Jolly Floccari gives Lazio joy and hope
Lazio sub finally breaks down Atalanta's defensive wall and puts Lazio within striking distance of leaders Juventus.
Also on this day: January 13, 1980, Lazio Avellino 1-1. Avellino go ahead early on but Lazio react and earn a deserved point. Player of the day: Enrico Todesco
The season so far
The main novelty for Lazio this season was the arrival of Swiss coach Vladimir Petkovic. The elegant polyglot, of Bosnian origin, had got off to a reasonable start. Despite defeats against Fiorentina, Napoli and Genoa, there had been a derby triumph, wins against Milan and Inter plus a hard earned away point against Juventus. In the last 6 games Lazio had won 5 and drawn 1 and were on 39 points placing them in the more noble areas of the table only 5 points from the top.
Apart from Petkovic, Lazio had added Italian International Antonio Candreva (Udinese) and Brazilian Ederson (Olympique Marseille) in midfield, plus defensive giant Michael Ciani (Bordeaux). 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.
Atalanta had finished 12th the previous season and had confirmed their manager Stefano Colantuono. Their top scorer "El Tanque" Denis had also stayed in Bergamo.
The main changes to the squad were arrivals of defenders Davide Brivio (Lecce), Carlos Matheu (free agent), Andrea Masiello (Bari) and midfielder Davide Biondini (on loan-Genoa).
Making way for the new entries were midfielders Matteo Brighi (Roma), Massimo Mutarelli (free agent) and striker Simone Tiribocchi (Pro Vercelli). In January also leaving were defender Federico Peluso (Juventus), midfielder Ezequiel Schelotto (Inter) and after six years at the club midfielder Ferreiro Pinto (Varese).
Just a few days before today's game Atalanta had strengthened their defence in the January market with Michele Contini (Siena) and Luigi Giorgi (Novara).
Atalanta had started their season losing at home against Lazio (Hernanes). Since then they had beaten Milan, Napoli and Inter but also fallen to eight more defeats. Their season so far read 7 wins, 3 draws and 9 defeats adding up to 24 points and a mid-table position.
The match: Sunday, January 13, 2013, Stadio Olimpico, Rome
Lazio were on a bit of a roll coming into the game after 6 wins out of the last eight, plus two draws. The week before Lazio had beaten Cagliari 2-1 at home but as this was the first game of the return fixtures they had another game at the Olimpico. There was a certain euphoria in the air after the recent results although there was not a huge crowd, about 30,000.
Atalanta had lost 1-0 away to Chievo the week before, which made it four consecutive away defeats. They were determined not to make it five in a row.
Lazio's goalkeeper Federico Marchetti had got over a rib problem and took his place in the nets as usual. Atalanta had a few defensive absences and immediately threw on new signings Canini and Giorgi.
When the match got under way it was clear from the start what the pattern would be, the visitors all behind the ball hoping for the occasional counter attack.
Atalanta's defensive wall was unassailable in the first half. Lazio's only shots were long range efforts by Hernanes but they went either wide, high or both. Atalanta, despite defending for long periods with 11 players deep in their own half, actually came the closest to scoring. Their two chances both fell to defender Davide Brivio; his first effort was blocked by bodies in a crowded area and his second forced Marchetti to make a low diving save into corner. A classic tactical Serie A game so far with very little space and few goal scoring opportunities, 0-0 at halftime.
The Lazio manager was obviously not satisfied with what he had seen. The second half saw two replacements come on: Sergio Floccari for Antonio Candreva and Lorik Cana for Senad Lulic. He went for a 3-4-3 formation with Abdoulay Konko pushed forward to midfield. These substitutions would prove crucial, a coincidence or mastermind intuition by Petkovic...who knows.
The fact is Cana and Floccari were a lot more active than their teammates. In the 64th minute what looked like a winning header by the Albanian Cana was miraculously cleared off the goal line by German Denis. Not even three minutes later Lazio were ahead. Floccari, who had already gone close a little earlier, this time hit the bar but was there again to put the rebound in the back of the net. In truth he looked as if he had domesticated the ball with his hand before netting and the Atalantini protested furiously but the referee was having none of it, 1-0 to Lazio.
At this point an increasingly hysterical Atalanta started to fall apart, gone was the composure and impenetrable defensive barrier and Lazio soon took advantage. First Konko had a shot well saved by Consigli and then in the 77th minute a seemingly innocuous cross, by Stefano Mauri from about 35 metres out, was headed into his own net by Brivio. Just over 10 minutes to go and 2-0 to Lazio.
There was still time but, considering the Bergamaschi's tactical plan so far, the game was practically dead and buried. The final nail in the Nerazzurri coffin was midfielder Carlos Carmona being sent off in the 83rd minute. Lazio came close to getting a third when a Hernanes free kick hit the crossbar but enough was enough, the wall had already been sufficiently demolished.
An unspectacular win for Lazio but not helped by Atalanta's negative approach and defensive oriented game plan. A vital three points for Lazio. They moved up to second place only three points behind leaders Juventus who had been held to a draw at Parma. At this stage of the season anything was possible.
Who played for Lazio
Marchetti, Konko, Biava, Ciani, Radu, Ledesma, Candreva (46' Floccari), Lulic (46' Cana), Hernanes, Mauri, Klose (80' Cavanda)
Manager: Petkovic
Who played for Atalanta
Consigli, Raimondi, Stendardo, Canini, Brivio, Giorgi (80' Parra), Cigarini, Carmona, Bonaventura, Moralez (74' De Luca), Denis (80' Radovanovic)
Substitutes: Frezzolini, Polito, Matheu, Cazzola
Manager: Colantuono
Referee: Peruzzo
Goals: 67' Floccari, 77' Brivio (o.g)
What happened next
Lazio's season in the league started unraveling at the end of January. A home defeat against Chievo followed shortly by away defeats at Genoa and Siena ended their title challenge. Lazio would draw the derby but have a disappointing second part of league fixtures ending up with a poor 7th place finish, with extra discontent about being overtaken by city rivals Roma in the last match.
Lazio won 18 games, drew 7 and lost 13 (6 in the last 12 matches). top scorer was Miro Klose with 16 goals (15 in Serie A).
All this however was forgotten on 26 May. A day gone down in history, when the "cousins" Roma were beaten in the first ever Derby Cup Final. A goal by now club legend Senad Lulic in the 71st minute gave Lazio eternal glory and bragging rights over hated enemies Roma. So, despite a mediocre season in the league it ended up being one of Lazio's best ever. By winning the Coppa Italia they also qualified for the UEFA Europa League.
Celebrations went on all summer in Rome and all over the region. The derby of all derbies had been won. The 2012-2013 season became a " mythical" one.
Atalanta had a poor season. They came 15th with 40 points after 11 wins, 9 draws and 18 defeats. Their top scorer was again Germán Denis with 15 league goals.
The scudetto was won by Juventus for their 29th title while Siena, Palermo and Pescara headed down to Serie B.
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
Let's talk about Federico Marchetti
Federico Marchetti was born in Bassano del Grappa, on February 7, 1983.
Marchetti grew up in the village of Cassola, near Vicenza, in the Veneto region. He started playing in his home team and knew from a young age that goalkeeper was his position.
His formative career then took him to Bessica (Treviso) and then on to Torino's youth sector. He then spent a year at Pro Vercelli followed by Crotone (C1) and Treviso (Serie B) but without making any appearances.
After a second brief spell at Pro Vercelli (13 games) he joined Biellese (30 games).
His first real breakthrough came when he signed for Albinoleffe (Serie B) in 2006. He stayed in Lombardy two seasons and especially in the second was undisputed first choice keeper and played regularly. Albinoleffe almost got promoted in 2008 (lost playoff against Lecce). He made 49 appearances for La celeste and started to attract attention from some Serie A clubs.
In July 2008, Cagliari bought 50% of the players' rights and Marchetti flew to Sardinia to play in Serie A. In his first two seasons he was a great success playing a total of 70 appearances (68 in Serie A). In 2009 he was voted best Italian keeper of the year. He received universal praise for his performances, including Gianluigi Buffon (Italy national keeper) who claimed Marchetti was his favourite goalie.
In his third year on the island he ran into problems when, following his transfer request, he was frozen by the club and demoted to third choice. He would not play for the Sardi again.
In 2010 Lazio were looking for a replacement for Uruguayan Fernando Muslera who was off to Galatasaray in Turkey. Marchetti was considered the best choice. President Lotito activated the 5.2 million Euros release clause and Marchetti signed a five-year contract for the Biancazzurri.
His first two seasons were excellent and he helped Lazio achieve two consecutive Europa League qualifications (5th and 4th).
The third was the apotheosis with Marchetti keeping a clean sheet in a historic Rome derby Coppa Italia final. Lazio triumphed 1-0 (Lulic) and Marchetti's save on to the crossbar from a Totti freekick shortly after the Lazio goal (the unforgettable 71st minute) has taken on legendary status. His performances in those years also earned him call ups to the national team.
In the following two seasons Marchetti was the untouchable first choice defending Lazio’s posts.
The 2016-17 season however saw Marchetti play less regularly; a combination of injuries and unspecified personal problems led to him playing only 17 times while youngster Thomas Strakosha got 21 games.
The next season would be his last and in February he was excluded from the squad again for apparent injuries and personal issues.
Marchetti played 161 Serie A games for Lazio, 5 in Coppa Italia, 26 in Europa League and 2 Italian Supercoppa finals (both lost against Juve). He won a Coppa Italia (2013) and is in Lazio's top ten keepers for unbeaten records (512 minutes in 2012-13).
In 2018 Marchetti and Lazio finally parted ways. He joined Genoa and stayed four years without ever establishing himself. He only played a total of 12 matches (8 in Serie A and 4 in Coppa Italia).
At the moment he is a free agent and at 39 is still hoping to continue playing.
At International level Marchetti won 11 Italy caps. He made his debut in 2006 under Marcello Lippi and was part of the Italy squad in the disastrous 2010 world cup. In South Africa he replaced an injured Gianluigi Buffon for the second half of Italy's first game against Paraguay (1-1) and then also played the next two games against New Zealand (1-1) and Slovakia (2-3). He then lost touch with the Azzurri until 2013 under Cesare Prandelli and was then called up again by Antonio Conte and took part in Euro 2016 as third keeper.
Marchetti is a strong and agile goalkeeper. He is 1.90 metres but quick and explosive in his reactions in goal. He is considered one of the best keepers of his generation. He is also one of the bravest, being extremely courageous when coming off his line to face potentially dangerous situations. He has a certain wild look in his eyes giving the impression he is ready for anything (apparently, he listens to heavy metal music before games to energize himself).
At Lazio he was a reliable, well respected goalkeeper. He had five excellent years before running into a few problems of various nature. His long hair, spirited expression in concentration and agility earned him the nickname of "Tarzan". He enjoyed the best years of his career at Lazio. He was well liked and will always be remembered for his key role on the 26th May 2013 when he kept Roma at bay and helped Lazio win THE derby for the Coppa Italia triumph.
Appearances for Lazio
Seasons | Total | Serie A | Coppa Italia | Europa League | Super Coppa |
2011-12 | 39 | 31 | 1 | 7 | - |
2012-13 | 46 | 33 | 3 | 10 | - |
2013-14 | 26 | 21 | - | 4 | 1 |
2014-15 | 30 | 30 | - | - | - |
2015-16 | 35 | 29 | - | 5 | 1 |
2016-17 | 18 | 17 | 1 | - | - |
Total | 194 | 161 | 5 | 26 | 2 |
Sources
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