Pinball game of excitement and goals as Lazio sink Zemanlandia
A highly entraining game sees Lazio sink the Foggia boat not without difficulty.
Also on this day: January 5, 1997, Lazio Milan 3-0. A rare thrashing of Sacchi's Milan gives Lazio perfect start to 1997. Player of the day: Alessandro Grandoni
The season so far
The previous season Lazio had finished 11th in Serie A under manager Dino Zoff.
Zoff had been confirmed but this new season was largely influenced by a player who would not even be involved, English star Paul Gascoigne. Lazio had made a deal with Tottenham for Gazza but the Geordie midfielder had ruptured his own cruciate ligaments in his right knee with his infamous tackle in the FA Cup Final. His official arrival at Lazio would therefore be for the successive 1992-1993 season.
In the meantime, Lazio had mitigated the setback by signing rated German midfielder Thomas Doll from Hamburger SV. In had also come defender Gigi Corino (Triestina), midfielder Giovanni Stroppa (Milan) and striker Berardino Capocchiano (TSV Havelse).
Leaving Lazio were midfielders Sergio Domini (Brescia) and Pedro Troglio (Ascoli). The Argentinian had to make space for Doll, as there was still a three foreign player limit. Striker Alessandro Bertoni also left after two years (back home to Reggiana).
It had been a reasonable start for Lazio. They drew both the derby and against Juventus and had so far won 4, drawn 8 and lost 2. They were currently on 16 points. Their two main strikers were scoring regularly with Karl-Heinz Riedle on 8 goals and Ruben Sosa on 5.
Their opposition today, Foggia, were a very interesting team. The previous season had seen the "Satanelli" (little devils) promoted after winning the Serie B championship.
They had a very exciting attacking trio in Roberto Rambaudi - Francesco Baiano - Beppe Signori. Baiano had been top scorer with 22 goals. Foggia were managed by Zdenek Zeman (later to coach both Roman teams) and played a very aggressive and modern 4-3-3 style of football.
This year they had added Romanian defender Dan Petrescu (Steaua București) who would later play 150 games for Chelsea. Two interesting Russians had also arrived in Puglia; talented midfielder Igor Shalimov (Spartak Moscow) and prolific striker Igor Kolyvanov (Dynamo Moscow).
So far Foggia were entertaining Serie A with their brand of football.
The first match of the season they drew 1-1 away at Inter. They had since beaten Fiorentina away, drawn in Rome and won the derby against Bari 3-1. The week before today's match they drew 3-3 away at Napoli (after being 2-0 and 3-1 down). The attacking duo of Signori and Baiano was scoring, with 7 and 5 goals each.
"Zemanlandia" came to the capital on 15 points after 5 wins, 5 draws and 4 losses.
Today's game promised to be spectacular.
The match: Sunday, January 5, 1992, Stadio Olimpico, Rome
A crowd of 40,000 gathered at the Olimpico in expectation of an entertaining game. They were not disappointed.
Lazio had not won at the Olimpico for eight months and had a last-minute defection with first choice keeper Valerio Fiori out with a high temperature, Fernando Orsi taking his place between the posts. Foggia played with 2 out of 3 of their magic attacking trio, with Rambaudi starting on the bench.
The match started at a furious pace, unlike many Serie A games, mainly due to Foggia's frenetic attacking oriented style of play. The first 20 minutes were end to end with 4 goals that could easily have been more by both sides.
Lazio took first blood after 10 minutes. A pass by Roberto Bacci found Thomas Doll who, beating Foggia's assiduous offside trap, raced towards goal and hammered an unstoppable shot past Francesco Mancini. 1-0 to Lazio who had taken advantage of Zeman's characteristic high defensive line with a perfectly timed move.
The lead would only last two minutes. Shalimov after a one -two with Petrescu approached the edge of the box and with a spectacular left-foot gave Orsi no chance with a top hand corner strike.
The game continued to be fast and furious and four minutes later Lazio were in front again. On a cross by Cristiano Bergodi the German striker Karl Heinz Riedle seemed to stay in the air for an eternity before heading the ball into the net.
Foggia reacted immediately but it was Lazio who had a colossal chance to take a double lead. Rubén Sosa put through by Claudio Sclosa had only the keeper to beat and Gabriele Pin waiting in an even more favourable position but the Uruguayan missed.
In Italy they say "gol mangiato, gol subito" (goal missed, goal conceded). This is exactly what happened next. Shalimov went straight through a naively soft Lazio defence and chipped Orsi to equalise. Only 22 minutes gone and it was Lazio 2, Foggia 2.
The game had promised goals and entertainment and that is exactly what it was giving.
In the 34th minute however came a major game changer. A one-two combination between Sosa and Riedle was intentionally handballed and intercepted by an already booked Salvatore Matrecano. The referee had no choice but to show the defender a red card. Zeman at this point tried to reshuffle the team and give it some balance by replacing Kolyvanov with Tommaso Napoli.
Foggia were soon made to pay for their numerical inferiority. In the 38th minute a German combination saw Riedle head in a perfect Thomas Doll cross. A rollercoaster first half came to an end enabling players and fans alike to regain their breath; Lazio 3 Foggia 2.
If anyone thought 10 men would dampen Foggia's energy they were mistaken. In the second half they kept up the frenetic rhythm and gave as good as they got. Orsi was kept busy by a dangerous shot by Onofrio Barone plus other chances came to Signori, Gualtiero Grandini and Rambaudi (who had replaced Petrescu after 71 minutes).
Lazio were denied a seemingly clear penalty on Doll but were made to work hard controlling their dynamic opponents. It was not until nine minutes from time that they could relax a little when Giovanni Stroppa got their fourth. He turned on himself on the right side of the area beat two, in this case sluggish, Foggia defenders and crashed home an unstoppable close-range shot.
Two minutes later it was definitely all over when Raffaele Sergio scored with his wrong foot with a long range, low strike to make it 5-2.
A highly entertaining afternoon was brought to an end. The score line would lead one to believe it had been easy for Lazio but this was far from the truth. The result was in doubt until the last ten minutes and Foggia had impressed for organization, speed, stamina and courage.
Who played for Lazio
Orsi, Bergodi, Sergio, G. Pin, Corino, Soldà, Bacci, Doll, Riedle (78' Neri), Sclosa (46' Stroppa), Sosa
Substitutes: Roma, Vertova, Melchiorri
Manager: Zoff
Who played for Foggia
F. Mancini, Codispoti, Grandini, Shalimov, Matrecano, Consagra, Kolyvanov (34' T. Napoli), Petrescu (71' Rambaudi), Baiano, Barone, Signori
Substitutes: Rosin, Porro (I), Masumeci
Manager: Zeman
Referee: Cesari
Goals: 10' Doll, 12' Shalimov, 16' Riedle, 21' Shalimov, 38' Riedle, 81' Stroppa, 83' Sergio
What happened next
A week later Lazio would lose 1-0 away to Sampdoria. They would later draw the return derby 1-1, earn a point away at Juventus and lose the return game against Foggia 2-1. In general, it was an up and down season.
Lazio finished 10th, a slight improvement on the previous year. They would end up on 34 points; 11 wins, 12 draws and 11 defeats. Strikers Riedle and Sosa would both get 13 league goals each.
The main news was the acquisition of the club by local entrepreneur Sergio Cragnotti. Better times were on the way.
Foggia a week later beat Genoa 1-0. They would have a good season playing entertaining football and also finishing in 9th place on 35 points (only 5 off a UEFA position). They won 12, drew 11 and lost 11. Foggia had the second-best attack (58 goals) but also the second worst defence (58 conceded). A very "Zemanesque" season.
Foggia's spectacular style of play earned them various nicknames from "Zemanlandia" to "il Foggia dei miracoli" (miracle Foggia) and their attack was "il tridente delle meraviglie" (the trident of marvels). Foggia's top scorer was Baiano with 16 goals.
Foggia also reached the semi-final of the now defunct Mitropa Cup (a European tournament for second division champions).
The scudetto was won by Fabio Capello's Milan (who beat Foggia 8-2 in the last match) for their 13th title, with Marco Van Basten top Serie A scorer with 25 goals.
Going down to Serie B were Ascoli, Cremonese, Verona and Bari (no doubt to Foggia fans' pleasure).
Lazio 1991-92
Competition | Played | Won | Drawn | Lost | Goals Scored |
Serie A | 34 | 11 | 12 | 11 | 43 |
Coppa Italia | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 5 |
Total | 38 | 13 | 13 | 12 | 48 |
Top Five appearances
Player | Total | Serie A | Coppa Italia |
Bacci | 37 | 33 | 4 |
Pin | 36 | 32 | 4 |
Doll | 35 | 31 | 4 |
Fiori | 35 | 32 | 3 |
Ruben Sosa | 35 | 31 | 4 |
Top Goal Scorers
Player | Total | Serie A | Coppa Italia |
Ruben Sosa | 15 | 13 | 2 |
Riedle | 13 | 13 | - |
Doll | 8 | 7 | 1 |
Stroppa | 5 | 4 | 1 |
Let's talk about Thomas Doll
Thomas Jens Uwe Doll was born in Malchin, Germany, April 9, 1966.
He began his football for local side BSG Lokomotiv Malchin, in former East Germany. He then joined F.C Hansa Rostock youth academy in 1979.
Doll made his professional debut for Hansa Rostock on 27 August, 1983. He played three seasons there making 47 appearances and scoring 4 goals.
In 1986 he signed for another East German club BFC Dynamo from Berlin, the dominant team at the time. Alongside Andreas Thom he formed one of the best attacking partnerships in the league. He won the DDR - Oberliga (league title) in 1987 and 1988 and the FDGB- Pokal (East German cup) in 1988 and 1989. He also won the first and only ever East German Supercup scoring two goals in a 4-1 victory over SG Dynamo Dresden in 1989. At BFC Dynamo he played four seasons making 99 appearances with 39 goals.
After the historic events and the reunification of Germany he signed for Hamburger SV in 1990. He only stayed in Hamburg for a year but it was a very positive one. He played 33 league games and scored 4 goals.
He had performed so well for the Hanseatic club that he attracted interest from the then best league in Europe, Serie A. In the summer of 1991 he signed for Lazio (13 billion Lire - approx 6.5 million Euros) who were looking for an alternative to Paul Gascoigne, side-lined by injury. He became the first former East German to play in Italy.
In his first season in Rome he was a great success. He was exciting to watch, he set up and scored goals but also defended and generally worked hard. He played 31 league games and scored 7 times (plus 4 in Coppa Italia with 1 goal).
In his second year at Lazio he played less regularly. This was partly due to injuries and partly due to the fact that only three foreign players could be used in a game. With the arrival of Paul Gascoigne and Aron Winter, and already having Karl Heinz Riedle in the squad, competition for places was tough. In 1992-93 Doll played 20 league games with 2 goals (plus 2 games in Coppa Italia). Lazio had a good season finishing 5th and qualifying for a UEFA Cup place.
His third year at Lazio was again hindered by a series of injuries, he only got 13 league games and in the autumn market window went back to Germany to Eintracht Frankfurt on loan. Lazio improved their league placement and finished 4th, confirming a UEFA Cup participation. He played a total of 72 games for Lazio (64 in Serie A) with 10 goals (9 in Serie A).
In the 1994-1995 pre-season Doll was back training with Lazio and even played a couple of Coppa Italia games scoring 2 goals but, mainly due to his frequent injuries, they then definitively sold Doll to Eintracht Frankfurt. Back in Germany he would continue to struggle with physical problems and in 3 years only played 28 league games with 4 goals.
In 1996 he came back to Italy. He signed for Bari in Serie B. He played 31 games with 4 goals and the 'Galletti' from Puglia were promoted to Serie A. In 1997-98 however he was injury prone again and only played 14 times. Bari had a good season coming 11th under former Lazio manager (and club legend) Eugenio Fascetti.
In 1998 he returned to Hamburger SV in the Bundesliga. In three seasons due to his usual injuries he played 41 league games with no goals. At the end of the 2000-2001 season Doll called it a day and retired.
At International level he was one of the few players to win caps for both East Germany and the newly united Germany. Between 1986-1990 he played 29 games for DDR scoring 7 goals (plus 14 games and 2 goals for the Olympic team). From 1991-1996, after the reunification, he earned 18 caps for Germany with one goal (against Wales). He played the second half of the Euro '92 final defeat against Denmark.
After his retirement he stayed on at Hamburg going into coaching. He started with the under 19's, followed by the Hamburg second team and then Hamburger SV main team between 2004-2007. In his first year he saved them from relegation and won the European Intertoto cup while in his second they finished 3rd qualifying for Champions League. In his third year the team struggled, both in Europe (only one win out of six) and in the league, leading Doll to be replaced in February 2007.
Since his Hamburg days he has had a series of managerial experiences in several different countries. He coached Borussia Dortmund (Germany, for one year), Gençlerbirliği (Turkey, for one year), Al-Hilal (Saudi Arabia, sacked after 7 months), Ferencváros (Hungary 2013-18, winning 3 cups and a league title), Hannover (Germany, for half a season) and APOEL (Cyprus, for 4 months winning Cypriot Supercup and then ended contract by mutual consent).
He is currently manager of Persija Jakarta (Indonesia), since April 2022.
Thomas Doll is remembered fondly at Lazio. He was part of an era in which they were able to start attracting exciting foreign stars such as Doll himself. He performed well in Rome, so well that there will always be a regret about how much more he could have given had it not been for his injuries. Doll was an attacking midfielder who played mainly on the right. He had an innate ability to jump his defender and had dribbling skills you rarely see nowadays. He was a dynamic player with great stamina and running abilities. He was also a generous, hardworking and brave player, never holding back in physical battles, this could also account for some of his injuries. Lazio fans have only positive memories of Doll and the most common opinion is "Quanto era forte" (what a great player he was).
Lazio Career
Season | Total | Serie A | Coppa Italia | UEFA Cup |
1991-92 | 35 (8) | 31 (7) | 4 (1) | - |
1992-93 | 22 (2) | 20 (2) | 2 | - |
1993-94 | 14 | 13 | - | 1 |
1994-95 | 2 (2) | - | 2 (2) | - |
Total | 73 (12) | 64 (9) | 8 (3) | 1 |
Sources
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