Lazio toil to win
A Bianchi penalty on the stroke of halftime gives Biancocelesti three points
Also on this day:
The season so far
The previous season had been excellent for Lazio with a 3rd place and a Champions League preliminary qualification. Top scorer was Tommaso Rocchi with 19 goals (16 in A).
This season Manager Delio Rossi had been confirmed and there had been no major upheavals to the squad. The main signing, Argentine goalkeeper Juan Pablo Carrizo, would have to remain at River Plate for another year due to bureaucratic problems. Another South-American keeper had been brought in to fill the gap with Uruguayan Fernando Muslera arriving from Nacional Montevideo. Other new entries were defenders Alexsandar Kolarov (OFK Belgrade) and Lionel Scaloni (Real Santander), midfielders Simone del Nero (Brescia) and Mourad Meghni (Bologna).
In the winter market Lazio had welcomed defenders Stefan Radu (Dinamo Bucharest) and David Rozehnal (Newcastle United), midfielder Ousmane Dabo (Manchester City) and striker Rolando Bianchi (Manchester City - loan).
Sadly goalkeeper Angelo Peruzzi was retiring after a fantastic career. Fellow keeper Matteo Sereni was also leaving (Torino). Heading off were also midfielders Pasquale Foggia (Cagliari - loan) and Luís Jimenez (Ternana - end of loan) and striker Simone Inzaghi (Atalanta - loan). In the winter Lionel Scaloni went to Spain (Mallorca), defender Guglielmo Stendardo to Juventus on loan and striker Stephen Makinwa to today's opponents Reggina, again on loan.
Lazio's season had started off well getting into the Champions League proper (Dinamo Bucharest 1-1, 3-1) but then not continued so positively. They had not got through the CL group stage with Olympiakos (1-1, 1-2), Werder Bremen (1-2, 2-1) and Real Madrid (2-2, 1-3).
In Serie A they drew the first three and then got their first win after five matches (Cagliari 3-1). They had lost the first derby 3-2 and the previous week had lost 0-1 in Cagliari. Lazio were currently in joint 12th position, with Torino on 26 points, after 6 wins, 8 draws (including Reggina 0-0 away) and 9 defeats. They had to be careful as the relegation zone was only four points further down. The Biancocelesti top scorers were Tommaso Rocchi and Goran Pandev both with 10.
In the Coppa Italia Lazio were through to the semi-finals where they would play Inter home and away in April-May. The Biancocelesti had eliminated Napoli (2-1, 1-1) and Fiorentina (2-1, 2-1).
Lazio's season had sadly been marked by tragedy on November 11. On an away trip to Inter a Lazio fan, 26-year-old Gabriele Sandri, had been shot to death by a policeman. The lethal bullet had been fired from a distance of about 50 metres while Sandri was asleep in the back of a car in a motorway cafe car park in Tuscany (Gabriele was a well-known DJ in the capital). It later transpired the police thought there was a robbery or fights going on. The Inter-Lazio game was called off and there were fan revolts all over Italy in protest about the tragedy. The policeman, Luigi Spaccarotella, would later be condemned for wilful murder.
Reggina had finished 14th in Serie A under Walter Mazzarri. The Amaranto had drawn 0-0 to Lazio in Rome but lost 2-3 at home. Top scorer was Rolando Bianchi with 19 goals (18 in A).
This season the manager initially was Massimo Ficcadenti but from the 11th fixture he was replaced by Renzo Ulivieri. In the summer Reggina had brought in a few new players; defender Andrea Costa (Bologna), forwards Franco Brienza (Palermo) and Christian Stuani (Danubio). In January defender Bruno Cirillo (Levante) had been added as well as forward Stephen Makinwa (Lazio on loan).
Leaving Reggio Calabria were: defender Kris Stadsgaard (Rosenborg) and forward Rolando Bianchi (Manchester City - end of loan and then in January Lazio) and in January defender Nicolò Cherubini left (Avellino on loan).
So far Reggina were in 19th place, on 21 points, but only one from safety (Siena in 17th on 22 points). Reggina came from a surprising 2-1 home win over Juventus. The game against Lazio in September had ended 1-1.
In the last 16 of the Coppa Italia Reggina had gone out to Inter, losing 1-7 on aggregate.
Lazio were expected to win today but it was a potential relegation clash so the visitors, especially after having beaten Juventus, would battle hard.
The match: Wednesday, February 27, 2008, Stadio Olimpico, Rome
A crowd of less than 20,000 turned up for this Wednesday 8.30 p.m kick-off.
Lazio were without midfielders Valon Behrami, Luciano Zauri and Massimo Mutarelli all injured.
The visitors were missing defenders Carlos Valdez (injured) and Maurizio Lanzaro (suspended), midfielder Francesco Modesto (injured) plus forwards Nicola Amoruso (suspended) and Fabio Ceravolo (injured).
The atmosphere inside the Olimpico was heavy as the fans were far from pleased with the way the season was going. The fans had already voiced their dissatisfaction with protests at Formello (Lazio's training ground) during the week.
The Amaranto clearly came to Rome to take a draw as their more talented players Franco Brienza and captain Francesco Cozza were both on the bench. Their setup was very physical and defensive.
The game therefore was attack and against defence. The problem was that Lazio attacked but were never dangerous. Without Tommaso Rocchi they lost agility and were predictable and slow up front.
The first half was almost over when Lazio's sterile but constant pressure was rewarded. In the 44th minute, after a cross by Ousmane Dabo and a header by Rolando Bianchi, defender Salvatore Aronica was punished with a penalty for a naive push on Goran Pandev. Bianchi, the former Reggina player who had contributed to their survival the previous year with 18 goals and on his Lazio debut, stepped up and hit a central shot past Andrea Campagnolo who had gone to his left. Lazio 1 Reggina 0.
A deserved halftime lead for Lazio, not so much for chances created but merely for their dogged determination in pushing forward.
For the second half the Reggini replaced defender Pablo Álvarez with midfielder Édgar Barreto. After ten minutes they also put on a more talented and creative player Brienza for Luca Vigiani. In the 57th Lazio took off a poor Mourad Meghni and threw on Stefano Mauri.
The visitors finally started to be more positive. The Amaranto attacked and put Lazio in difficulty. The Biancocelesti tried to remedy this by replacing Dabo with fresh-legged Gaby Mudingayi.
The Calabresi however had several chances to equalise, three with Emmanuel Cascione and one with Stephen Makinwa and became even more attacking oriented in the 74th minute with the introduction of attacking midfielder Cozza for defender Andrea Costa.
The tables had turned from the first half and now it was Reggina almost permanently camped at Lazio's end.
The Biancocelesti did have a big chance when a Stefan Radu effort hit the top of the crossbar but in general, they had to retreat to the trenches in defence of the precious three points.
In the 75th minute Bianchi went off and Tommaso Rocchi came on. The Venetian forward was useful with his speed and ball control to give Lazio some breathing space. He made several good runs and won some extremely welcome freekicks to allow the clock to tick away.
After four minutes of added time the referee finally blew up after more Reggina pressure but no major threats. Final score Lazio 1 Reggina 0.
A hard fought, unspectacular win for Lazio but important for the league table. Reggina probably looked back with regret at having wasted the whole first half with their negative approach.
Lazio were still 12th, on 29 points but more importantly were now six points above the last relegation slot with another five teams in between. No major celebrations tonight but a big sigh of relief for the time being.
Reggina were still 19th, on 21 points but now safety was three points away (Catania on 24 - the Etnei had drawn 1-1 with Milan while Parma and Siena on 25 had defeated Udinese and Empoli both 2-0). Worrying times on the Calabrese side of the straits of Messina.
Who played for Lazio
Ballotta, De Silvestri, Siviglia, Cribari, Radu, Dabo (61' Mudingayi), Ledesma, Manfredini, Meghni (57' Mauri), Pandev, Bianchi (75' Rocchi)
Manager: Rossi
Who played for Reggina
Campagnolo, Cirillo, Valdez, Aronica, Alvarez (46' Barreto), Cascione, Halfređsson, Costa (74' Cozza), Vigiani (56' Brienza), Missiroli, Makinwa
Substitutes: Novakovic, Tognozzi, Joelson, Stuani
Manager: Ulivieri
Referee: Saccani
Goal: 45' Bianchi (pen)
What happened next
Lazio finished 12th. In the next 13 games the Biancocelesti won 4, drew 4 (including Milan 1-1 away and Inter 1-1 at home) and lost 5. Fortunately, one of the wins partially saved an overall disappointing season. On March 19 Lazio defeated eternal city rivals 3-2 in the derby with a 93rd minute Valon Behrami winner. An incredible joy but then Lazio would not win again until May 18. Top scorers were Rocchi and Pandev with 19 goals each (14 in A).
In the Coppa Italia, Lazio were eliminated by Inter 0-2 on aggregate in the semi-final.
Reggina managed to stay up and finished 15th. A week later they drew 0-0 at home to Palermo and Ulivieri was replaced by Nevio Orlandi (who had been at the club on and off since 1988). The Reggini improved and in the last 12 games they won 5, drew 3 and lost 4. They ended up with 40 points, four above the last relegation slot. Top scorer was Nicola Amoruso with 12 league goals.
Inter were champions for the 16th time while Empoli, Parma and Livorno were relegated to Serie B.
Let's talk about Rolando Bianchi
Rolando Romano Beniamino Bianchi was born in Lovere (Bergamo), on February 15, 1983.
He played his early football, from the age of 10, in the Atalanta academy. He won the Coppa Italia twice with the "Primavera" (U19s). In 2000 he broke into the first team squad and made his debut under Giovanni Vavassori. It would be his only game that season and the Bergamaschi finished 7th.
In 2001-02 he played 3 league games and 1 in Coppa Italia, scoring his first goal against Juventus. Atalanta finished 9th in Serie A. His teammates included future Lazio, Luciano Zauri and Ousmane Dabo.
In 2002-03 he played more, 16 appearances in the league plus the playoff and 1 Coppa Italia. Atalanta were relegated, losing to Reggina 1-2 in a playoff. The manager was Vavassori until April and then Giancarlo Finardi.
In 2003-04, in Serie B, Andrea Mandorlini was the manager. Bianchi only played 1 league game and in January joined Cagliari in Serie B. For the record the Orobici arrived 5th and were promoted (5 slots plus a playoff between the 6th in B and the 15th in A).
In Cagliari he found Edy Reja as manager. "Casteddu" finished 2nd so they got promoted. Bianchi played 14 league games with 2 goals (Ternana, Venezia). His captain was the great Gianfranco Zola.
In 2004-05 he stayed at Cagliari. The manager was Daniele Arrigoni and Bianchi played 25 league games with 2 goals (Siena, Reggina) plus 7 games in Coppa Italia with 2 goals. (Triestina, Sampdoria). The Rossoblu finished 12th while in Coppa they reached the semi-finals but lost to Inter 2-4 on aggregate.
In 2005-06 he played for Reggina in Serie A. Walter Mazzarri was manager and the Amaranto finished 13th. Bianchi played 9 league games with 1 goal (Messina). The following season he stayed in Reggio Calabria and played 37 league games with 18 goals (Palermo x3, Cagliari, Parma, Siena, Livorno, Udinese, Empoli, Milan, Messina, Torino x2, Parma x2, Catania, Chievo) plus 3 in Coppa Italia with 1 goal. It was his breakthrough and Reggina finished 14th. His teammates included former and future Lazio, Pasquale Foggia.
His goal scoring explosion earned him a call from Manchester City who he signed for in 2007. The manager was former Lazio, Sven-Goran Eriksson. Bianchi however only stayed until January and played 19 league games with 4 goals, plus 8 in the domestic cups with 2 goals. One of his teammates was Felipe Caicedo. For the record the Citizens finished 9th.
In January 2008 he joined Lazio on loan. In Rome he found Delio Rossi as manager. He played 15 league games with 4 goals (Reggina, Milan, Parma, Juventus) and 2 games in Coppa Italia. Lazio finished 12th. The highlight was beating Roma 3-2 with a 92nd minute winner in which Bianchi played a key role.
In the summer of 2008, he joined Torino. He stayed with the Granata for five seasons, two in Serie A and three in B. In the first Toro were relegated under Gianni De Biasi, Walter Novellino and then Giancarlo Camolese and Bianchi played 28 league games with 9 goals (Lecce, Chievo, Bologna, Napoli, Inter, Sampdoria, Catania, Siena, Napoli) and 2 games in Coppa Italia with 1 goal (Fiorentina). His teammate and goalkeeper was Matteo Sereni.
The next three years were in Serie B, under Stefano Colantuono, Franco Lerda (briefly replaced by Giuseppe Papadopulo) and then in the third year Gian Piero Ventura. Torino finished 5th (lost playoff to Livorno 0-2), 8th and 2nd (promoted to A). In the B years Bianchi played 113 league games (including playoffs) with 53 goals plus 4 games in Coppa Italia with 1 goal.
In 2012-13 back in Serie A, still under Ventura, Bianchi played 32 league games with 11 goals (Pescara, Sampdoria, Atalanta x2, Milan, Genoa, Siena, Cagliari, Bologna, Roma, Catania) plus 1 game in Coppa Italia with 2 goals (Lecce x2). Toro finished 16th.
In the summer of 2013, he left Turin and signed for Bologna in Serie A. The Rossoblu manager was first Stefano Pioli (1-19) and then Davide Ballardini (20-38). The Felsinei were relegated, finishing 19th. Bianchi played 28 league games with 3 goals (Atalanta, Napoli x2) and 1 game in Coppa Italia.
In 2014-15 he went back to Atalanta on loan. The manager was first Stefano Colantuono and then, from the 26th fixture onwards, Edy Reja. The Orobici finished 17th and Bianchi played 21 league games and 3 in Coppa Italia with 1 goal (Fiorentina). He played alongside former Lazio Giuseppe Biava, Guglielmo Stendardo and Lionel Scaloni.
In 2015 -2016 he went abroad for the second time and joined Mallorca in La Segunda Division. He played 16 league games for the "Piratas" with 2 goals plus 1 game in Copa del Rey but left in January. For the record the "Bermellones" (The Vermilions) struggled and finished 17th.
In January 2016 he returned to Italy and joined Perugia in Serie B. He played under Pierpaolo Bisoli, making 7 league appearances with 1 goal (Crotone). The "Griffoni" (The Griffins) finished 10th.
The following year he stayed on in Umbria but only until January. He played 14 league games under manager Cristian Bucchi, scoring 1 goal (Ternana) while in Coppa Italia he played 2 games with 3 goals. Perugia eventually came 4th (losing the semi-final playoff to Benevento 1-2 on aggregate).
In February 2017 he joined his last club, Pro Vercelli in Serie B. The manager was Moreno Longo and Bianchi played 11 league games with 3 goals (Cesena, Ternana, Verona). The "Leoni" from Piedmont finished 16th. One of his teammates was future Lazio goalkeeper Ivan Provedel.
In 2017-18 he started with Pro Vercelli but after only one game in Coppa Italia decided to call it a day at 35.
Bianchi played for Italy at various levels but never won a full cap. He played 2 games for the U17s, 3 games for the U20s with 1 goal and 13 games for the U21s with 7 goals.
Since retiring he has been involved in punditry and then coaching at youth level. In
2021-22 he started in the Atalanta set up until the summer of 2024. He was then assistant manager to Paolo Cannavaro at Pro Vercelli in Serie C but they both resigned in November 2024.
Bianchi was a centre-forward, a classic old number 9. At 1.88 and 81 kilos he was a physical presence in the opposing areas. His best years were with Reggina (he is an honorary citizen of Reggio Calabria) and Torino where he scored 77 goals and won a promotion. He can also claim to have played for Manchester City, who have since become one of the biggest clubs in the world. In total he played 447 professional games with 129 goals.
He was only at Lazio for five months. He contributed with 4 goals but is best remembered for his involvement in the epic 3-2 last gasp victory in 2008. Bianchi participated in the build up to Pandev's equaliser and then earned the penalty which put Lazio 2-1 up when he was pulled down by Juan. Behrami then scored a 92nd minute winner for one of Lazio’s best ever derby wins.
Lazio Career
Season | Total appearances (goals) | Serie A | Coppa Italia |
2007-08 | 17 (4) | 15 (4) | 2 |
Sources
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