
Player | Total | Serie A | Coppa Italia | Europa League |
Klose | 16 | 15 | - | 1 |
Hernanes | 14 | 11 | 2 | 1 |
Floccari | 10 | 5 | 1 | 4 |
Kozak | 10 | - | - | 10 |
Candreva | 7 | 6 | - | 1 |
Let's talk about Hernanes
Anderson Hernanes de Carvalho Viana Lima, better known as Hernanes, was one of the best players Lazio have ever had. A formidable midfield player, he could shoot with both feet with the same amount of precision. His only real defect was that at times he looked slow so, despite the fact that he wanted to play in front of the defence, managers often put him further forward because it was in the last 20-30 metres that he could be most effective. He is nicknamed “The Prophet”.
Hernanes was born in Recife on May 29, 1985. He started playing football with Santa Cruz to then move to Unibol. In 2001 he joined Sao Paulo and debuted professionally in 2005. A year later the club sent him to Santo André in the Brazilian second division. He was very successful, so in 2007 he went back and became a first team player. That year Sao Paulo won the championship and he was awarded the Bola de Prata as best midfield player of the League. He repeated both feats again in 2008.
In 2010 he signed for Lazio for five years. He was a star in Brazil and there was a lot of expectation. Hernanes lived up to it. Manager Edy Reja placed him behind the forwards and he thrived. He scored and provided assists. He played at excellent levels for three years culminating in the victorious 2013 derby cup final. For this feat he will always be remembered as one of the heroes of May 26.
Theoretically the summer of 2013 should have seen the start of negotiations for the renewal of his contract. But nothing happened. Hernanes played pretty awfully in the 2013-14 season with the exception of the match at Udine. Down to ten men and losing 2-1, Lazio won the game thanks to a typically spectacular Hernanes shot in the dying seconds. But this was his last game for Lazio as he refused to renew his contract and the club sold him to Inter to at least recover some much-needed money.
He played 156 games for Lazio (118 in Serie A, 8 in Coppa Italia and 29 in Europa League) scoring 41 goals (33 in Serie A, 4 in Coppa Italia and 4 in Europa League).
He stayed in Milan for a season and a half, never reaching the heights of his Lazio stint (not even coming close). In 2015 he was surprisingly bought by Juventus. He did not play much in Turin, just 35 games in 18 months, but he won a scudetto and another Coppa Italia.
In February 2017 he signed for Hebei China Fortune and in July, after just a handful of games, he was loaned to São Paulo until the end of the year. Back in China in 2018, he did not play much and in 2019 he joined São Paulo again this time definitely. After winning a Campeonato Paulista in 2021, he signed for Sport Recife.
He quit football in May 2022.
He played 28 times for Brazil and in the World Cup of 2014. He also participated in the Olympic Games of 2008 and won a bronze medal.
Lazio Career
Season | Total apperances (goals) | Serie A | Coppa Italia | Europa League | Super Coppa |
2010-11 | 37 (12) | 36 (11) | 1 (1) | - | - |
2011-12 | 42 (11) | 31 (8) | 2 (1) | 9 (2) | - |
2012-13 | 53 (14) | 34 (11) | 5 (2) | 14 (1) | - |
2013 -Jan 2014 | 24 (4) | 17 (3) | - | 6 (1) | 1 |
Total | 156 (41) | 118 (33) | 8 (4) | 29 (4) | 1 |
Sources
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