Lazio thrash Genoa despite absences
An impressive attacking display enables the Biancocelesti to easily brush off the Rossoblu
Also on this day: March 19, 2008, Lazio Roma 3-2. The perfect script for a derby and all fans dream as a 92nd minute goal gives Lazio victory over eternal city rivals. Player of the day: Valon Behrami
The season so far
The previous season Lazio had finished fourth and again qualified for the UEFA Cup. New owner Sergio Cragnotti, however, decided it was time for a change. Out went Dino Zoff's conservative style of play and in came "Zemanlandia" with new manager Zdenek Zeman, who had impressed at Foggia. Zoff was kept on but as President.
The Bohemian brought Argentinian defender José Chamot with him and was reunited with winger Roberto Rambaudi (Atalanta). Lazio also added midfielder Giorgio Venturin (Torino) to their squad.
Leaving Lazio were defenders and fan favourite Luigi Corino (Brescia), Luca Luzardi (Napoli) plus well serving midfielder Claudio Sclosa (Cremonese-on loan).
So far, in Serie A Lazio had played 23 matches. The Biancocelesti won 11, drew 4 and lost 7. Some great victories: Napoli 5-1, Torino 3-0, Padova 5-1, Milan 4-0, Foggia 7-1, Fiorentina 8-2 at home, Inter 2-0 away but also some bruising defeats Roma 0-3, Sampdoria 1-3, Bari 1-2 at home. Lazio were capable of anything, in the good and the bad. They were currently in 5th position on 37 points (this was the first season with three points per victory) but only one behind Roma in 4th and two behind Milan in 3rd. The last game had been a 2-3 defeat in Naples, after being 2-0 up at halftime.
Their Coppa Italia campaign had started in August with a 9-1 aggregate destruction of Modena. Lazio then knocked out Piacenza 6-4 on aggregate and Napoli 3-1 on aggregate. Lazio had then played Juventus at home in the first leg of the semi-final, losing 0-1. The return match would be on April 11 in Turin.
In the UEFA Cup Lazio had got through three rounds: Dinamo Minsk 4-1, Trelleborg 1-0 and Trabzonspor 4-2. The Biancocelesti then played Borussia Dortmund in the quarterfinals and lost 1-2 on aggregate (with some controversial refereeing decisions and a last-minute goal by former Lazio, Karl-Heinz Riedle).
Genoa had finished 11th the previous season. They had started the season under Claudio Maselli and finished with Franco Scoglio. They had lost to Lazio 0-4 in Rome and drawn 1-1 at home. Top scorer was Czech Tomáš Skurhavý with 9 league goals.
This season the Rossoblu had Started with Scoglio but then replaced him with Giuseppe "Pippo" Marchioro. The novelties in the squad were defender Daniele Delli Carri (Torino), midfielder Antonio Manicone (Inter-on loan) and former and future Lazio, Dario Marcolin (1992-93, 1995-2000). Leaving were keeper Stefano Tacconi (retiring), forwards Marco Nappi (Brescia-on loan) and Michele Padovano (Reggiana).
In Serie A the Grifoni were struggling. They were currently in 13th position, on 27 points, just two above Cremonese and Foggia occupying the last relegation slots. Genoa had won 7 (including Inter 2-1, Roma 1-0, both at home), drawn 6 (including Juve 1-1 away and Milan 1-1 at home) and lost 10 (including Lazio 1-2 at home and the derby 2-3). They came from two consecutive wins however and a week earlier had beaten Brescia 1-0 at home.
In Coppa Italia, Genoa were out. In the 2nd round they had eliminated Cesena 3-0 on aggregate but then in the 3rd had been beaten 2-3 on aggregate by Roma.
Lazio were favourites today, 11 points ahead and playing at home. The Biancocelesti however came from a demoralising defeat while Genoa had won their last two (and last three out of four) and were desperately looking for points to survive in the top flight.
The match: Sunday, March 19, 1995, Stadio Olimpico, Rome
About 40,000 spectators were present on Father’s Day, San Giuseppe.
Lazio's most famous Giuseppe, Signori was absent as were half the team: Luca Marchegiani, Giuseppe Favalli, Roberto Cravero, Alen Boksic and Paul Gascoigne. Luckily Lazio had decent strength in depth in their squad. Genoa had no important absences.
Lazio were dominant from the word go. After only two minutes Roberto Rambaudi had a golden chance from a favourable position but his shot went sky high. In the 9th minute Gigi Casiraghi could have shot but instead passed to Marco Di Vaio who hit the post. Lazio continued to attack and the goal was only a matter of time. One minute as it turned out.
In the 10th minute following a clever Di Vaio-Roberto Bacci combination the midfielder scored his first ever Serie A goal. Lazio 1 Genoa 0.
Genoa showed no signs of life and in the 19th minute Lazio scored again. Aron Winter found Rambaudi who squared low into the middle for a José Antonio Chamot tap-in. Lazio 2 Genoa 0.
A minute later things could have got worse for the visitors when Daniele Delli Carri almost put the ball in his own net trying to anticipate Casiraghi from pouncing on a Diego Fuser cross.
Casiraghi then nearly scored in the 40th minute, set up by Rambaudi, but his cross-goal effort went just wide.
The third goal came anyway in the 44th minute. Genoa keeper Gianpaolo Spagnulo parried a powerful Winter strike up into the air and on the rebound Fuser made it three from close range. Lazio 3 Genoa 0. All too easy.
Lazio had another chance just before halftime but Di Vaio unmarked on the left side of the area saw his curling effort go just off target. At the break Lazio 3 Genoa 0. No contest so far.
In the second half the Rossoblu finally had an opportunity early on. A Chamot mistake gave John Van't Schip a chance but he was not able to take advantage and aimed too high. Then it was Lazio again.
In the 51st minute Paolo Negro won possession in midfield, surged forward and drilled a shot not far off the post and then six minutes later Lazio made it four. A great Winter-Rambaudi move was finished off by Di Vaio. Lazio 4 Genoa 0.
The Grifone at this point made a double substitution, defender Gianluca Francesconi on for midfielder Antonio Manicone and Japanese forward Kazuyoshi Miura for defender and captain Vincenzo Torrente
In the 60th minute Genoa went close to pulling one back but were unlucky as Roberto Onorati's superb curling effort from the left side of the box hit the crossbar. A few minutes later Skurhavy had an acrobatic bicycle kick well saved by Fernando Orsi.
In the 70th minute Fuser ran forward 40 metres with the ball but arrived tired and misfired his shot.
In the 75th minute a Negro header was saved by Spagnulo.
In the 77th minute a Miura shot was cleared near the goal line by Chamot.
In the 82nd minute Rambaudi went off and defender Mauro Bonomi came on.
In the 84th Fuser teed up Casiraghi but the Brianzolo striker hammered his shot over the bar.
The last effort of the afternoon was by Thomáš Skurhavý but it went miles too high.
There was just time for one more substitution by Lazio as Giuseppe Colucci, on his Serie A debut, came on for Winter. Both teams at this stage were looking forward to the final whistle. Lazio 4 Genoa 0.
A convincing win by Lazio who could have scored many more. Genoa were outclassed and looked like strong candidates for a trip down to Serie B if they did not improve.
Lazio were still 5th but had gained two points on Parma in 2nd. Genoa were still 13th and were pleased that the three teams immediately behind them, Padova, Cremonese and Foggia had all lost. There were basically two more relegation slots to be filled as Reggiana and Brescia were already goners.
Who played for Lazio
Orsi, Negro, Bacci, Di Matteo, Bergodi, Chamot, Rambaudi (82' Bonomi), Fuser, Casiraghi, Winter (86' Colucci), Di Vaio
Manager: Zeman
Who played for Genoa
Spagnulo, Torrente (52' Miura), Caricola, Manicone (52' Francesconi), Delli Carri, Galante, Ruotolo, Bortolazzi, Onorati, Skuhravy, Van't Schip
Substitutes: Spinetta, Signorini, Signorelli
Manager: Marchioro
Referee: Ceccarini
Goals: 10' Bacci, 19' Chamot, 44' Fuser, 56' Di Vaio
What happened next
Lazio finished the season well and climbed up to 2nd (UEFA Cup). In the remaining 10 games the Biancocelesti won 7 (including the derby 2-0, Inter 4-1 at home and Juventus 3-0 away), drew 2 and lost 1. Top scorer was Beppe Signori with 21 (17 in A). So, a promising first season for Zeman. A few ups and downs but a prestigious 2nd place finish.
Genoa were relegated. After today's game Marchioro was sacked and replaced by Claudio Maselli. In the last 10 games the "Vecchio Balordo" (The Old Fool) won 3 (including the derby 2-1), drew 4 and lost 3. They were then forced to go to a relegation playoff with Padova and lost on penalties after a 1-1 draw. Top scorer was Skurhavy with 14 goals (12 in A).
Juventus won the Scudetto for the 23rd time. Genoa went down with Brescia, Reggiana and Foggia.
Lazio 1994-95
Competition | Played | Won | Drawn | Lost | Goals scored |
Serie A | 34 | 19 | 6 | 9 | 69 |
Coppa Italia | 8 | 6 | - | 2 | 19 |
UEFA Cup | 8 | 5 | 2 | 1 | 10 |
Total | 50 | 30 | 8 | 12 | 98 |
Top five appearances
Player | Total | Serie A | Coppa Italia | UEFA Cup |
Marchegiani | 48 | 33 | 7 | 8 |
Negro | 48 | 32 | 8 | 8 |
Casiraghi | 47 | 34 | 6 | 7 |
Rambaudi | 46 | 32 | 7 | 7 |
Fuser | 45 | 32 | 6 | 7 |
Top Five Goal Scorers
Player | Total | Serie A | Coppa Italia | UEFA Cup |
Signori | 21 | 17 | 4 | - |
Casiraghi | 15 | 12 | 3 | - |
Boksic | 11 | 9 | - | 2 |
Negro | 8 | 4 | 3 | 1 |
Fuser | 7 | 5 | 1 | 1 |
Let talk about Leonardo Colucci
Leonardo Colucci was born in Cerignola (Bari), on December 29,1972.
He started his career with his hometown of Cerignola. The Gialloblu were in Promozione (5th tier) and he played three seasons, finishing 3rd (promoted to Interregionale- 4th tier), 2nd and 2nd again. He played 103 league games with 12 goals.
In 1993-94 he played a season with Siracusa in Serie C1. The manager was first Paolo Lombardo and then Giuliano Sonzogni and the Leoni finished 15th. Colucci played 41 league games with 8 goals. One of his teammates was future manager Marco Giampaolo (Sampdoria, Milan, Torino amongst others).
In 1994-95 he was with Lazio in Serie A. The manager was Zdeněk Zeman and the Biancocelesti finished 2nd and reached the UEFA Cup quarterfinals. Colucci played 2 league games with 1 goal (winner against Brescia) and 1 game in Coppa Italia.
In 1995 he joined Reggiana in Serie B. The Granata were promoted in 3rd place under Carlo Ancelotti. Colucci played 35 league games with 3 goals (Cosenza, Avellino, Fidelis Andria) and 3 games in Coppa Italia. His teammates included Lazio connections Marco Ballotta (1997-2000, 2005-08), Fabrizio Di Mauro (1993-1994), Angelo Gregucci (1986-1993), Antonio Rizzolo (1986-89) and Eugenio Sgarbossa (1986).
In 1996 he joined Verona in Serie A. He stayed with Hellas six seasons. The Gialloblu finished 17th (relegated), 7th, 1st (promoted), 9th, 14th and 15th (relegated). His managers were Luigi Cagni, Cagni then Sergio Maddė, Cesare Prandelli for two seasons, Attilio Perotti and finally Alberto Malesani. Colucci played 163 matches (149 in A) with 10 goals (6 in A, Atalanta, Lecce, Parma, Juventus, Lazio twice). His teammates included Lazio connections Roberto Bacci (1990-95), Sebastiano Siviglia (2004-10), Marco Piovanelli (1995-97), Antony Šeric (2004-05), Massimo Oddo (2002-07).
In 2003 he moved to Bologna in Serie A. He stayed four seasons and the Felsinei finished 11th, 12th, 18th (relegated) and 8th (in B). His managers were Francesco Guidolin, Carlo Mazzone for two seasons and then Renzo Ulivieri. His teammates included Lazio connections Julio Cruz (2009-10), Giuseppe Signori (1992-97), Mourad Meghni (2007-11) and Igli Tare (2005-08 player, 2008-2023 sports director). Colucci played a total of 130 games (114 in A) with 5 goals (1 in A- Udinese and2 in the Intertoto Cup-Teplice x2 and 2 in Coppa Italia-Ternana x2).
In 2006-07 he played a season in Sardinia with Cagliari in Serie A. The manager was Marco Giampaolo, then Franco Colomba and then Giampaolo again. The "Casteddu" finished 17th and Colucci played 26 league games with 1 goal (Inter).
In 2007 he joined Cremonese in C1. The manager was Emiliano Mondonico. The Tigers finished 2nd but lost the promotion playoff final to Cittadella 2-3 on aggregate. Colucci played 26 league games and 4 in the playoffs.
The following year he stayed in Cremona in the new Lega Pro 1 (still 3rd tier). The Grigiorossi had three different managers: Ivo Iaconi (1-16), Emiliano Mondonico (17-26) and finally Roberto Venturato (27-34). The Cremonesi finished 9th but reached the Coppa Italia Lega Pro final, losing to Sorrento 0-1 on aggregate. Colucci only played 7 league games.
His last two years of playing career were spent in Modena in Serie B. The manager was Luigi Appolloni in the first season and then, Lazio legend, Cristiano Bergodi in the second. The Canaries finished 13th and 10th. Colucci played 55 league games.
At 38 he retired.
At International level he won one cap for Italy U21's with 1 goal.
He then became a manager. He started in 2011 at Cesena in Serie A as assistant to Marco Giampaolo but they were both replaced after ten games. The Bianconeri were eventually relegated. His squad included future Lazio, Antonio Candreva (2012-16) and Marco Parolo (2014-21).
Colucci then worked for Bologna's youth set up for four years (two years with U19's).
In 2016-17 he was manager of Reggiana in Lega Pro (3rd tier) until he was replaced on January 22.
He then took on the job at Pordenone in Serie C but was replaced after 25 games with the Neroverdi in 10th place.
In 2018-19 he spent a season at Vis Pesaro in Serie C. The Vissini finished 15th.
In 2020-21, after 11 games, he took over at Ravenna in Serie C. He was unable to avoid the "Leoni" getting relegated.
In 2021-22, in November, he became manager of AZ Picerno (Potenza- Basilicata) in Serie C. The Melandrini finished 10th.
In 2022-23 he started at Juve Stabia (Napoli) in Serie C but was replaced after 23 games.
He is currently at SPAL (Ferrara) in Serie C where after six games he took over from Domenico Di Carlo.
Colucci was a midfielder. He usually played centrally as a low playmaker. He was not a quick player but moved the ball well. His best years were with Verona and Bologna. He played 213 games in Serie A with 9 goals and 168 in B with 7 goals.
At Lazio he only stayed one season. In midfield the Biancocelesti had Aron Winter, Roberto Di Matteo, Giorgio Venturin, Roberto Bacci and Diego Fuser so Colucci was a reserve. He played three games and had the satisfaction of scoring Lazio’s winner in the last game of the season to help Lazio clinch a prestigious 2nd place.
Lazio Career
Season | Total appearances (goals) | Serie A | Coppa Italia |
1994-95 | 3 (1) | 2 (1) | 1 |
Sources
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