Lazio thrash Lecce to continue scudetto dream
After a difficult first half Lazio score four times in the second to thump Lecce and stay in the loftier part of the table
Also on this day: January 11, 2014, Bologna Lazio 0-0. A bland goalless draw between two teams in difficulty. Player of the day: Etrit Berisha
The season so far
The previous season had seen Dino Zoff take over from Zdenek Zeman in January and earn a 4th place finish. Giuseppe Signori's 15 goals had helped Lazio conquer a UEFA Cup place and to a positive season.
This year however there had been big changes. Lazio had a new manager in Swede Sven-Goran Eriksson, who had arrived in the summer from Sampdoria, while Signori, the goal scoring machine and fan's idol, had gone in the opposite direction in the autumn and joined Sampdoria.
There had been other major changes to the squad too. In had come goalkeeper Marco Ballotta (Reggiana), full back Giuseppe Pancaro (Cagliari), midfielders Matias Almeyda (Sevilla) and Vladimir Jugovic (Juventus) plus forwards Alen Boksic (back from Juventus) and Roberto Mancini (Sampdoria).
The players who left were South-African defender Mark Fish (Bolton), Roberto Baronio (on loan to Vicenza), Alessandro Iannuzzi (Lecce) and forwards Marco Di Vaio (Salernitana) and Igor Protti (Napoli on loan).
As mentioned, in the autumn market session club hero Signori and Renato Buso (Piacenza) also said goodbye.
So far this season Lazio had some good wins such as the derby (3-1 in 10 men) and some positive draws (away to Milan and Inter both 1-1) but also some bruising defeats (home to Atalanta and Udinese and away to Empoli). They had won 6, drawn 4 and lost 4 and currently had 22 points, slightly off the frontrunners.
Lecce had done the double jump over the last two years from C1 to Serie A. The previous season under manager Gian Piero Ventura (future Italy coach) they were promoted to Italy's top league with a 3rd place in Serie B. Their top scorer was Cosimo Francioso with 16 goals (15 in the league).
This year the manager was Cesare Prandelli (another future Italy coach). Unfortunately for Lecce, Francioso had been sold to Ravenna in Serie B and Lecce were struggling. They lost their first five games but then beat Milan away 2-1. So far they had won 3, drawn 2 and lost 9. With 11 points they were already very much involved in the relegation battle.
The week before today's clash the Salentini had drawn 2-2 at home against Empoli. Their top scorer so far was Francesco Palmieri with 4 goals.
The match: Sunday, January 11, 1998, Stadio Olimpico, Rome
A 40,000 crowd turned up to watch Lazio take on struggling Lecce. The previous league match was a 1-1 draw at Parma. Since then, however, on the epiphany Lazio had trounced city rivals Roma 4-1 in the first leg of the Coppa Italia quarter final and on the 9th of January had celebrated their 98th anniversary. There was enthusiasm in the air coming into today's game.
Lazio were without 3 players as Pavel Nedved, Giuseppe Favalli and Gigi Casiraghi were all missing but had good depth in their squad so were still confident . Less so maybe was Lazio manager Sven-Goran Eriksson who 12 years before, when in charge of Roma, had squandered a scudetto losing at home against an already relegated Lecce (3-2)
Lazio attacked for the best of the first half but with rationale and patience. They looked like a team perfectly aware of their superiority and knowledgeable that a goal was just a matter of time.
Lecce were well organized but caused Lazio very few problems defensively. The Salentini's only attempt on goal was a Palmieri shot easily blocked by Luca Marchegiani. Not that Lazio were queuing up to score, Pancaro and Boksic had chances but the closest was a Vladimir Jugovic shot saved onto the bar by Lorieri, there was however the feeling that once they made the breakthrough more would follow. It did not come in the first 45 minutes which ended 0-0.
Lazio started the second half unchanged while Lecce replaced Atelkin with De Francesco. Lazio continued to attack but now with more sense of urgency. After Roberto Mancini had missed an open goal they were finally rewarded in the 55th minute when from a Diego Fuser corner the ball was headed across goal by Giuseppe Pancaro and then headed into the net by Roberto Rambaudi. 1-0 to Lazio and the breakthrough they were looking for.
Lecce did not or were not able to change their game plan of defence and counterattack and Lazio took absolute control. Lazio had more chances especially with Fuser and rarely risked anything at the back apart from a low Palmieri shot that went a metre wide.
The second goal came 20 minutes later. In the 75th minute Jugovic pushed the ball forward to Mancini who with a glorious back heel freed Fuser to hammer the ball into the top hand corner. A cracking goal and 2-0 to Lazio.
The last ten minutes of the game saw Alen Boksic steal the show. In the 84th minute a Giorgio Venturin long range strike rattled the crossbar and the Croatian striker was there to slot in the rebound to make it 3-0.
In the second minute of injury time he made it 4-0. Jugovic sent a perfect cross into the area which Boksic ran onto, chested it down and crashed a low right footed volley past helpless Lorieri. A brilliant goal for the man of the match.
The final score of 4-0 was a fair reflection of Lazio's superiority. Lecce were well organized but lacked weight up front and once they conceded the first goal there was never any way back for them.
Lazio completed a fantastic week and were up to 5th in the table.Things were looking good.
Who played for Lazio
Marchegiani, Pancaro, Nesta, Negro, Chamot, Fuser (78' Gottardi), Almeyda, Jugovic, Rambaudi (57' Venturin), R. Mancini (86' Marcolin), Boksic
Manager: Eriksson
Who played for Lecce
Lorieri, Sakic,Cyprien, Viali, Rossini, Rossi (70' Martinez), Govedarica, Conticchio, Casale (85' Di Chio), Palmieri, Atelkin (46' De Francesco)
Substitutes: Aiardi, Iannuzzi, Baronchelli, Annoni
Manager: Prandelli
Referee: Serena
Goals: 55' Rambaudi, 75' Fuser, 84' Boksic, 92' Boksic
What happened next
Lazio's good form continued for much of the year. Lazio challenged for the title until a precise date, the 5th of April. They went to leaders Juventus, got beaten 1-0 and never recovered. In the last 6 matches they managed to muster only one point and ended up in a disappointing 7th place.
Strange but true, it turned out to be a season to remember. They beat hated city rivals 4 times! Twice in the league and twice in the Coppa Italia, a record which has yet to be rivaled.
They also had an excellent European campaign. They reached the UEFA Cup Final in Paris. A tired Lazio were however well beaten 3-0 by Ronaldo's Inter.
It was in the domestic cup, the Coppa Italia, that they lived their finest hour. They knocked out Fidelis Andria, Napoli, Roma and in the semi final Juventus (1-0, 2-2). The final against Milan was also still played over two legs, home and away. The first went to Milan 1-0 with an 89th minute George Weah winner. The return match in Rome seemed to be heading in Milan's favour too when a Demetrio Albertini freekick put the Rossoneri 1-0 up in the begining of the second half. But in just ten minutes the Biancocelesti turned the final around. Goals by Gottardi, Jugovic (pen) and Nesta gave Lazio a dramatic 3-1 victory and after 30 years gave the Biancocelesti long awaited silverware.
So a European Final, 4 derby wins and a domestic cup after 30 years definitely made it a season to cherish.
Lecce failed to stay up. They came 17th and were relegated. On February 2 Prandelli was sacked and replaced briefly by Angelo Pereni and then on February 16 Nedo Sonetti took over, all to no avail. After today's game Lecce lost the next six (including Udinese 6-0 and Inter 5-0). They did then draw the Apuglian derby with Bari 2-2 and beat a freefalling Lazio three matches from the end but it was not enough. After only 6 wins, 8 draws and 20 defeats they joined Napoli, Brescia and Atalanta on the dreaded trip down to level B. Their top scorer was Palmieri with 11 (10 in the league).
The Scudetto was won by Juventus for their 25th title.
Lazio 1997-98
Competition | Played | Won | Drawn | Lost | Goals scored |
Serie A | 34 | 16 | 8 | 10 | 53 |
Coppa Italia | 10 | 7 | 1 | 2 | 22 |
UEFA Cup | 11 | 7 | 3 | 1 | 16 |
Total | 55 | 30 | 12 | 13 | 91 |
Top five appearances
Top five goal scorers
Let's talk about Roberto Rambaudi
Roberto Rambaudi was born in Moncalieri (Turin), on January 12, 1966.
Rambaudi was formed in the Torino youth sector but never played a game for them.
In 1985 he joined Omegna (C2) for a year playing 29 games with 4 goals. The Piemontesi were relegated and Rambaudi moved on.
Between 1986 and 1988 for Pavia (promotion to C1 then relegated back to C2) making 61 appearances and scoring 18 times.
In 1988 he joined Perugia (C1)where he played for one season playing 28 games and scoring 8 goals.
In 1989 came the move that would change the course of his career. Rambaudi moved South to Foggia (Serie B) where he would play under Czech coach Zdenek Zeman. The Bohemian played an aggressive and entertaining style of football and Rambaudi became one of his key players.
In 1989-90 Foggia finished 8th but Rambaudi impressed, getting 37 games and scoring 7 goals.
The following year the Satanelli won promotion to Serie A winning the league by a wide margin. The attacking trio of Baiano-Signori and Rambaudi was already making a name for itself. Rambaudi again played 37 games but with 15 goals.
Back in Serie A Foggia continued to entertain with their performances and finished 9th. Rambaudi played 33 times and scored 9 goals.
In 1992 the "Tridente delle Meraviglie "(the Trident of Marvels) was disbanded; Baiano left for Fiorentina, Signori for Lazio and Rambaudi joined Atalanta. His time at Foggia and "Zemanlandia" have gone down in the football history books and the attacking trio Rambaudi was part of one of the most prolific and spectacular ever.
In Bergamo Rambaudi stayed two seasons playing 57 games with 8 goals. In 1994 at the end of his second year Atalanta were relegated to Serie B and Rambaudi got a call from a manager, but not just any manager, Zdenek Zeman.
Zeman had been appointed by Sergio Cragnotti's Lazio and with Signori already there he requested the club to sign Rambaudi.
With his old mentor Zeman and reunited with his former attacking buddy Signori (they are also close friends), Rambaudi again flourished forming excellent attacking lineups with Signori, Boksic and Casiraghi. He became much more of an assist man than a goal scorer, much to Signori's delight. Rambaudi was a perfect pawn in Zeman's frenetic but schematic tactics and his performances even earned him a call up to Arrigo Sacchi's national squad (Sacchi had a similar style of play to Zeman).
Rambaudi stayed at Lazio for four seasons. The first three with Zeman when he played regularly and the last with Eriksson when he started to get less playing time. With Lazio he played 109 games in Serie A with 13 goals (and probably too many assists to count), 19 in Coppa Italia with 2 goals, and 15 in the UEFA Cup with 2 goals. He won a Coppa Italia (1998 defeating Milan) and a Supercoppa Italiana (1998 defeating Juventus).
In October 1998, still not fitting in with Eriksson's plans, Rambaudi joined Genoa in Serie B but only played 7 games.
In the 1999-2000 season, which also would be his last, he played 13 games for Treviso in Serie B.
He then retired after 460 professional matches (199 in Serie A, 94 in Serie B, 57 in C1, 61 in C2, 33 in Coppa Italia, 15 in UEFA Cup, 1 in Mitropa Cup).
At International level Rambaudi won two Italy caps (Estonia and Croatia both in 1996).
After retirement has been involved in coaching and punditry. He worked for a year in the Lazio youth sector and then has had various experiences in the lower divisions including Latina, Viterbese, Astrea, the Luiss University team, Atletico Lodigiani and Flaminia. So far he has not had much luck as a manager and has had more success as a Tv pundit working for Dahlia TV, Mediaset Premium and Rai Sport.
Rambaudi was a good club player. He was an attacking right winger and was known as "Rambo" (for obvious reasons). Despite his nickname he was not a particularly physical player but he had a lot of running in him. He was tireless up and down his right wing, sometimes affecting his decisional lucidity. He was perfect for Zeman's style of play and it's not surprising his best years were with Foggia and the first three with Lazio. Rambaudi was hardworking, methodical and schematic just like the Bohemian coach. High pressing, constant movements, frenetic low one-two passes to get the ball into an assist or crossing position (always preferably on the ground)suited "Rambo's" characteristics perfectly.
Rambaudi had good years at Lazio and was involved in some of the highest scoring and spectacular wins in their history. He was part of the build up to the real glory years but his period at Lazio and the entertaining football displayed is remembered fondly.
Lazio Career
Season | Total | Serie A | Coppa Italia | UEFA Cup |
1994-95 | 46 (5) | 32 (4) | 7 | 7 (1) |
1995-96 | 35 (3) | 28 (1) | 4 (1) | 3 (1) |
1996-97 | 36 (5) | 28 (4) | 4 (1) | 4 |
1997-98 | 26 (4) | 21 (4) | 4 | 1 |
Total | 143 (17) | 109 (13) | 19 (2) | 15 (2) |
Sources
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