A goal and a man down Lazio fight back and win
A penalty, an own goal and a Hernanes piece of brilliance give Lazio unhoped for win
Also on this day:
The season so far
The previous season Lazio finished 7th but had experienced the wild joy of winning the Coppa Italia beating city rivals Roma in the final.
The cup lifting manager had been confirmed but there had been some changes to the squad. The main arrivals in the summer were Albanian goalkeeper Etrit Berisha (Kalmar), young Brazilian attacking midfielder Felipe Anderson (Santos) and Argentine midfielder Lucas Biglia (Anderlecht).
There were more players leaving than arriving. It was goodbye to goalkeeper Albano Bizzarri (Genoa), defender Modibo Diakité (Sunderland), midfielders Pasquale Foggia (Dubai Club), Danilo Cataldi (Crotone-loan), strikers Libor Kozak (Aston Villa) and Mauro Zarate, this time definitely (Vélez Sarsfield-end of contract).
This season under Vladimir Petkovic had not started so positively and Lazio lost the Supercoppa final 0-4 against a vastly superior Juventus.
In Serie A the Biancocelesti had struggled too. On December 22 just before the Christmas break Petkovic had been sacked and replaced by Edy Reja. The results were not great but there was also the fact that the Swiss had accepted to train his national team from June and so was not thought to be entirely concentrated on his Roman duties. The 1-4 away defeat at Verona accelerated his departure. His legacy would however remain with the Coppa Italia triumph over city rivals Roma.
So far, Lazio had played 19 games. The Biancocelesti had won 6, drawn 6 and lost 7. Reja however had won on his debut beating Inter 1-0 at home and then drawn 0-0 away to Bologna. Lazio were on 24 points, just above mid-table in 9th place.
In Coppa Italia Lazio had come into the competition on January 14 at home to Parma and won 2-1. Next was Napoli away on January 29.
In the Europa League, Lazio had got through the first group phase. The Biancocelesti won 3 (Legia Warsaw 1-0 at home and 2-0 away, Apollon Limassol 2-1 at home) and drew 3 (Trabzonspor 3-3 away and 0-0 at home and Apollon Limassol 0-0 away). Next up would be Bulgarians Ludogorec, in February home and away, in the round of 32.
Udinese had finished 5th (Europa League) the previous season under Francesco Guidolin. The Biancocelesti had lost 0-3 away to Lazio but won 1-0 at the Friuli. Top scorer was Totò Di Natale with 26 goals (23 in A).
This season Guidolin was still on the bench. The main new signings were: keeper Ivan Kelava (Dinamo Zagreb), defender Igor Bubnjić (Slaven Belupo), Naldo (Bologna), midfielders Bruno Fernandes (Novara), Silvan Widmer (Aarau) plus forward Nico López (Roma).
Leaving Udine were: keeper Daniele Padelli (Torino), defender Gabriele Angella (Watford), Mehdi Benatia (Roma), midfielder Pablo Armero (Napoli) plus forward Paulo Barreto (Torino).
Udinese lay in 15th place on 20 points. The Bianconeri had won 6, drawn 2 and lost 11 (including Lazio, 1-2 in the opener). They came from two consecutive defeats.
In Coppa Italia the Friulani were through to the quarterfinals and would play Milan away in three days’ time. In the last 16 Udinese had beaten Inter 1-0 at home.
In the UEFA Cup the Zebrette were out. They got through the 3rd round preliminary round against Bosnians Široki Brijeg 7-1 on aggregate but then lost the playoff to Slovan Liberec (Czech Republic) 2-4 on aggregate.
A balanced game was expected today in this mid-table clash but Udinese had to be careful as they were now only four points above the drop zone while Lazio were still looking for their first away win of the season.
The match: Sunday, January 19, 2014, Stadio Fruili, Udine
An overcast but dry day in Friuli and about 12,000 spectators present.
Udinese were without Brazilian midfielders Allan and Gabriel Silva. They also had two future top players, Bruno Fernandes (now Manchester United) and Piotr Zielinski (former Napoli and now Inter) on the bench.
Lazio had several players missing: keeper Federico Marchetti, defenders Stefan Radu and Abdoulay Konko, midfielders Alvaro Gonzalez and Cristian Ledesma. The Biancocelesti also had Hernanes on the bench.
Lazio started on the front foot but exposed themselves to the hosts counterattacks. Giuseppe Biava almost risked an own goal heading towards Etrit Berisha and then in the 8th minute Roberto Pereyra set up Maicosuel who was tripped by Luis Pedro Cavanda while he was charging into the area on the left. Totò Di Natale coolly put away the spot kick with a low shot to Berisha's right. Udinese 1 Lazio 0.
Lazio reacted but wasted chances with Sergio Floccari and Senad Lulic.
On the usual counterattack, Udinese almost made it two just before the break but Maicosuel missed the opportunity by putting it wide when clear on goal. Half time Udinese 1 Lazio 0.
Lazio had been positive and had more shots and possession but Udinese were very effective catching the Biancocelesti on the break.
There were no changes at halftime but soon after the interval came a huge potential game changer. A minute after Ederson had come on for Floccari, in the 54th minute Eddy Onazi was sent off for two bookings in five minutes.
At this point Reja took off defender Michaël Ciani and put on Hernanes with Lazio changing to a 4-4-1 setup. A few minutes earlier Udinese had taken off Di Natale for Luis Muriel.
In the 63rd minute Lazio equalised courtesy of a penalty. Miro Klose teed up by Hernanes entered the area and was pulled by Maurizio Domizzi and then also obstructed irregularly by the keeper. Antonio Candreva put a mid-height strike to Brkic's right. Udinese 1 Lazio 1.
Despite being a man down, Lazio continued to push forward and went close with an Ederson curler but it was the "Zebrette" who scored again. In the 69th minute Biava and André Dias hesitated and Maicosuel chested the ball to Emmanuel Badu who did not think twice, chested the ball down and superbly volleyed it past Berisha who was possibly too far off his line. Udinese 2 Lazio 1. Things not looking good for Lazio.
Lazio however went on the attack again. They went close twice with Hernanes, from the long range and on the rebound from a Brkic parry and then with a header by Klose who should have done better.
In the 77th minute the Bianconeri replaced Douglas Santos with Andrea Lazzari.
In the 82nd minute it was in fact the Lombard Udinese replacement who gifted Lazio their equaliser. Lulic crossed, Željko Brkić came out badly and punched the ball out low onto Lazzari and it then bounced back into the goal. Udinese 2 Lazio 2. A lucky but deserved goal for the Romans.
In the 85th minute the hosts put on attacking Nico Lopez and took off midfielder Gianpiero Pinzi. A minute later Lazio were forced to replace an injured Ederson with defender Lorik Cana who however placed himself in front of the defence.
Both sides believed they could win it but Lazio had the "Prophet" back at the top of his game. In the 90th minute the Brazilian danced at the edge of the box and sent a lovely left foot into the right-hand corner. A wonderful goal and Udinese 2 Lazio 3. An unpredictable turn of events.
In the last four minutes of added time Cana dropped back to help out Biava and Dias on Udinese's last desperate attempts and Lazio pulled off a surprising win.
Lazio's first away win since May but with twenty minutes to go it had seemed extremely unlikely. A goal and a man down, however, Lazio had always seemed to believe and a fortuitous own goal and a Hernanes gem had ultimately rewarded them.
Lazio were still 9th on 27 points while Udinese were still 15th but now only had a three-point cushion on the last relegation slot (Sassuolo on 17 points).
Who played for Udinese
Brkic, Heurtaux, Danilo, Domizzi, Basta, Pinzi (85' Nico Lopez), Badu, Douglas (77' Lazzari), Pereyra, Maicosuel, Di Natale (58' Muriel)
Substitutes: Kelava, Naldo, Bubnjic, Widmer, Mlinar, Jadson, Scuffet, Bruno Fernandes, Zielinski
Manager: Guidolin
Who played for Lazio
Berisha, Biava, Dias, Ciani (60' Hernanes), Cavanda, Onazi, Biglia, Lulic, Candreva, Klose, Floccari (53' Ederson, 86' Cana)
Substitutes: Strakosha, Elez, Vinicius, Crecco, F.Anderson, Keita, Perea
Manager: Reja
Referee: Rocchi
Goals: 8' Di Natale (pen), 63' Candreva (pen), 69' Badu, 82' Lazzari (og), 90' Hernanes
Red Card: 54' Onazi (L)
What happened next
Lazio continued their up and down season. In the remaining 17 games the Biancocelesti won 8, drew 4 (including derby 0-0 and Juventus 1-1 at home) and lost 5. Lazio finished 9th. Top was Candreva with 12 league goals.
In Coppa Italia Lazio were knocked out by Napoli 0-1 away in the quarterfinals.
In the Europa League they were eliminated by Ludogorec 3-4 on aggregate.
A far from memorable season for Lazio.
Udinese finished 13th. They then won 6, drew 6 and lost 6. The highlight was beating Milan 1-0 at home. Top scorer was Totò Di Natale with 20 goals (17 in A).
In Coppa Italia the Bianconeri then eliminated Milan, winning 2-1 away, but then lost to Fiorentina 2-3 on aggregate in the semi-final.
Juventus won their 30th Scudetto while Catania, Livorno and Bologna were relegated to Serie B.
Let's talk about Luca Crecco
Luca Crecco was born in Rome on September 6, 1995.
From 2000 to 2007 he was in the Ottavia youth set up (a small club in north-west Rome). In 2007 he joined the Lazio academy.
In 2012-13 he joined the Lazio first team squad. The manager was Vladimir Petković and Crecco made his league debut on April 15 2013 against Juventus in a 0-2 home defeat. It would remain his only appearance. Lazio finished 7th but on May 26 won the Coppa Italia defeating bitter city rivals Roma 1-0 in a historic derby final.
In this period Crecco continued turning out for the primavera (U19s) and in 2013 won the Scudetto under manager Alberto Bollini.
In 2013-14 he again made one appearance for the first team, playing the last few minutes in a 2-0 away win against Chievo. Petković started but was replaced by Edy Reja after 17 games and Lazio finished 9th.
Crecco meanwhile still played for the Primavera now coached by Simone Inzaghi and on April 19, 2014 scored a brace in the 4-2 win over Fiorentina in the Coppa Italia final.
In the summer of 2014, he was sent to Ternana in Serie B on loan. The Umbrians finished 12th under Attilio Tesser and Crecco played 35 games but missed the last part of the season through injury.
In 2015-16 he played half a season on loan with Virtus Lanciano. The Rossoneri from Abruzzo were in Serie B but finished 19th and ended up relegated after the play-outs. Crecco played 10 league games under manager Roberto D'Aversa but both left in January. D'Aversa was sacked and Crecco too moved on.
In January 2016 he joined Modena, still on loan from Lazio. The Gialloblu were in Serie B and had two Lazio connections as managers: Hernan Crespo (1-33) and Cristiano Bergodi (34-42). The Canarini however finished 21st and were relegated. Crecco played 15 league games. His teammates included a young goalkeeper, Ivan Provedel currently at Lazio.
In the next season Crecco moved on again, this time to Avellino on loan. The Irpini were in Serie B and under two different managers, Domenico Toscano (1-16) and Walter Novellino (17-42), finished 14th but Crecco only stayed until January after playing 12 league games.
In January 2017 he finally returned to Lazio. The manager was now Simone Inzaghi from Crecco's youth career days. He played 3 league games and scored his first professional goal against Palermo in a 6-2 home win. A week later Lazio beat Roma 3-1 and ended up 5th (Europa League).
The following year Crecco stayed on but made no league appearances but instead played 2 games in the Europa League. Lazio finished 5th again and won the Italian Supercoppa beating Juventus 3-2.
In the summer of 2018, he was sold to Pescara in Serie B. He stayed two and a half seasons playing a total of 56 games with 2 goals. The Dolphins finished 4th (under Giuseppe Pillon), 17th (under Luciano Zauri, Nicola Legrottaglie and then Andrea Sottil) and 19th (relegated). Crecco left in January of the 3rd season when the managers were former Lazio, Massimo Oddo and then Roberto Breda.
In January 2021 Crecco joined Cosenza on loan, also in Serie B. The manager was Roberto Occhiuzzi and Crecco played 16 league games with 1 goal (Frosinone). The "Lupi della Sila" finished 17th but were not relegated due to other clubs financial problems.
In 2021-22 he played for Vicenza on loan for a season in Serie B. The Biancorossi got through three different managers: Domenico Di Carlo (1-5), former Lazio player Cristian Brocchi (6-34) and then Francesco Baldini (35-38 and play-outs). Vicenza finished 17th but were relegated after a play-out against Crecco's former club Cosenza, 1-2 on aggregate. Crecco himself played regularly and made 31 league appearances with 1 goal (Benevento), plus 1 game in Coppa Italia.
In 2022 he was back at Pescara but only stayed until January. The Adriatici were now in Serie C and coached by Alberto Colombo. Crecco played 5 league games with 1 goal (Potenza). The Pescaresi eventually brought in Zdenek Zeman for the last 9 matches and finished 3rd but then lost in the playoffs.
In January 2023 Crecco joined Taranto in Serie C. By then the manager was Ezio Capuano and the Ionici finished 11th. Crecco played 8 league games.
In 2023 Crecco moved closer to home and joined Latina near Rome. The Pontini were in Serie C and finished 10th. The managers were: Daniele Di Donato (1-21) and Gaetano Fontana (22-38). Crecco played 34 league games with 1 goal (Juve Stabia).
Crecco is still currently with Latina in the 2024-25 season under manager Pasquale Padalino.
Crecco is a midfielder. He showed great potential as a youngster and played for the various Italy youth selections; U18s (9 games), U19s (11 games, 3 goals), U20s (4 games) and Italy B (6 games).
Lazio believed in him and he had two spells with the Biancocelesti, with loan spells in between. He did not however fulfil his potential and only played 6 games for Lazio. He did however win the epic 2013 Coppa Italia and the 2017 Supercoppa.
Lazio Career
Season | Total Appearances (goals) | Serie A | Coppa Italia | Europa League |
2012-13 | 1 | 1 | - | - |
2013-14 | 1 | 1 | - | - |
2016-17 | 4 (1) | 3 (1) | 1 | - |
2017-18 | 2 | - | - | 2 |
Total | 8 (1) | 5 (1) | 1 | 2 |
Sources
תגובות