Lazio get in grid for final promotion burst
A convincing win over Piacenza moves Lazio into promotion places ready for the grand finale
Also on this day:
The season so far
The previous season Lazio had dramatically avoided relegation to Serie C. They started the season with a nine-point docking due to one of their player's involvement in the Totonero bis scandal. The manager was Eugenio Fascetti and only a Giuliano Fiorini goal eight minutes from time in the last game of the season and a subsequent win over Campobasso in a three-team playoff allowed them to stay up. The squad were heroes for life at Lazio but another season was about to begin.
Fascetti stayed on and the objective was clearly promotion. The Biancocelesti made some changes to the squad. Arriving were: keeper Silvano Martina (Torino), defender Paolo Beruatto (Torino), midfielders Ciro Muro (Napoli), Gabriele Savino (Vicenza), Gabriele Savino (Vicenza) plus forwards Giuseppe Galderisi (Milan -on loan) and Paolo Monelli (Fiorentina).
Leaving were: keepers Mario Ielpo (Cagliari) Giuliano Terraneo (Lecce), defenders Ernesto Calisti (Fiorentina), Daniele Filisetti (Venezia-Mestre), Gabriele Podavini (Genoa) plus forwards Giuliano Fiorini (Venezia -Mestre), Fabio Poli (Bologna) and Paolo Mandelli (Inter-end of loan). In the autumn, defender Giorgio Magnocavallo also left (Barletta). Some painful departures, especially Podavini, Poli and Fiorini.
So far, Lazio were in the heart of the promotion race. The Biancocelesti had won 8 (including Cremonese 1-0), drawn 12 and lost 5, so on 28 points. They had started off reasonably well (14 points in first 12 matches) but then had seven consecutive draws (not the end of the world but not exactly promotion pace). They had then won three out of the next four and seemed to be back on track before drawing at Cremona and losing badly 0-2 at Padova. Lazio were joint 5th with Lecce and one point from 3rd placed Cremonese and Bari. Lazio needed a win today.
In Coppa Italia, in August/September, Lazio had been eliminated in the group phase. They won 3 (Pisa on penalties, Lecce 1-0, Casertana 2-0) and lost 2 (Juventus on penalties after a 1-1 draw and Catanzaro 0-5).
Piacenza were newly promoted. They had won Serie C1 group A under manager Battista Rota. Top scorer was, future Lazio, Armando Madonna with 16 goals (12 in C). A young Beppe Signori was also in the squad.
This season Battista Rota stayed on. The main new signings were: defender Giovanni Colasante (Ancona), World Champion and Juventus legend Claudio Gentile (Fiorentina), Luca Marcato (Treviso), midfielders Diego Bortoluzzi (Atalanta-on loan) and Claudio Venturi (Trento).
Leaving Piacenza were defender Stefano Fontana (Ancona) and forward Beppe Signori (Trento - on loan).
Piacenza were 8th on 26 points, so only two behind Lazio. The Papaveri (Poppies) had won 8, drawn 10 (including Lazio 0-0) and lost 7. Their most recent match had been a 1-1 home draw to Udinese.
In Coppa Italia the Biancorossi had been eliminated in August-September after 3 wins (Sambenedettese and Centese both 2-1 at home and Cremonese on penalties away) and 2 defeats (Empoli 2-3 at home and Avellino 0-1 away).
Lazio needed a win today to push into the top four places but Piacenza were a solid mid-table side.
The match: Sunday, March 27, 1988, Stadio Olimpico, Rome
A cloudy and very windy day saw about 30,000 congregate at the Olimpico.
Lazio were without goalkeeper Silvano Martina who had been suspended for three games following his sending off at Padova a week earlier. His place in the nets was taken by Alessandro Salafia. Lazio also had absences in defender Massimo Piscedda and midfielder Giancarlo Camolese.
Piacenza had defenders Claudio Gentile, Luca Marcato and midfielder Antonio Tessariol missing plus forward Roberto Simonetta.
Lazio understood relatively early on that the best way to get past Piacenza's solid and crowded midfield was to pump long balls to the oncoming wing players, especially left full-back Paolo Beruatto.
Piacenza were solid but took no initiatives of their own and the feared Armando Madonna was isolated up front.
In the 20th minute Lazio took the lead. Ciro Muro put in a freekick cross from the left into a crowded area and it was seen at the last moment and parried by Fabrizio Grilli but on the rebound Gabriele Savino half volleyed it in from close range. Lazio 1 Piacenza 0.
Lazio seemed in control but in the 29th minute the visitors equalised albeit with a stroke of luck. Paolo Tomasoni hit a low free kick which hit Raimondo Marino and wrong footed Salafia. Lazio 1 Piacenza 1.
Lazio were unperturbed and continued to go forward. In the 32nd minute Paolo Monelli tried to dribble his way through the area and on the loose ball Savino again reacted quickest and fired past Grilli. Lazio 2 Piacenza 1
Lazio were now playing well and seven minutes later scored again. Beruatto charged down the left, reached the by-line and put in a perfect cross which centre-forward Monelli headed past Grilli. Lazio 3 Piacenza 1 and halftime score.
For the second half the Piacentini replaced midfielder Claudio Venturi with Giuseppe De Gradi. In the 58th minute they also replaced defender Ivano Comba with future Lazio Massimiliano Nardecchia.
Lazio again seemed to have things in their grasp but another own goal complicated things. In the 59th minute a De Gradi freekick, from about thirty metres out on the left, took a deflection off Domenico Caso, Gianfranco Serioli moved away and Salafia was left trying to catch thin air. Lazio 3 Piacenza 2.
Caso was then taken off, by no means a punishment but for a fresher and more physical Antonio Elia Acerbis.
Lazio never risked excessively but obviously with only a one goal advantage there was a certain level of apprehension.
Any worries however were swept away with just under ten minutes to go. In the 81st minute, on a Muro corner, Angelo Gregucci showed off his specialty and with an imperious header restored the double lead. Lazio 4 Piacenza 2.
The game was practically won but just to make sure Eugenio Fascetti took off striker Monelli and threw on midfielder Vincenzo Esposito.
In the 86th minute the score line took on an even more one-sided look. Muro went on a skilful solo run on the right, cut in and tried his luck from just inside the right vertex of the box, the ball was ever so lightly touched by Tomasoni and ended up in the back of the net. The goal was given to the Neapolitan midfielder but more importantly Lazio 5 Piacenza 2 and game over.
A reassuring performance and win for Lazio after the previous week's disaster. The Biancocelesti were back on the promotion trail and moved up to joint 3rd with Cremonese, Bari and Lecce (the first two had drawn while the Giallorossi had won). With four promotion slots available the battle was reaching its crucial and decisive moment. Lazio seemed ready.
Who played for Lazio
Salafia, Marino, Beruatto, Pin, Gregucci, Piscedda, Caso (62' Acerbis), Savino, Galderisi, Muro, Monelli (83' Esposito)
Manager: Fascetti
Who played for Piacenza
Grilli, Comba (58' Nardecchia), Colasante, Tomasoni, Bortoluzzi, Venturi (46' De Gradi), Madonna, Snidaro, Seroli, Roccatagliata, Manighetti
Substitutes: Bordoni, Imberti, Bottazzi
Manager: Rota
Referee: Esposito
Goals: 20' Savino, 29' Marino (og), 32' Savino, 39' Monelli, 59' Caso (og), 81' Gregucci, 86' Muro
What happened next
Lazio managed to finally conquer promotion, finishing joint 3rd. It was not easy. A week later Lazio drew 0-0 at home to Lecce and then in the next 10, won 5, drew 4 and lost 1.
They then came into the last game of the season, against Taranto at home, needing a win. In a packed Olimpico, already under heavy reconstruction for Italia '90 the Biancocelesti won 3-1 and booked their place back in the top flight after three difficult years. Lazio have been in Serie A ever since. Top scorer was Paolo Monelli with 14 goals (13 in B).
Piacenza finished 13th. In the last 12 games they only won 1, drew 5 and lost 6. Top scorer was Madonna again with 9 league goals.
Lazio went up with champions Bologna plus Lecce and Atalanta. At the opposite end Modena, Triestina and Arezzo descended to Serie C.
Let's talk about Gabriele Savino
Gabriele Savino had a very long career starting in 1976 and finishing in 1994, but he never made it to Serie A.
Born on February 6, 1960, in Vercelli, he started playing football for his hometown in Serie C and in 1978 signed for Trecate in Serie D. He then gradually worked his way up the tiers and after stints at Novara, Legnano and Carrarese, signed for Vicenza in Serie B in 1985. He stayed a couple of years there, playing 63 league games with 9 goals but in 1987 the club were relegated to Serie C1 after the dramatic Lazio - Vicenza match.
His next club would in fact be Lazio. The Biancocelesti had gone through a mini revolution and the objective was a return to Serie A. Savino struggled in the beginning and was not playing well. Neither were Lazio however, and after the first half of the season they were fifth. But that last game was a turnaround. The Biancocelesti managed to draw a difficult game at Taranto 3-3 with a Savino brace and things went better from then on. Lazio conquered Serie A in the last game against the Apulians at the Olimpico.
Savino gave a good contribution to the cause: 40 appearances and 10 goals. Once he started playing better so did Lazio and Serie A was soon there for the taking. He was then initially going to be confirmed but there was a change of plan in July as Fascetti was sacked following an argument with President Gian Marco Calleri over the sale of Paolo Monelli.
Savino was no longer required and in the autumn transfer window he was sold to Brescia. In two years, he made 68 league appearances with 11 goals. After this experience he went to play for Lucchese in Serie B but made only 10 appearances. His last years of active football were with Mantova in Serie C2, Treviso and Valdagno in the amateur leagues.
Savino was an excellent midfielder who scored plenty of goals. But at Lazio the club did not think he was Serie A material and with Fascetti leaving he was no longer considered useful to the cause. But he will always be remembered as being one of the protagonists of the return to Serie A.
Lazio Career
Season | Total appearances (goals) | Serie B | Coppa Italia |
1987-88 | 40 (10) | 35 (8) | 5 (2) |
Sources
Comments