Two long range missiles enough to sink Adriatici
Cracking goals by Radu and Lulic in the first half give Lazio comfortable win
Also on this day: February 25, 1951, Lazio Roma 2-1. An early goal by Sentimenti III and a second by Cecconi inside the first 30 minutes were enough for Lazio to beat Roma. Lazio Hero of the day: Romolo Alzani
The season so far
The main novelty for Lazio this season was the arrival of Swiss coach Vladimir Petkovic, an elegant polyglot of Bosnian origin. Apart from Petkovic, Lazio had Brazilian Ederson (free transfer) in midfield, plus defensive giant Michael Ciani (Bordeaux). Sergio Floccari, Mauro Zarate and Luis Pedro Cavanda retuned from their loans.
Leaving were defenders Javier Garrido (Norwich City-on loan) and Guglielmo Stendardo (back to Atalanta where he had been playing on loan).
In January, striker and fan favourite Tommaso Rocchi had left for Inter after nine wonderful years in Rome (and 105 goals) and Brazilian Francelino Matuzalem had joined Genoa.
Lazio had started well in Serie A with three wins. Then, despite defeats against Fiorentina, Napoli, Genoa and Catania, there had more wins including a 3-2 derby triumph, Milan and Inter plus a hard earned away point against Juventus. At the end of the first round of fixtures Lazio were 2nd. In the last five games however, Lazio had only got two points and had dropped to joint 4th with Milan. Their last game had been a terrible 0-3 defeat at Siena.
The Biancocelesti needed to turn the tide this evening against lowly Pescara.
In Europe League Lazio had reached the last 16 and would play Stuttgart in March. The Biancocelesti had eliminated Slovenians Mura 05 in the playoffs, topped a group with Tottenham, Panathinaikos and Maribor and then beaten Borussia Mönchengladbach 5-3 on aggregate in the round of 32.
In the Coppa Italia, Lazio were in the final to be played on May 26 against Roma…. The Biancocelesti had eliminated Siena on penalties, Catania 3-0 at home and Juventus 3-2 on aggregate to qualify for a historic cup final against bitter city rivals.
Pescara had been promoted the previous year, winning Serie B under Zdenek Zeman. Ciro Immobile had been top scorer with 28 league goals in a team that included Lorenzo Insigne and Marco Verratti.
This season the manager had initially been former Lazio player Giovanni Stroppa (1991-93) but from November 18 he had been replaced by another Lazio connection, Cristiano Bergodi (1975-78, 1989-96).
In the summer market the squad had changed a lot. In came: keepers Mattia Perin (Genoa-on loan) and Ivan Pelizzoli (Padova), defenders Uroš Ćosić (CSKA Moscow), Francesco Modesto (Parma-on loan), Christian Terlizzi (Varese), midfielders Birkir Bjarnason (Standard Lieges-on loan), Manuele Blasi (free agent), Giuseppe Colucci (Cesena), Juan Fernando Quintero (Atlético National de Medellin-on loan) plus forwards Elvis Abbruscato (Vicenza), Gianluca Caprari (Roma), Mervan Çelik (GAIS- Gothenburg), Jonathas (Brescia), Ante Vukušić (Hadjuk Split) and Vladimir Weiss (Manchester City). A lot of new players, possibly too many.
Leaving were some of their best players; midfielders Andrea Gessa (Cesena), Marco Verratti (PSG) plus forwards Ciro Immobile (back to Juventus, end of loan, and later Genoa), Lorenzo Insigne (Napoli-end of loan) and Marco Sansovini (Spezia).
In the winter market session, the Pescaresi had added defenders Luciano Zauri (Lazio), Per Krøldrup (free agent), midfielder Gaetano D'Agostino (Siena-on loan) plus forwards Giuseppe Sculli (Lazio) and Ferdinando Sforzini (Grosseto). Meanwhile Terlizzi, Colucci, Brugman and Jonathas had already left.
Pescara did not look strengthened, far from it.
So far things were not going too well for the Adriatici. They were currently in 19th position (out of 20), on 21 points. The Biancazzurri had won 6, drawn 3 and lost 16 (including Lazio 0-3, Juventus 1-6, both at home and Sampdoria 0-6 away). The "Delfini" were on the same points as Siena and four points from safety, Genoa on 25. A week earlier Pescara had lost 0-2 at home to Cagliari, a bad defeat as Cagliari had been 16th before the game.
So, today's Monday night game saw Lazio as favourites, playing at home and 23 points ahead in the table. Lazio however came from a 0-3 defeat to similar level Siena and were not at the top of their game.
The match: Monday, February 25, 2013, Stadio Olimpico, Rome
A cold, Monday evening kick-off did not attract a big crowd, about 20,000.
Lazio were still without Miroslav Klose while Pescara had several absences. Vladimir Weiss, Manuele Blasi and Damiano Zanon were suspended while Ferdinando Sforzini, Rômulo Togni and Juan Fernando Quintero were injured.
It was Pescara who initially and surprisingly took the game to Lazio. For the first ten minutes they were constantly in Lazio's half. In the 5th minute the hosts lost Abdoulay Konko with a knee injury and he was replaced by Bruno Pereirinha. Pescara's only threat however was a weak Emmanuel Cascione long range shot, comfortably saved by Federico Marchetti.
Slowly but surely Lazio gained control of the game. In the 13th minute Sergio Floccari had a superb bicycle kick go just wide and, in the 19th, Hernanes shot from a distance but was just off target past the right post.
Lazio were starting to attack constantly but had difficulty penetrating the area so Stefan Radu had another idea. In the 29th minute he was passed the ball back by Senad Lulic, to just outside the area on the left, and he let off a blistering left foot which went past Ivan Pelizzoli and into the top left-hand corner on the near post. A cracking goal and Lazio 1 Pescara 0.
Lazio insisted and made it two just six minutes later. In the 35th minute Lulic went forward in midfield and seeing no-one challenged him just continued until the edge of the area where he too blasted a powerful right foot into the top left-hand corner. Another fantastic goal and Lazio 2 Pescara 0.
Lazio cruised to halftime two goals up and in complete control.
There were no changes for the second period. Pescara tried to create chances but were never dangerous so in the 60th minute they tried changing striker, bringing on former Roma, Gianluca Caprari for Elvis Abbruscato.
Three minutes later however it was Lazio who almost scored again. Radu hit the ball forward from way inside his own half and suddenly Floccari was free to run towards goal undisturbed on the left, he entered the area and tried to curl it round Pelizzoli but it did not tak on the desired trajectory and hit the keeper.
In the 66th minute Eddy Onazi replaced an injured Alvaro "Tata" Gonzalez and in the 71st the Abruzzesi changed Mervan Celik with Milton Caraglio.
The Nigerian midfielder had a good impact on the game and in the 73rd minute dispossessed Birkir Bjarnason in midfield and burst forward before setting up Floccari with a goal scoring opportunity, but the striker from Calabria tried one dribbling too many and lost the moment.
In the 81st minute Brazilian Ederson came on for Antonio Candreva. Three minutes later he almost teed up Floccari in front of goal but his low cross was intercepted by Pelizzoli.
In the 84th minute Onazi did everything perfectly going past several opponents but then his shot lacked power and was saved low by Pelizzoli.
In the 87th minute the Adriatici played their last card bringing on former Lazio Giuseppe Sculli for Cascione.
Pescara again tried to push forward until the end but lacked conviction and after three minutes of injury time the referee blew for fulltime. Lazio 2 Pescara 0.
Ultimately an easy win for Lazio who with two long range shots had got the necessary lead and then there was no way back for Pescara.
Lazio were now up to 3rd place, on 47 points, going above Milan who had drawn the derby 1-1, on 46. Next up Milan vs Lazio at the old San Siro.
Pescara looked in serious trouble. Genoa had drawn 0-0 away at Palermo and now had a five-point advantage on the struggling "Delfini".
Who played for Lazio
Marchetti, Konko (5' Pereirinha), Cana, Dias, Radu, Candreva (81' Ederson), A. Gonzalez (66' Onazi), Ledesma, Hernanes, Lulic, Floccari
Manager: Petkovic
Who played for Pescara
Pelizzoli, Balzano, Cosic, Bocchetti, Capuano, Zauri, Rizzo, Cascione (87' Sculli), Bjarnason, Abbruscato (60' Caprari), Celik (71' Caraglio)
Substitutes: Perin, Bianchi, Arce, Modesto, D'Agostino, Vukusic
Manager: Bergodi
Referee: Romeo
Goals: 29' Radu, 35' Lulic
What happened next
In Serie A Lazio faded and finished 7th. After today's win Lazio lost the crunch match in Milan 0-3 and then also lost the next two. The only really good win before the end of the season was a 3-1 win away to Inter while the second derby ended 1-1. Top scorer was Miro Klose with 16 (15 in A).
In the Europa League, Lazio beat Stuttgart 5-1 on aggregate. They then played Fenerbahçe in the quarters and were beaten 1-3 on aggregate but also by a shocking Scottish referee in Istanbul.
The Coppa Italia was a different story. On the 26th May, Lazio triumphed 1-0 with a Senad Lulic goal in the 71st minute (one can still see the number graffitied around town).
An average season became an epic one thanks to the derby win which will be remembered forever on both sides of the Tiber.
Pescara were relegated in 20th place, rock bottom. In early March they tried to change things by replacing Bergodi with Christian Bucchi but it was too late. After today the Biancazzurri never won a game, only drew 1 (Roma 1-1 away) and lost 11. Top scorer was Weiss with 5 goals (4 in A).
The Scudetto was won by Juventus for the 29th time. Pescara went down with Siena and Palermo (Siena have not been back since).
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 Bruno Pereirinha
Bruno Alexandre Marques Pereirinha was born in Rio de Mouro, Portugal, on March 2, 1988.
At 14 he joined the Belnenses youth sector where he stayed two years. In 2016, at 16, he moved to Sporting Lisbon's youth sector.
In 2006 he was then loaned to Olivais e Moscavide for a year, a historic Lisbon club in the Second Division where he played 9 league games.
In 2007 he was back with Sporting where he stayed three seasons. The manager was Paulo Bento and the "Leões" finished 2nd. The Sportinguisti won the Portuguese Cup beating Porto 2-0 after extra time and the Super Cup again beating Porto 1-0. In Europe League, Sporting reached the quarter finals but lost to Glasgow Rangers 0-2 on aggregate.
In 2008-09 the "Verdi Brancos" finished 2nd again (behind Porto). They won their 7th Super Cup beating Porto again 2-0. In Champions League they were thrashed by 12-1 on aggregate by Bayern Munich in the last 16.
In 2009-10 Sporting finished 4th under three different managers, Bento, Leonel Pontes and then from November Carlos Carvalhal. One of Pereirinha's teammates was future Lazio fan favourite Felipe Caicedo (2017-21). This was Pereirinha' last season with Sporting and he left after 76 league games and 2 goals, 11 games in the domestic cups with 1 goal and 26 in Europe (15 UCL + 11 in EL) with 2 goals.
In 2010 he joined Vitória Guimarães on loan. The "Conquistadores" were in the Primera Liga. Pereirinha however played 10 league games with 1 goal before leaving in January for Kavala in Greece. For the record, Guimarães finished 5th.
In Greece Kavala, from the north-east, were in the Second Division and Pereirinha played 13 league games. He then returned to Sporting Lisbon.
In 2011-12 the manager was first Domingos Paciência and then Ricardo Sá Pinto and Sporting finished 4th. The "Leoes" reached the semi-finals of Europa League, after being in Lazio's first round group (2-1, 0-2, one win each), but lost to Atletic Bilbao 3-4 on aggregate. Pereirinha played 11 league games, 2 in the domestic cups and 11 in Europa League. One of his teammates was brief future Lazio connection Hélder Postiga (Jan 2014-June 2014).
In 2012-13 he was out of favour and only played 3 games for Sporting Lisbon's B team, in the Segunda Liga.
At this point in January 2013, he joined Lazio. The manager was Vladimir Petkovic and Pereirinha played 8 league games and 3 in the Europa League. Lazio finished 7th and reached the quarterfinals of EL. It was in Coppa Italia where they lived their finest hour beating city rivals Roma 1-0 on a memorable May 26, with a Senad Lulic goal.
In 2013-14 Petkovic stayed on but was replaced by Edy Reja after 17 games. Lazio finished 9th and lost the Supercoppa final to Juventus 0-4. Pereirinha played 11 league games.
The 2014-15 would be Pereirinha's last in Rome. The manager was Stefano Pioli and Lazio had a positive season finishing 3rd (ECL prelimary). The Biancocelesti reached the Coppa Italia final but lost 1-2 to Juventus in extra time. Pereirinha only played 3 league games and 2 games in Coppa Italia.
In July 2015 he joined Athletico Paranaense in Brazil. He stayed until 2016 with the "Furucão" (The Hurricane) but only played a total of 14 games with 1 goal.
In 2017-18 he was back in Portugal with Belnenses in the Primera Liga. The "Aziuis” (The Blues) finished 12th and Pereirinha played 16 league games and 2 in the domestic cups.
He then played one last season with Cova de Piedade in the Portuguese Pro 2. He played 15 league games.
At 31 he retired.
In his youth he played 16 games for Portugal U19's, 5 for the U20's with 1 goal and 19 for the U21's.
Pereirinha was a defender and midfielder. He usually played on the right where his main asset was his speed. He was a versatile player and could play in various positions but then again did not excel in any particular task.
His career started with more promise as shown by his games for Portugal national youth selections. He did however win four trophies with Sporting Lisbon and played a total of 138 games with 5 goals.
At Lazio he stayed two and a half seasons and was basically a reserve. He played a total of 27 games. His name is nevertheless in the record books as he was in the squad that won the epic Coppa Italia against Roma in 2013 and was on the bench that historic day.
Lazio Career
Season | Total appearances | Serie A | Coppa Italia | Europa League |
2012-13 | 11 | 8 | - | 3 |
2013-14 | 11 | 11 | - | - |
2014-15 | 5 | 3 | 2 | - |
Total | 27 | 22 | 2 | 3 |
Sources
Comments