Lazio kings of "Casteddu"
A Signori hat-trick and a Gascoigne freekick thump Cagliari
Also on this day:
The season so far
Lazio had finished 5th, under Dino Zoff, qualifying for the UEFA cup for the first time in fifteen years. Top scorer was Beppe Signori with 32 goals (26 in A and league top scorer).
This season Zoff was confirmed. Over the summer a few new players had arrived: goalkeeper Luca Marchegiani (Torino), defender Paolo Negro (Brescia), midfielders Luciano De Paola (Brescia), Roberto Di Matteo (Aarau), Fabrizio Di Mauro (Fiorentina - on loan) plus forwards Pierluigi "Gigi" Casiraghi (Juventus) and then in the autumn, Alen Boksic (Olympique Marseille).
There were some goodbyes too: goalkeeper Valerio Fiori (Cagliari), sadly fan favourite, defender Angelo Gregucci (Torino), midfielders Giovanni Stroppa (Foggia) and Dario Marcolin (Cagliari - on loan) plus forwards Maurizio Neri (Brescia) and German Karl-Heinz Riedle (Borussia Dortmund). In the autumn Thomas Doll left for Eintracht Frankfurt on loan.
Lazio were currently 5th in the table in Serie A, on 27 points. Lazio had won 10 (including Juventus 3-1 at home), drawn 7 (including derby 0-0) and lost 5 (including Cagliari 1-4). They came from the positive 2-1 away win against Inter.
Lazio had been knocked out of the UEFA Cup in November by Boavista. Lazio had won 1-0 at home but had then succumbed to two goals by a certain Ricky in Portugal. There had been talk in the Roman media of Zoff getting the chop after the elimination but he was still on the bench three months later.
Lazio were also already out of the Coppa Italia having suffered a shock exit to third tier Avellino 0-2 on aggregate.
Cagliari had finished an excellent 6th place the previous season. Under manager Carlo Mazzone they qualified for the UEFA Cup. The Rossoblu had drawn against Lazio in Sardinia but won 2-1 in Rome. Top scorers were Luís Oliveira and Enzo Francescoli with 9 goals (7 in A).
This season the manager was initially Gigi Radice but he only lasted one game and in came Bruno Giorgi. The main new players were: keeper Valerio Fiori (Lazio), defender Antonio Aloisi (Torino), midfielders Massimiliano Allegri (Pescara), Dario Marcolin (Lazio - on loan) plus forward Julio Dely Valdés (Nacional).
Leaving Cagliari were: keeper Mario Ielpo (Milan, after 205 league games), midfielders Gianluca Gaudenzi (Pescara) and Enzo Francescoli (Torino).
The season was not going quite as well this year. As mentioned, they changed manager after a 2-5 defeat away to Atalanta on their debut. Since then, "Casteddu" had won 6 (including Lazio 4-1 and Inter 1-0 at home), drawn 9 (including Juventus 1-1 and Inter 3-3 away) and lost 6. They came from five consecutive draws and were unbeaten since December 19 (Milan 1-2 away) Cagliari were currently joint 9th with Foggia on 21 points (4 above the drop zone).
In the Coppa Italia they were eliminated immediately by Cesena 1-2 on aggregate.
In the UEFA Cup they were doing well. They had eliminated Dinamo Bucharest 4-3, Trabzonspor on away goals and Malines 5-1. They would now play Juventus in the quarter finals on March 1 and 15.
Lazio were favourites today and looking to avenge the 1-4 away defeat in September. Cagliari however were not an easy team to beat and were unbeaten in their last league six games.
The match: Sunday, February 13, 1994, Stadio Olimpico, Rome
An overcast day with about 45,000 spectators at the Olimpico.
Lazio had no major injury problems while Cagliari had to do without their captain Gianfranco Matteoli, midfielder Pierpaolo Bisoli and winger Francesco Moriero.
Lazio started well and could have scored with Paolo Negro whose close-range shot was saved by Valerio Fiori and Diego Fuser who fired over the bar.
In the 15th minute on a rare excursion forward Cagliari had a good long range shot by Dario Marcolin but Luca Marchegiani flew to his left and palmed the ball out for a corner.
In the 23rd minute Lazio were awarded a penalty. Alen Boksic was pulled down when going for a header on a cross by Winter. A somewhat generous penalty which Beppe Signori put away with his usual no-run up style although Fiori went the right way but was beaten. Lazio 1 Cagliari 0.
Lazio continued to attack and had several chances to double their lead. Aron Winter shaved the post with a diving header, Signori hit the bar with a shot deflected by Fiori and then Beppe Favalli's close range shot was walled by a defender. Halftime Lazio 1 Cagliari 0.
Lazio were well in control and should have been further ahead.
In the second half the Biancocelesti continued to dominate. In the 49th minute Paul Gascoigne, in fine form, curled a shot which went extremely near the far post.
In the 51st minute a superb freekick by Signori put Lazio two up. The blond striker curled it round the wall and into the top left-hand corner. Brilliant and Lazio 2 Cagliari 0.
Cagliari stirred slightly and had a chance with Luís Oliveira but he stubbed his close range shot and it trickled past the right post.
In the 64th minute Signori got his hat-trick. Boksic went on one of his runs down the right combining power and technique and from near the by-line chipped a cross which Signori nodded in for a rare goal with his head. Lazio 3 Cagliari 0.
The game then went a bit flat with Lazio satisfied with their work and Cagliari demoralised.
Lazio made two substitutions in the last quarter, in the 78th minute defender Mauro Bonomi for Paolo Negro and in the 84th Gigi Casiraghi for Alen Boksic.
In the 87th minute Cagliari had a double chance with Julio Dely Valdés to pull one back. He was put through on goal by Oliveira, went round Marchegiani but pushed it too far and couldn't shoot, the move continued and Marcolin then passed the ball back to the Panamese forward but he hammered the ball straight at Marchegiani.
A minute later Lazio scored again. The Biancocelesti had a freekick on the left side of the area, an ideal position to get a dangerous cross in which everyone was expecting. Gascoigne had other ideas and curled the ball over the two-man wall and into the far post top hand corner. Vintage Gazza who celebrated under the Tribuna Tevere with his famous statuesque pose. Lazio 4 Cagliari 0.
In injury time the Sardinians had a final freekick from the edge of the box but it was weak, low and without conviction and comfortably picked up by Marchegiani. A freekick which basically summed up the islanders’ performance. Final score Lazio 4 Cagliari 0.
A fine afternoon for Lazio. Two goals had come from freekicks and one from a penalty but Lazio had dominated the game and could have scored more against a poor opposition.
Hero of the day was Signori with his hat-trick but Gazza had been excellent too and seemed to be approaching top form.
Lazio were still 5th but now only one point behind 4th placed Sampdoria. Cagliari were down to joint 11th with Roma on 21 points, now only three points from the drop zone (Genoa on 18).
Who played for Lazio
Marchegiani, Bacci, Favalli, Di Matteo, Negro (78' Bonomi), Cravero, Fuser, Winter, Boksic (84' Casiraghi), Gascoigne, Signori
Manager: Zoff
Who played for Cagliari
Fiori, Villa, Pusceddu, Pancaro, Bellucci, Firicano, Sanna, Herrera, Dely Valdés, Marcolin, Oliveira
Substitutes: Di Bitonto, Aloisi, Napoli, Allegri, La Torre
Manager: Giorgi
Referee: Baldas
Goals: 24' Signori (pen), 51' Signori, 64' Signori, 88' Gascoigne
What happened next
Lazio finished 4th and qualified for the UEFA Cup again. In the following 11 fixtures the Biancocelesti won 6 (including derby 1-0), drew 3 and lost 2. Top scorer was Giuseppe Signori with 23 league goals.
Cagliari finished 12th. In the next 11 games they won 4, drew 3 and lost 4. Top scorer was Dely Valdés with 17 goals (13 in A).
In the UEFA Cup they surprisingly knocked Juventus out, 3-1 on aggregate. In the semi-final they then lost to Inter 3-5 on aggregate. A good run however.
In Serie A Milan won their 14th title. Serie B was next stop for Piacenza, Udinese, Atalanta and Lecce.
Let's talk about Paul Gascoigne
Paul John Gascoigne was born in Dunston (Newcastle), on May 27, 1967. His name was a tribute to the Beatles.
He was brought up in Gateshead (Newcastle). He came from a humble background, his father was a hod carrier (a support to bricklayers), his mother worked in a factory and they initially lived in a council house.
Gascoigne already went through some therapy in his childhood, following witnessing a friend's death while another friend died while working for Gascoigne's uncle on a building site. Paul developed obsessions and twitches and an addiction to gaming machines.
All his problems seemingly disappeared on a football pitch. After trials with Ipswich, Middlesbrough and Southampton, he was signed by Newcastle as a schoolboy in 1980.
Though often overweight he performed well and showed promise. In 1985 he captained Newcastle United's youth team to win the FA Youth Cup (with a brace in the final).
He made his first team debut, under Jack Charlton, on April 13 1985, in a 1-0 home win against QPR. Gascoigne went on to play 104 games for the Toon with 25 goals (21 in the league). Newcastle finished 14th, 11th, 17th and 8th. His manager after Chartlon was Willy McFaul for three years.
In 1988, though it seemed likely he would join Manchester United, he then signed for Tottenham Hotspurs instead. In London he found Terry Venables as manager and in his first year he played 32 league games with 6 goals and 5 in the League Cup with 1 goal. Spurs finished 6th.
In 1989-90 the Lilywhites did even better finishing 3rd and Gascoigne played 34 league games with 6 goals and 4 in the League Cup with 1 goal.
In 1990-91, after Gazza (resulting in "Gazzamania") and England had gone close to world cup glory in Italia '90, Spurs finished 10th. He played 26 league games with 7 goals, 6 games in the FA Cup with 6 goals and 5 games in the League Cup with 5 goals (including four in one game against Hartlepool United). Tottenham however were in financial difficulty and Gascoigne was sold to Lazio for the following season. There was still an FA Cup Final to play however against Nottingham Forest at Wembley. To all football fans' horror and not least Lazio's, after only fifteen minutes Gascoigne ruptured his own cruciate ligaments in his right knee with a reckless tackle on Forest's Gary Charles. It was live on Italian TV and was a horrible moment. For the record Tottenham won the game 2-1 after extra-time.
Gascoigne was out of action for a year, his rehabilitation further delayed by an incident in a nightclub in late '91.
In 1992-93 he was finally ready to play in Italy for Lazio. The deal was clinched by former owner Gianmarco Calleri while now Lazio were owned by ambitious Sergio Cragnotti. The manager was legendary keeper Dino Zoff.
Gazza made his debut for Lazio on September 27, in a home game against Genoa. His first goal came in the local derby, equalising the game with only four minutes to go. Immensely popular in Rome this goal already made him immortal. A week later at Pescara he scored one of the best goals of his career when he slalomed past at least four defenders to score an amazing solo goal. In April he broke his cheekbone and had to play in a protective mask. In his first year with the Eagles, he played 22 league games with 4 goals (Roma, Pescara, Milan, Atalanta) and 4 in Coppa Italia. Lazio finished 5th, qualifying for Europe (UEFA Cup) after 16 years. He had shown flashes of his class with some great goals. It was hoped this was just the beginning.
In 1993-94 Lazio did one better and finished 4th but Gazza only played 17 league games with 2 goals (Juventus, Cagliari). He continued to have injuries and battle with his weight and then in April broke his leg again, in a tackle with Alessandro Nesta in training. Lazio’s best results were winning the derby 1-0, Juventus 3-1, Cagliari 4-0, Napoli 3-0 at home, Inter 2-1, Napoli 2-1 and Sampdoria 4-3 away. In the UEFA Cup the Biancocelesti disappointingly lost to Boavista in the last 32, 1-2 on aggregate.
In 1994-95 Zdeněk Zeman arrived as Lazio manager. Gone was the relaxed, understanding Zoff and in was highly tactical, strict and physically demanding Zeman. The relationship between the Bohemian and the Geordie predictably never blossomed. Gazza was out for most of the season anyway and only played 4 league games. Lazio had a good season and finished 2nd. The highlights were beating Roma 2-0, Napoli 5-1, Padova 5-1, Foggia 7-1, Milan 4-0, Fiorentina 8-2, Genoa 4-0, Inter 4-1 at home and Inter 2-0, Juventus 3-0, both away. In the UEFA Cup Lazio reached the quarter final (Borussia Dortmund 1-2 on aggregate) and in the Coppa Italia the semi-final (Juventus 1-3 on aggregate).
At the end of the season, it was obvious there was no future for Gascoigne at Lazio with Zeman as manager and Gazza returned to Britain.
In 1995 he moved to Scotland and joined Rangers. He stayed in Glasgow for three seasons. The Gers manager was Walter Smith and they won two league titles ('96, '97), one Scottish Cup ('96) and one League Cup. Gascoigne played 104 games and scored 39 goals (74 in league with 30 goals). His first two seasons were successful (including a brilliant goal vs Celtic in '96) but his third less so and he also got involved in controversy when he mimed playing a flute (symbolic of Protestant Orange Order marchers) during an Old Firm game at Celtic Park.
In 1998 he returned to England and joined Middlesbrough in the First Division (2nd tier), where his former England teammate Brayan Robson was manager. Gazza played 7 league games and 1 in the league cup. The Boro won promotion to the Premier League.
In 1998-99 he played more regularly, making 26 league appearances with 3 goals and 3 in the domestic cups. Middlesbrough finished 9th. Gazza still had ongoing personal problems and a spell in rehab but he generally performed well.
In 1999-2000 things did not go so well. He played 8 league games with 1 goal and 3 in the domestic cups. He broke his arm in February and his season faded. Middlesbrough finished 12th. This was his last season with the Smoggies.
In 2000 he joined Everton in the Premier League. The Toffees finished 16th under Walter Smith from his Rangers days and Gascoigne played 14 league games and 1 in the League Cup. He continued to be hindered by a series of niggling injuries and depression.
After attending an alcohol rehabilitation clinic in the summer, in 2001 he stayed on at the Blues of Liverpool and played 18 league games with 1 goal (Bolton) and 5 in the domestic cups. The People’s Club finished 15th and Gazza missed long periods for a hernia injury.
In the spring of 2002 Gascoigne left Merseyside for Lancashire and joined Burnley in the First Division. He played 6 league games for the Clarets who narrowly missed out on the play-offs.
In 2003 Gascoigne went for the Chinese experience and joined Gansu Tianma in the China League One (2nd tier) as player-coach but only played 4 league games with 2 goals and left.
His last club was Boston United in 2004 in Football League Two (4th tier). He played 4 league games and 1 in the League Cup.
Gascoigne then retired at almost 38.
At international level he won 57 caps for England with 10 goals. He performed superbly in the Italia '90 World Cup and Euro '96. In Italy, the Three Lions lost on penalties to Germany in the semi-final (Gazza was booked and would have missed the final) while in the Europeans, well… the same... out to Germany on penalties in the semis. He also played 21 times for the U21's with 5 goals.
After retiring he had a few coaching experiences but without proper contracts. First a couple of months with newly founded Portuguese club Algarve United and then Conference North club Kettering United but this only lasted 39 days.
Since retiring he has rarely been out of the news. His life became increasingly dominated by severe mental and emotional problems, particularly alcoholism. He has three autobiographies in which he refers to treatment for bulimia, OCD (obsessive-compulsive disorder), bipolar disorder, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and alcoholism. He also describes his addictive personality leading to addictions of varying severity to alcohol, cocaine, chain smoking, gambling, high-caffeine energy drinks, exercise and junk food. A troubled soul.
As a player however Gascoigne was one of a kind. He is considered one of the best players of his generation and one of the best English footballers of all time. He was an attacking central midfielder often playing as playmaker. Gascoigne had it all: pace, physical strength, balance, dribbling skills, striking and heading ability. His upper body strength and technical skills enabled him to glide past opponents and his great vision meant he could set up passes and assists. He could use both feet and was an incredibly creative and entertaining player. At his prime he was unstoppable. He scored some memorable goals, his goal at Wembley against Scotland in Euro' 96 comes to mind. Unfortunately, his turbulent and often unhealthy lifestyle added to a tendency to get injured limited his career. He will be remembered as a top player but he could have been the greatest.
At Lazio he was and still is adored. It is fair to say he is one of the most popular players ever to have worn a Lazio jersey. It was love at first sight with Gazza. Lazio are a unique club, for better or worse and Gazza was a unique player. The fans fell in love with his character, his pranks, his Geordie Italian but especially the flashes of his superlative football skills. He only played 47 games for the Biancocelesti but some of his performances, his goal in the derby in the dying minutes, his amazing goal at Pescara, his passion and pure talent will be cherished for ever. I'm sure the song Paul Gascoigne lala-lala-lala, Paul Gascoigne lala-lala-lala will be sung for generations to come.
Personally, I met Gazza in a pub in North Rome where we both lived on an evening before a game. I was relieved to see he was not drinking (his mate Jimmy five bellies certainly was), just smoking a cigar and playing cards with some local lads but the funny thing was these pronounced the card names in Geordie accents.
Lazio Career
Season | Total appearances (goals) | Serie A | Coppa Italia |
1992-93 | 26 (4) | 22 (4) | 4 |
1993-94 | 17 (2) | 17 (2) | - |
1994-95 | 4 | 4 | - |
Total | 47 (6) | 43 (6) | 4 |
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