Flattering win and deceiving scoreline for Lazio
Juventus totally dominated for 70 minutes but could not beat an inspired Marchegiani and were made to pay by Di Matteo plus two injury time goals
Also on this day: May 7, 2000, Bologna Lazio 2-3. The Biancocelesti get the win but go into the last game still two points behind Juventus. A disallowed Cannavaro goal in Turin will be the talk of the week. Player of the day: Paolo Orlandoni
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 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 the league Lazio were in 4th position. The Biancocelesti had won 14, drawn 6 and lost 9. They had played some spectacular matches (Napoli 5-1, Padova 5-1, Foggia 7-1, Milan 4-0, Fiorentina 8-2, Genoa 4-0) and had also beaten Inter away and the return derby both 2-0 but they also had several poor results (Roma 0-3, Sampdoria 1-3, Bari 1-2 at home, Torino 0-2, Parma 0-2, Padova 0-2). When things clicked they were unstoppable but when they didn't Lazio were incapable of varying their game plan.
In the current UEFA Cup Lazio were somewhat unluckily knocked out by Borussia Dortmund in the quarterfinals. Lazio were first clearly penalised by Hungarian referee Vágner's controversial decisions and then punished by former Lazio Karl-Heinz Riedle's last minute winner, giving the Westphalians a 2-1 aggregate victory.
In the Coppa Italia Lazio reached the semi-finals but were beaten by today’s rivals Juventus.
Juventus were top of the table, led by manager Marcello Lippi. In the summer they reinforced the squad with defender Ciro Ferrara (Napoli), midfielders Didier Deschamps (Marseille), Paulo Sousa (Sporting Lisbon) and Alessio Tacchinardi. In attack they considered themselves already competitive with Roberto Baggio, Alessandro Del Piero, Gianluca Vialli and Fabrizio Ravanelli.
The main players leaving were defender Julio Cesar (Borussia Dortmund) and Andreas Möller (Borussia Dortmund). In the autumn they had sold former Lazio Paolo Di Canio to Milan.
So far Juventus had won 20, drawn 4 and lost 5. They were closing in on yet another Serie A title. The week earlier the Bianconeri had won 4-1 in Florence.
They had also qualified for the Coppa Italia final and would play Parma over two legs in June.
In the UEFA Cup Juventus were in the final but had lost the first leg away again against Parma 1-0. The return match in Turin would be on May 17.
The match: May 7, 1995, Stadio Delle Alpi, Turin
A crowd of 45,000 turned up to see Juve move nearer the league title.
The game was controlled by Juve from the start and Luca Marchegiani soon realized he would be in for a busy afternoon. His first difficult save came from a Moreno Torricelli header in the 11th minute and he then repeated himself on a Sergio Porrini header with a prodigious reflex. In the 26th minute Ciro Ferrara's curling shot was again superbly saved by the "Conte" (The Count, for his aplomb and gentleman like manner).
And Lazio? They had one chance in the 28th minute but an Alen Boksic shot went just wide of an empty goal after Michelangelo Rampulla had recklessly come off his line.
Then it was all Juve again. In the 33rd minute Fabrizio Ravanelli and Gianluca Vialli got in each other's way and "Topolino's" (Little mouse) shot went wide. A minute later Didier Deschamps decided to go alone but Marchegiani managed to anticipate him just before he shot. The Frenchman tried again a few minutes later with what looked like a certain goal but Marchegiani's dive denied the "Old Lady" again. A minute later a Vialli header went wide and then came the Lazio keeper's masterpiece, a close range Ravanelli header was almost miraculously kept out by "Super Luca". Half time came and the score was incredibly still 0-0.
Lazio were so in difficulty that Zdenek Zeman changed the line-up from his classic 4-3-3 to a more defensive 4-4-2 introducing Giorgio Venturin for Beppe Signori during the interval. The Czech had never done something like this before or since.
The second half started off in the same pattern. A rampant Juve and a passive Lazio. In the 51st minute a Deschamps header shaved the post. Two minutes later Roberto Baggio chipped a finally beaten Marchegiani but Paolo Negro was there to clear off the goal line.
There followed constant pressure, corners, crosses, scrambles. In the 62nd minute a spectacular volley by Vialli went close to the post. In the 68th minute Lazio crossed the halfway line but a Venturin shot was not dangerous. In the 71st minute Gian Carlo Marocchi hit the crossbar with a curling effort. Surely a goal would come soon.
It did but for Lazio.In the 72nd minute Roberto Di Matteo won a fifty-fifty challenge with Ferrara and coolly beat Rampulla with a low right foot. Juve 0 Lazio 1 but completely against the run of play.
Juve were in shock and their assault on the Lazio goal lost some of its strength despite bringing on Del Piero. They did however have two more opportunities to equalise but Marchegiani saved from "Pinturicchio" Del Piero and Marocchi's effort whistled wide of the post.
Juventus were groggy and unbalanced after attacking so much and Lazio took advantage. In the 90th minute a counter foot by Gigi Casiraghi was finished off by Boksic. 0-2 and Juve were finished.
In the 92nd minute things got worse for the "Zebras" as the Eagles swooped again (today they were more like vultures). Another counterattack by Boksic gave Venturin an open goal opportunity and he made it 0-3. An unbelievable score line considering the performances by the two teams.
Juventus had attacked for almost the entire game but imprecision, a bit of bad luck and above all an unbeatable Marchegiani had handed them a humiliating home defeat.
Lazio had not played a "Zemanlike" game but had resisted the onslaught, somehow coming out unscathed and then been incredibly clinical on the break.
Rarely has a score been so deceiving but Lazio were not complaining ... when would it happen again to beat Juventus 3-0 in Turin. Almost thirty years later it still has not.
Who played for Juventus
Rampulla, Ferrara, Jarni, Torricelli, Porrini, Paulo Sousa (74' Del Piero), Di Livio (65' Marocchi), Deschamps, Vialli, R. Baggio, Ravanelli
Substitutes: Squizzi, Fusi, Tacchinardi
Manager: Lippi
Who played for Lazio
Marchegiani, Negro, Nesta, Di Matteo, Bergodi, Chamot, Boksic, Fuser, Casiraghi, Winter, Signori (46' Venturin)
Manager: Zeman
Referee: Nicchi
Goals: 72' Di Matteo, 90' Boksic, 92' Venturin
What happened next
Lazio won their next four matches; Inter 4-1, Sampdoria 1-0, Foggia 1-0 and Brescia 1-0. They overtook Parma on goal difference and conquered 2nd place. To be fair the Parmigiani were distracted by the UEFA Cup final but it was still a prestigious position for Lazio. The Biancocelesti had won 19, drawn 6 and lost 9. They had played some incredibly spectacular matches but would have to be more continuous to seriously challenge for the title. Top scorer was Signori with 21 (17 in the league).
Juventus were crowned champions two weeks later beating Parma 4-0 at the Delle Alpi. They finished with a ten-point advantage on second placed Lazio. They would however not conquer their third trophy of the year as Parma got their revenge in the UEFA Cup drawing the return leg 1-1 in Turin, thus lifting the cup 2-1 on aggregate. As so often over the years Juve were dominant domestically but fell short in Europe. The Bianconeri top scorer was Ravanelli with 30 goals in all competitions and Vialli with 17 in the league.
At the opposite end Brescia, Reggiana, Foggia and Genoa bid farewell to top level football.
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 Gianluca Vialli
Today we shall make an exception and talk about an opposition player. He was a formidable opponent for many years and prematurely passed away recently.
Vialli was born in Cremona, on July 9, 1964. Unlike the majority of football players he was from a wealthy background and grew up in a sort of castle.
He started playing football in 1973 for Pizzighettone near Cremona. Due to a bureaucratic problem (not uncommon in Italy) at a certain point he could not be registered for the Biancazzurri and in 1978 was sold to the Grigiorossi of Cremonese where he continued his formation.
He made his first team debut for the "Tigri" in 1980-81 in Serie C making 2 appearances. Cremonese were promoted and the following season in Serie B he made 31 league appearances with 5 goals plus 1 appearance in Coppa Italia. It was a season which saw the emergence of manager Emiliano Mondonico who took over for the last seven matches and with 5 wins (including Lazio 1-0 away) and 2 draws led Cremonese to safety.
In 1982-83 Cremonese went close to promotion, reaching a three team playoff but losing out to Catania. Vialli played 35 league games with 8 goals. It was the season Milan and Lazio were also promoted.
The following season the "Violini" did win promotion to Serie A. Vialli contributed with 37 league games and 10 goals.
Vialli at this point was in great demand and left his hometown and joined Sampdoria. In his first year, under Eugenio Bersellini, the "Sergente di Ferro" (the Iron Sergeant, for his strict discipline), Vialli played 28 league games with 3 goals (Avellino, Roma, Udinese) and 13 in Coppa Italia with 6 goals (Cavese x2, Pisa x2, Fiorentina, Milan). Sampdoria had a good season and finished 4th but more importantly won their first historic silverware, the Coppa Italia beating Milan twice .
Vialli at this point of his career was not scoring so much as he was still being used mainly on the wing and a certain Trevor Francis was centre-forward.
In 1985-86 Sampdoria finished 12th and were losing finalists in the Coppa Italia (Roma 2-3 on aggregate). Vialli played 28 league games with 6 goals (Bari, Milan, Como, Pisa x2, Lecce), 7 games in Coppa Italia and 4 in the European Cup Winners Cup.
In 1986 Sampdoria changed manager with the arrival of Vujadin Boskov. The Blucerchiati finished 12th and Vialli played 28 league games with 12 goals (Verona, Napoli, Empoli, Juventus x2, Fiorentina, Brescia, Milan, Juventus, Roma x2, Torino), 1 extra game in the UEFA slot playoff (lost to Milan) and 3 games in Coppa Italia with 4 goals (Reggiana x2, Lecce, Juventus).
This phase of his career saw his goal rate rising and this was partly thanks to Boskov who decided to play Vialli in front of goal with Roberto Mancini as the assist man.
In 1987-88 Vialli and Sampdoria had another good season. "Il Doria" finished 4th but again won the Coppa Italia (Torino 3-2 on aggregate after extra-time ). Vialli played 30 league games with 10 goals (Torino, Milan, Ascoli, Empoli x2, Verona, Como, Roma, Juventus, Napoli) plus 13 in Coppa Italia with 3 goals (Torino x2 and Torino again in the final).
The 1988-89 season saw Sampdoria finish 5th and win the Coppa Italia again (Napoli 4-1 on aggregate). They also reached two other finals but lost the European Cup Winners Cup Final 0-2 to Barcelona and the Italian Supercoppa 3-1 to Milan. Vialli played 30 league games with 14 goals (Pisa, Ascoli, Bologna, Fiorentina, Lecce, Atalanta, Pescara, Verona, Torino, Como, Pisa x2, Ascoli, Pescara), 14 in Coppa Italia with 13 goals (Cremonese x2, Modena, Padova x2, Atalanta, Bari, Monza, Fiorentina, Atalanta x2, Atalanta, Napoli), 7 in the Cup Winners Cup with 5 goals (IFK Norrkőping, Carl Zeiss Jena home and away, Dinamo Bucharest, Malines) plus the Italian Supercoppa with 1 goal (Milan). So an impressive total of 33 goals.
The 1989-90 season saw Vialli play slightly less, 22 league games with 10 goals (Lazio, Inter, Udinese, Genoa, Verona, Roma x2, Bologna, Fiorentina, Cremonese), 2 games in Coppa Italia with 2 goals (Prato, Genoa), 8 games in ECWC with 8 goals (Brann Bergen, Borussia Dortmund x2, Monaco x2, Anderlecht x2) and 1 game in the Italian Supercoppa. Sampdoria finished 5th but triumphed in Europe lifting the Cup Winners Cup in Gothenburg by beating Anderlecht 2-0 in extra-time with two Vialli goals. Sampdoria also played the Italian Supercoppa final but lost 0-2 to Inter.
The 1990-91 season was Sampdoria's masterpiece. They won the Scudetto for the first time ever. Vialli played 26 league games with 19 goals (Pisa, Napoli x2, Genoa, Roma, Inter x2, Torino, Lazio, Bologna, Juventus, Milan, Pisa, Napoli x2, Cagliari, Bari, Inter, Lecce), 7 in Coppa Italia with 3 goals (Cremonese x2, Napoli), 3 in the Cup Winners Cup with 1 goal plus 1 game in the Italian Supercoppa. The Blucerchiati also reached two finals but lost them both; the Coppa Italia 2-4 on aggregate to Roma and the European Super Cup 1-3 on aggregate to Milan. The Scudetto was enough however to last a lifetime. Vialli also had the personal satisfaction of being Serie A top scorer.
The 1991-92 season would be Vialli's last with "La Samp". In the league they finished 6th. They won the Italian Supercoppa beating Roma 1-0. They also went very close to the biggest prize of all, the European Cup, only losing to Barcelona 0-1 in extra-time (Ronald Koeman's famous freekick at Wembley). Vialli played 31 league games with 11 goals (Verona, Bari, Inter, Ascoli x2, Parma, Fiorentina, Lazio, Milan, Foggia, Cremonese), 3 games in Coppa Italia with 3 goals (Bari home and away, Roma), 11 in the European Cup with 6 goals (Rosenborg, Kispest x2, Red Star Belgrade, Anderlecht x2).
At this stage of his career having won the league and gone extremely close to the European Cup, Vialli changed clubs. He had played 328 games and scored 141 goals for Sampdoria. He and Roberto Mancini the "Gemelli del Gol" (The Goal Twins) would forever be club legends.
In 1992-93 Vialli joined Juventus. In Turin he found Giovanni Trapattoni as manager. In his first year the Bianconeri finished 4th but won the UEFA Cup beating Borussia Dortmund 6-1 on aggregate. Vialli played 32 league games with 6 goals (Atalanta, Napoli, Torino, Parma, Foggia, Lazio), 7 in Coppa Italia with 2 goals (Parma x2) and 10 in the UEFA Cup with 5 goals (Anorthosis x2, Sigma Olomouc x2, Benfica).
In 1993-94 he suffered from several injuries and only played 10 league games with 4 goals (Lazio x3, Udinese) and 2 games in the UEFA Cup. Juventus finished 2nd in Serie A.
In 1994-95 Marcello Lippi arrived as manager and things improved for the "Old Lady" and for Vialli. The Bianconeri won the double, Scudetto and Coppa Italia (Parma 2-1 on aggregate) but lost the UEFA Cup final (Parma 1-2 on aggregate). Vialli played 30 league games with 17 goals (Bari, Cremonese, Torino x2, Reggiana x2, Fiorentina x2, Roma, Brescia, Sampdoria, Cremonese, Milan, Fiorentina, Genoa, Parma, Cagliari), 7 in Coppa Italia with 3 goals (Reggiana, Roma x2) and 9 in the UEFA Cup with 2 goals (Admira Wacker, Parma).
In 1995-96 Juventus came 2nd in Serie A but won two cups. They lifted the Italian Supercoppa beating Parma 1-0 with a Vialli winner. More importantly the "Zebre" triumphed in the Champions League, defeating Ajax 4-2 on penalties (the match was 1-1) in Rome. Vialli played 30 league games with 11 goals (Piacenza x2, Vicenza, Napoli, Torino x3, Inter, Cremonese, Torino, Bari) and 7 games in Champions 6 with 2 goals (Nantes home and away in the semis).
At 32 he went for an experience in England and in 1996 joined Chelsea. At Stamford Bridge he teamed up with fellow Italians Roberto Di Matteo and Gianfranco Zola.
In his first season with the Blues, under Ruud Gullit, the Italian played 28 league games with 9 goals, plus 5 games in the FA Cup with 2 goals. Chelsea came 6th in the Premier League but triumphed in the FA Cup defeating Middlesbrough 2-0 (Di Matteo, Newton).
In Vialli's second season in London he took over from Gullit on February 12 and acted as player manager. He led the Pensioners to 4th place and won two cups. In the European Cup Winners Cup the Blues defeated Stuttgart 1-0 (Zola) while in the League Cup they beat Middlesbrough again 2-0 after extra-time (Sinclair, Di Matteo). Vialli made 21 league appearances with 11 goals, 5 in the domestic cups with 1 goal and 8 in the ECWC with 6 goals.
In 1998-99 he continued as player manager but saw less of the pitch. He made 9 league appearances with 1 goal, 6 in the domestic cups with 8 goals and 5 in the ECWC with 1 goal. Chelsea finished 3rd in the league qualifying for the following year's Champions League. They won silverware defeating Real Madrid 1-0 (Poyet) in the European Super Cup in Monte Carlo. In the Cup Winners Cup the Blues were knocked out in the semis by Mallorca who would then be beaten by Lazio 2-1 in the final in Birmingham.
In 1999-2000 he hung up his boots and concentrated on being Chelsea manager. He led the Londoners to 5th place but triumphed in the FA Cup defeating Aston Villa 1-0 at Wembley (Di Matteo ... again).
In 2000-01 Vialli started the season but was replaced by fellow Italian Claudio Ranieri on September 12. Vialli did win another trophy however, the Charity Shield beating Manchester United 2-0 (Hasselbaink, Melchiot).
In 2001-2002 he became manager of Watford in the Old First Division (now The Championship). After a disappointing 14th place he was sacked and started a long legal battle with the Hornets over salary payment issues.
That would be his last job as a manager as he then went into punditry and television work.
At international level he won 59 caps for Italy with 16 goals. He took part in two World Cups '86 and '90 plus Euro '88. He won bronze at Italia '90. He also played 21 games for the U21's with 11 goals, winning a bronze medal in Euro '84 and silver in '86.
In 2019 he started working for the national team with his old friend Roberto Mancini who was manager. His experience and charisma were of great help in Italy's Euro 2020 triumph. This was to be his last contribution to football. He died of pancreatic cancer, on January 6, 2022, in London.
As a player Vialli started as a winger and then, thanks to Azeglio Vicini first and subsequently Vujadin Boskov, evolved into a striker. He was a complete player in the sense he could do everything. He was technical, fast, dynamic and resistant. He had a strong character and good leadership qualities. He was also known for his acrobatic skills leading famous Italian journalist Gianni Brera to nickname him "Stradivialli". For the majority he kept his nickname "Topolino" (Little Mouse) due to his physical appearance and ears in particular.
He is considered to have been one of the best strikers of his generation and the duo Mancini-Vialli one of the best ever.
The whole of Italy, football fans and non, were deeply saddened by his premature passing. R.I.P Gianluca Vialli.
Sources
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