Super Radu

Season 2013-14

Game 25, Serie A

Sunday, February 23, 2014

Stadio Olimpico, Rome

Lazio Sassuolo 3-2

A great performance from Stefan Radu helped beat Sassuolo in a very difficult moment for Lazio

2013-14 had not started too well as Lazio were thrashed in the Super Coppa by Juventus 4-0 with three goals in four minutes. The defence had been one of the strong points of the team, now it was a liability. At the end of the first half of the season Lazio were ninth, miles away from everything.

Manager Vladimir Pectovic was unable to steer the Lazio ship in the right direction. Not only. He signed a contract to be the new Head Trainer of the Swiss national team at the end of his deal with Lazio in 2014. President Claudio Lotito took this opportunity to sack him before Christmas and call back Edy Reja to try to get Lazio back on course.

The change seemed to solve things. Lazio were back and in the first six games under Reja came 12 points which included beating Inter and drawing against Roma. But the match before the home game against Sassuolo saw Lazio fall against Catania. What could the fans expect?

What was being prepared for the game was a massive anti-Lotito demonstration. Bad results and the selling of Hernanes to Inter in the last minutes of the winter transfer window only increased fan frustration.

The match

The game was played in a surreal atmosphere with Lotito being continuously insulted by the fans. On the pitch not much happened until the 24th minute. Cristian Ledesma saw Senad Lulic running towards the penalty box on the left. Long pass that reached the Lazio hero of heroes who volleyed the ball to the centre of the box towards Antonio Candreva who left it for Miroslav Klose. The German international, instead of finding the goal, found defender Lorenzo Ariaudo.

In the 38th minute Ledesma to Stefan Radu. The Romanian took a few steps forward and gave the ball a mighty whack. Impossible to save, 1-0 for Lazio. The fans' insults towards Lotito stopped. Briefly.

In the second half, Lazio had a chance to double in the 57th minute. A Candreva cross was cleared by the Sassuolo defence, ball to Radu who once again tried his chances from outside the box. His terrible shot became an assist for Klose but the "goal fisher" put it wide.

At this point Sassuolo woke up and started to become dangerous. In the 66th minute Alessandro Longhi crossed from the left, the ball reached Domenico Berardi whose acrobatic shot went high. In the 72nd minute Berardi to Francesco Manganelli in the box, low cross to the centre for Sergio Floccari who anticipated Michael Ciani and put the ball past Etrit Berisha.

Two minutes later Lazio were back in front. Ziegler fumbled, Tata Gonzalez was quick to pass to Klose, 2-1 for Lazio. Five minutes later, free kick for Sassuolo. Perfect shot from Floro Flores and it was 2-2.

Game over? No. In the 83rd minute, perfect cross from Radu on the left for Candreva but Paolo Cannavaro got an unfortunate touch and the ball went in.

Three very important points for Lazio

Who played for Lazio

Berisha, Konko, Biava, Dias (56’ Ciani), Radu, Candreva, A. Gonzalez (93’ Onazi), Ledesma, Mauri (65’ Biglia), Lulic, Klose