Good performance not enough
Lazio play well but Méité goal cancels out Di Canio opener to make Marseille favourites ahead of return game
Also on this day: July 27, 1999: Elfsborg Lazio 1-4. A positive practice game for Lazio with a convincing attacking performance. Player of the day: Gasperino Cinelli
The season so far
The previous season Lazio had flirted with relegation but had managed to escape and ended up 13th. They had then even qualified for this Intertoto Cup due to Livorno and Messina dropping out for various reasons.
This year saw the arrival of new manager Delio Rossi who took derby and relegation battle hero Giuseppe Papadopulo's place.
The main players coming in were: defenders Manuel Belleri (Udinese), Guglielmo Stendardo (Perugia) and Emilson Cribari (Udinese on loan), midfielders Valon Behrami (Genoa), Gaby Mudingayi (Torino) and Fabio Firmani (Catania) plus forward Igli Tare (Bologna).
Over twenty players were leaving Lazio but those worthy of note were Scudetto heroes Fernando Couto (Parma) and Paolo Negro (Siena) plus the Filippini twins (both to Palermo) and Giuliano Giannichedda (Juventus).
Lazio had got through the quarter finals eliminating Tampere United from Finland, 3-0 at home and 1-1 away. Now came a test of different calibre.
Olympique Marseille had finished 5th in Ligue 1 the previous season. They had three different managers (José Anigo, Albert Emon and then Philippe Troussier). This year they had a new manager in former player Jean Fernandez. Their star player was a young Franck Ribéry who would go on to have a superb career but "Les Phocéens" (The Phocaeans) also had keeper Fabien Barthez, defender Mehdi Benatia, midfielders Samir Nasri, Sabri Lamouchi and future Lazio Lorik Cana plus forward Mamadou Niang, to name a few.
In the previous round the "Olympiens" had eliminated Young Boys from Switzerland 5-3 on aggregate (3-2, 2-1).
The match: Wednesday, July 27, 2005, Stadio Olimpico, Rome
A decent crowd of about 25,000 turned up despite the holiday season and the heat. Lazio were missing their star striker Tommaso Rocchi and had Paolo Di Canio and Roberto Muzzi up front while Marseille answered with Ribéry and Niang.
The game started off very tight with neither team wanting to risk much. Lazio in particular seemed fearful and tense. The French were better organized and relaxed and were content to control the game. They were also fitter, having a longer period of pre-season training in their legs.
Lazio suffered Niang's speed and in the 25th minute only a last-ditch tackle by Manuel Belleri prevented the Senegalese striker from having a one -on-one with Sereni.
Things were livened up on the half hour mark when Di Canio and Abdoulaye Meite got involved in a scuffle but only the Roman was booked.
In the 42nd minute Lazio took the lead. It was Di Canio, the liveliest until then, who netted from close range after a Cribari header off a Fabio Liverani free kick. Halftime Lazio 1 OL Marseille 0. A balanced game so far with few goal scoring chances.
The second half proved more exciting. Lazio came out on top and found a better rhythm. They attacked more and looked as if they could get a second goal. Christian Manfredini in particular in the 60th minute wasted a glorious chance after being teed up by Di Canio.
Lazio threw on fresh legs and forwards Goran Pandev and Tare, but just when the Biancocelesti were pushing hardest for a crucial double lead, the visitors equalised. In truth they had already gone close in the 68th minute when Matteo Sereni saved from a Habib Beye header. In the 70th minute a long range shot by Taye Taiwo hit the post but came back into play perfectly for Meite to beat Sereni. Lazio 1 OL Marseille 1.
Lazio were flustered for a few minutes but then went for a winner. They went extremely close with a Tare header which hit the post and then with a Liverani free kick which went over the bar by a whisker. Final score 1-1.
An even game which Lazio had probably deserved to win. Lazio were applauded off the field by their fans. The French however were now strong favourites with today's draw and the possibly vital away goal. It would be tough for Lazio in a week's time at the Velodrome.
Who played for Lazio
Sereni, Belleri, Cribari, Sannibale, Zauri, Manfredini (84' De Silvestri), Firmani, Liverani, César, Di Canio (70' Tare), Muzzi (65' Pandev)
Substitutes: Peruzzi, Zaccardi, Ciani, Melara
Manager: D. Rossi
Who played for Olympique Marseille
Carrasso, Beye, Dehu, Méité,Taiwo, Nasri (82' Ferreira), Lamouchi, Oruma, Koke (64' Mendoza), Ribéry (90' Batlles), Niang
Substitutes: Quesnel, Fernandes, Luyindula, Nakata
Manager: Fernandez
Referee: Megia Davila
Goals: 42' Di Canio, 70' Méité
What happened next
A week later, on August 3, Lazio were well beaten in France in front of 45,000 spectators. The game was played at a faster pace and the home side's superior fitness, but also quality, paid off with three second half goals in the space of five minutes (60' Niang, 61' Andres Mendoza, 65' Ribéry). Marseille then won the final beating Deportivo La Coruña 5-3 on aggregate (0-2, 5-1) thus qualifying for the UEFA Cup.
Lazio realised they had to strengthen their squad and added midfielders Stefano Mauri (Udinese-loan) and Valon Behrami (Genoa).
In the league Lazio then had a decent season finishing 6th but were then demoted to 16th after being docked 30 points due to Calciopoli. Top scorer was Tommaso Rocchi with 17 goals (16 in Serie A).
Marseille came 5th again in Ligue 1. They were runners up in the Coupe de France (P.S.G 1-2) and reached the Round of 16 in the UEFA Cup (eliminated Beerschot, then group with Levski Soofia, Heerenveen, CSKA Moscow and Dinamo Bucharest, then Bolton Wanderers but finally lost to Zenit St. Petersburg 1-2 on aggregate). Their top scorer was Niang with 13 (10 in Ligue 1).
Lazio 2005-06
Competition | Played | Won | Drawn | Lost | Goals scored |
Serie A | 38 | 16 | 14 | 8 | 57 |
Coppa Italia | 4 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 3 |
Intertoto Cup | 4 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 5 |
Total | 46 | 18 | 18 | 10 | 65 |
Top five appearances
Player | Total | Serie A | Coppa Italia | Intertoto Cup |
Zauri | 45 | 37 | 4 | 4 |
Pandev | 41 | 35 | 3 | 3 |
Rocchi | 41 | 37 | 1 | 3 |
Oddo | 38 | 35 | 3 | - |
Cribari | 35 | 28 | 4 | 3 |
Dabo | 35 | 31 | 4 | - |
Liverani | 35 | 29 | 2 | 4 |
Top five goal scorers
Player | Total | Serie A | Coppa Italia | Intertoto Cup |
Rocchi | 17 | 16 | - | 1 |
Pandev | 12 | 11 | 1 | - |
Oddo | 7 | 7 | - | - |
Di Canio | 7 | 5 | - | 2 |
Manfredini | 3 | 2 | 1 | - |
Tare | 3 | 3 | - | - |
Lets talk about Emilson Cribari
Emílson Cribari was born in Cambará, Paraná, Brazil, on March 6, 1980.
He was formed as a footballer with Londrina in Brazil but at 18 came to Europe and joined Empoli, in Italy. His brother Binho was already with the Tuscans so it was a logical move.
Empoli were in Serie B and Emilson made his debut in 1999-2000 under Silvio Baldini. He played only 2 league games and 3 in the Coppa Italia. Empoli finished 9th.
In 2000-01 he played slightly more, 8 league appearances with his first goal (Ancona). The "Azzurri" finished 5th.
The following year Empoli were promoted to Serie A. Cribari played 32 league games with 1 goal (Ternana) and 3 games in Coppa Italia.
In Serie A, in 2002-03, Empoli held their own and finished 13th. They had Totò Di Natale, Francesco Tavano and Tommaso Rocchi up front and won 9 (including Milan away), drew 11 and lost 14 (including Lazio twice). Cribari played 30 league games and 6 in Coppa Italia.
In the second year in Serie A after 7 games the promotion hero, Silvio Baldini, was replaced by Attilio Perotti and the Tuscans were relegated (despite beating Inter away). Cribari played 31 league games with 1 goal (Udinese).
In 2004 Cribari joined Udinese but a serious injury limited his league games to 8, plus 2 in Coppa Italia and 2 in the UEFA Cup. The Friulani, under Luciano Spalletti finished 4th and qualified for the Champions League. They also reached the semi-finals of the Coppa Italia (Roma 1-1, 1-2).
In 2005 Cribari joined Lazio on loan. He arrived at the same time as new manager Delio Rossi. The first year Lazio had a decent season and finished 6th but were then docked 30 points and demoted to 16th for their involvement in the Calciopoli scandal. Cribari played 28 league games, 4 in Coppa Italia and 3 in the Intertoto Cup.
The following year started with Lazio docked a further three points for the previous season's scandal. Lazio however had an excellent season finishing 3rd and qualifying for a Champions League preliminary round (then passed vs Dinamo Bucharest 4-2 on aggregate). He won his first derby (3-0 and went extremely close to scoring)) and played 23 league games with 1 goal (Cagliari) and 2 games in Coppa Italia. He paired up with either Guglielmo Stendardo or Sebastiano Siviglia.
In 2007-2008 Lazio finished 12th. They reached the semi-finals of Coppa Italia (Inter 0-2 on aggregate) and went out of the Champions League in the group phase (Olympiakos 1-1,1-2, Real Madrid 2-2, 1-3, Werder Bremen 2-1,1-2). Cribari played 31 league games, 5 in Coppa Italia and 6 in the Champions League. He played in the middle with Siviglia, Rozehnal or Stendardo. He won his second derby 3-2.
In 2008-2009 Lazio finished 10th but won the Coppa Italia beating Sampdoria 7-6 after penalties. This was Cribari's first major trophy. He played 17 league games and 3 in Coppa Italia. He paired up with Siviglia, Modibo Diakité, and Rozehnal over the season. He also won his third derby 4-2.
The next season a new manager arrived and Davide Ballardini took over from Delio Rossi. The season started with silverware as Lazio beat José Mourinho's Inter 2-1 in the Super Coppa played on August 8, in Beijing. The season however went downhill and in February Ballardini was sacked and replaced by Edy Reja. In January Cribari was loaned to Siena. Lazio finished 12th. Cribari, until his departure, played 10 league games, 6 in Coppa Italia and the historic Supercoppa in China. Lazio had bought Giuseppe Biava (Genoa) and André Dias (São Paulo) so there was less playing time possibility.
In Siena he played 18 league games under Alberto Malesani but the "Robur" were relegated to Serie B.
In 2010-11 Cribari joined Napoli. The manager was Walter Mazzarri and Cribari only played 9 league games, 1 in Coppa Italia and 4 in the Europa League. He had a poor season with several mistakes thus limiting his appearances. The regular duo in the middle was Paolo Cannavaro and Hugo Campagnaro. Napoli came 3rd (Champions League).
At this point Cribari decided to return to Brazil. In July 2011 he joined Cruzeiro. He only stayed until December however, playing 5 league games.
In 2012-13 he came back to Europe and joined Rangers in Scotland. The Glasgow club were playing in the 3rd Division (4th tier) due to the club going into liquidation. The Gers were coached by former player Ally McCoist and won the Third Division and Cribari played 26 league games and 8 in the various domestic cups.
The following season in Scottish League 1 he played 7 league games and 1 in the cup. The Teddy Bears were promoted again in 1st place. They also reached the Scottish Cup semi final.
At 34 Cribari then retired.
Cribari had a good club career. He won a "Primavera" Scudetto with Empoli (1999), a Coppa Italia (2009) and a Supercoppa (2009) with Lazio and two promotions with Rangers.
Cribari was a classic central defender. At 1.87 and 79 kilos he was a strong defender and good in the air. His preference was to play in a three-man defence but he could also play on the left or right. He was quick for his height and an excellent man-to-man marker.
He had some good years at Lazio. He stayed four and a half seasons, playing a total of 140 games. He won two trophies and in the Supercoppa triumph against Inter played the last ten minutes plus injury time when more than a football match it was an assault on Fort Apache. Lazio resisted with Cribari's contribution. The Lazio fans will also not forget him playing the Champions League preliminary with a protective mask due to a broken nose nor the fact that he played the return game without, against the doctor's orders.
He is respected and remembered fondly by the club and fans alike.
Lazio Career
Season | Total games (goals) | Serie A | Coppa Italia | Champions Lague | Europa League | Intertoto Cup |
2005-06 | 35 | 28 | 4 | - | - | 3 |
2006-07 | 25 (1) | 23 (1) | 2 | - | - | - |
2007-08 | 42 | 31 | 5 | 6 | - | - |
2008-09 | 21 | 17 | 4 | - | - | - |
2009-Jan 2010 | 17 | 10 | - | - | 7 | - |
Total | 140 (1) | 109 (1) | 15 | 6 | 7 | 3 |
Sources
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