Game 5, Serie A
Sunday, September 25, 2005
Stadio Olimpico, Rome
Lazio Palermo 4-2
Two zero down Lazio score three goals in six minutes and then win 4-2
Lazio were in their 5th league fixture. So far, the Biancocelesti had won 2 (Messina 1-0 on debut and Treviso 3-1, both at home), drawn 1 (Cagliari 1-1 away) and lost 1 (four days earlier 0-2 away to Milan). Lazio were currently joint 7th with Milan and Roma on 7 points.
Palermo had started Serie A well. They had won 3 (Inter 3-2 and Reggina 1-0 at home and Siena 2-1 away) and drawn 1 (Parma 1-1 away on debut). They therefore came to Rome with three consecutive wins under their belts. The "Aquile" (Eagles) were currently 2nd, with Fiorentina on 10 points, two behind leaders Juventus.
A game open to any result this afternoon. Roman Eagles at home but Sicilian Eagles flying high.
The match
A smallish crowd of about 25,000 showed up on a rainy late September afternoon.
Lazio were without César, Gaby Mudingayi and at the last-minute Paolo Di Canio, while Palermo were missing keeper Matteo Guardalben, defender Giuseppe Biava and forward David Di Michele.
The Sicilians started the game a lot better than Lazio. In the first twenty minutes it was all Palermo. In the 7th minute Christian Terlizzi headed just over the bar from a corner. In the 8th minute a low Mario Santana shot towards the far post was deflected into corner by Sebastiano Siviglia. In the 14th minute Eugenio Corini chipped the ball forward to Andrea Caracciolo but his header was high.
Lazio had a few forays into Palermo's half but apart from a few scrambles did not create much.
In the 18th minute Stephen Makinwa for Palermo fired over the bar from a favourable position.
Just after the half hour mark Lazio were finally dangerous. First Tommaso Rocchi had a low shot saved by Nicola Santoni with his foot. Then the Venetian forward arrived just late in front of the keeper on a Massimo Oddo cross.
Just as Lazio seemed to be stirring, the Sicilians scored. On a long kick forward by the keeper, Guglielmo Stendardo and Luciano Zauri hesitated and were beaten for speed by Caracciolo who surged into the area and with a delightful low chip beat Angelo Peruzzi. Lazio 0 Palermo 1.
Lazio pushed forward but following a corner three players, Goran Pandev, Rocchi and Stendardo got in each other's way and the defender's shot went wide.
Santana then almost doubled the islanders lead but his left footed effort whistled past the post to Peruzzi's left.
The last chance was for Lazio but, after Oddo's good run and cross from the right, Cristian Zaccardo anticipated Christian Manfredini and cleared into corner. Halftime Lazio 0 Palermo 1.
For the second half the Rosanero made a substitution, taking Massimo Bonanni off and putting on Mariano González, who played on the right wing while Santana switched to the left.
The change was immediately rewarded as the Argentine scored in the 49th minute. On a high ball Caracciolo at the edge of the area headed down to Makinwa who scooped a short assist past Siviglia and it reached Gonzalez, the sub took it forward a couple of metres and beat Peruzzi from close range with a central left foot.
Doom and gloom for Lazio while Palermo were temporarily solitary 2nd in the table.
Lazio regrouped but needed some sort of spark to reignite this contest. This came from an unexpected source, the Palermo keeper. In the 58th minute Fabio Liverani hopefully hoofed the ball forward to Rocchi but two defenders and Santoni got their first, then the keeper comically completely missed the ball while trying to clear it from just outside the area, it hit Rocchi and spun back into the left side of the area where Rocchi reached it and slotted it across into the empty goal. Santoni to the rescue and Lazio back in it. Lazio 1 Palermo 2.
The visitors looked bewildered and flustered while Lazio suddenly had renewed energy. The Biancocelesti equalised a minute later. In the 59th minute Liverani passed to Rocchi, low through ball to Pandev who stretched and chipped the keeper. Three vertical touches and goal, easy enough. Lazio 2 Palermo 2. The game had changed completely.
If Palermo were flustered before, now they were panicky. Lazio scored again six minutes later. On a freekick from the near the left vertex of the area, Oddo blasted a powerful shot-cum-cross towards the crowded bodies in front of goal where it hit Manfredini's back side and went in. In Italian "un gol di culo (backside)" means lucky in general and there was no denying this one was, literally too. Anyway, apart from with hands and arms (and not always) they all count. Lazio 3 Palermo 2.
At this point Palermo tried to wake up from their stupor. They replaced Santana with Massimo Brienza in the 70th minute while Lazio replaced Liverani with Ousmane Dabo in the 73rd. Brienza almost immediately set up Caracciolo in front of goal but the big forward blasted it into Curva Nord, then a few minutes later Fabio Grosso shot wide.
Palermo were under shock however and showed few signs of life. More substitutions followed, in the 80th minute Simone Inzaghi replaced Pandev and five minutes later midfielder Massimo Mutarelli came on for defender Zaccardo.
In the 86th minute Lazio definitely put Palermo out of their misery. Inzaghi controlled the ball about 30 metres out when suddenly Dabo took it off him and burst down the left of the area where he squared a perfect low ball to Rocchi on the opposite post. It was child's play for the number 18 who tapped the ball and raced towards the entire team, bench and manager for a liberatory and justifiable communal celebration. A remarkable turnaround and Lazio 4 Palermo 2.
The islanders had one last attempt to salvage something but Peruzzi got down well to save a Simone Barone volley near the left post. There was still time for Manuel Belleri to replace Valon Behrami in the 88th minute. The Palermitani meanwhile looked as if they could not wait to go back to Sicily.
In the dying seconds Lazio could have made it five but Inzaghi showed solid sporting values when, despite having a clear run on goal, he put the ball out of play seeing a Palermo player, Andrea Barzagli, down injured. Shades of his team mate Paolo Di Canio in his West-Ham days. From then on Palermo had to play the last few minutes of injury time with ten men but the game had little more to say. Final score Lazio 4 Palermo 2
A memorable win for Lazio. From hell to heaven in six incredible minutes. Those who after 50 minutes were already speaking of Palermo as the "anti-Juventus" had possibly done so a little too soon. The Rosanero were a good team but they had collapsed defensively with all Lazio's goals coming from the left-hand side.
Lazio were now up to joint 4th with Palermo, Milan and Fiorentina and had also gone ahead of Roma. All in all a great afternoon.
Who played for Lazio
Peruzzi, Oddo, Siviglia, Stendardo, Zauri, Behrami (88' Belleri), Firmani, Liverani (73' Dabo), Manfredini, Pandev (80' S. Inzaghi), Rocchi
Manager: D. Rossi
Who played for Palermo
Santoni, Zaccardo (85' Mutarelli), Barzagli, Terlizzi, Grosso, Santana (70' Brienza), Barone, Corini, Bonanni (46' Gonzalez), Caracciolo, Makinwa
Substitutes: Andujar, Ferri, Codrea, Pepe
Manager: Delneri
Referee: Saccani
Goals: 36' Caracciolo, 49' Gonzalez, 58' Rocchi, 59' Pandev, 65' Manfredini, 86' Rocchi
Sources
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