Lightning start and Gazza show break Atalanta curse
A goal by Signori after one minute and a good attacking performance give Lazio good win
Also on this day: October 25, 2000: Lazio-Shakhtar Donetsk 5-1, Champions League. After missing the impossible Lazio score five second half goals and qualify for the next round. Player of the day: Beppe Favalli
The season so far
Lazio's new President Sergio Cragnotti's first summer transfer market had been an ambitious one. In had come 3 promising young players from Cremonese: Giuseppe Favalli, Mauro Bonomi and Dario Marcolin plus the likes of defender Roberto Cravero, midfielders Diego Fuser and Aron Winter and forward Beppe Signori. The main talking point however was the arrival of Paul Gascoigne from Tottenham. One of the most exciting players of his generation, he arrived with great expectations, despite a recent serious injury. Lazio had lost fan favourite Ruben Sosa who had not renewed his contract and had let go Raffaele Sergio and Gabriele Pin.
The 1991-92 season had seen Lazio finish 10th and the current season had not got off to a great start: 4 consecutive draws (Sampdoria 3-3, Fiorentina 2-2, Cagliari 1-1 and Genoa 1-1) were followed by a home win (Parma 5-2) but then an away defeat (Milan 3-5). Lazio were on 6 points.
In Coppa Italia Lazio had got through their first clash (Ascoli 5-0 on aggregate). In the last 32 they played Cesena on October 7 and lost 0-1 away, the return game in Rome would be on October 28.
Today however was a league game and a win was imperative to push up towards the European slots.
Atalanta had finished 10th the previous season under Bruno Giorgi. This year the new manager was Marcello Lippi who years later would win the World Cup with Italy.
The Bergamaschi had some good new players too. The market had brought defender Paolo Montero (Peñarol), midfielders Alemão (Napoli) and future Lazio Roberto Rambaudi (Foggia) plus striker Maurizio Ganz (Brescia). On the other hand, they had lost legendary midfielder and captain Glenn Peter Strömberg, Pierluigi Orlandini (Lecce) plus forwards Claudio Caniggia (Roma) and Lamberto Piovanelli (Verona).
So far, in Serie A the "Dea" had won two (Parma 2-1 and Cagliari 2-1, both at home), drawn 1 (Torino 0-0 at home) and lost 2 (Milan 2-0 and Inter 1-0, both away). The Nerazzurri were on five points.
In Coppa they had been eliminated in unfortunate circumstances. They had beaten Venezia 3-2 on aggregate after extra-time, but were punished with defeat for having played a suspended player, Roberto Rambaudi, in the return match.
The match: Sunday, October 25, 1992, Stadio Olimpico, Rome
A 40,000 crowd on a grey October day. Atalanta are one of Lazio’s "bestie nere" (bogey teams) and the Biancocelesti in this period had not beaten the Bergamaschi at home for almost twenty years.
Angelo Gregucci had been dropped after the previous week's nightmare in Milan when the Rossoneri scored four goals in just over half an hour. Mauro Bonomi came in at right back and Luca Luzardi was in the middle.
The match could not have started better for Lazio. Beppe Favalli crossed in from the left, Paul Gascoigne jumped between two defenders who clashed and the ball fell to Gazza's feet, he then pushed it back to incoming Beppe Signori who smashed it into the net with his famous left foot. Lazio 1 Atalanta 0. A dream start for the Biancocelesti.
Atalanta reacted tactically by moving Montero to the left, Mauro Valentini into the middle and Giuseppe Minaudo into midfield. They also had a few chances but their long range shots by Stefano De Agostini and Roberto Rambaudi were comfortably saved by Valerio Fiori.
Atalanta were rarely dangerous and their build up play was slow and lacked fluidity. Lazio with Gascoigne pulling the strings in midfield, Thomas Doll and Signori were far more electric and threatening. Gascoigne at times was unstoppable, apart from with fouls that is. Half time Lazio 1 Atalanta 0.
The second half started in similar, if not as lightning fashion as the first. In the 51st minute Lazio scored a second. Doll fed Signori down the left and the striker became an assist man, his first cross was blocked but his second attempt was a perfect low cross which Aron Winter only had to make contact with to score. Lazio 2 Atalanta 0.
At this point Lazio's superior quality really started to show and they had several more chances to score. First a low Signori left foot shaved the post and then Signori again was clean through but Fabrizio Ferron got the tips of his fingers to the shot and saved into corner. Some minutes later Doll went close to closing the game too.
The match until now had been clean and fair. An example was when Gazza went down after a challenge in the area he immediately got up and gestured to the referee that it was nothing. All this changed in the 68th minute. Gascoigne jiggled his way past Alemao and cut in from the right corner flag, the Brazilian then was excessively physical, pushing and pulling the Englishman who reacted by energetically shoving Alemao away from him. All hell broke loose with several players getting involved in the ensuing scuffle. The result was Luzardi and Alemao were shown red cards.
From then on it became increasingly tense with unnecessary fouls and off ball provocations such as when Minaudo kicked Signori while waiting for a freekick to be floated into the area (ironically it was only the Laziale who got booked). In the 76th minute Gascoigne, who was being targeted by the Bergamaschi, was replaced by Gigi Corino to avoid further trouble (or maybe it was payback time...).
Luckily in the 80th minute Atalanta were put out of their misery and Lazio scored a third. A Diego Fuser freekick curled round the wall and slotted in mid-height, giving Ferron no chance. Lazio 3 Atalanta 0.
The Dea had one late chance to reduce the deficit but a Sergio Porrini lob was miraculously bicycle kicked off the line by Roberto Cravero. Final score Lazio 3 Atalanta 0.
A good win for Lazio who had impressed, especially up front. When Gascoigne, Doll and Signori clicked they were a pleasure to watch. If Lazio could find the right balance in midfield to support their attacking spirit it could be an interesting season.
Atalanta had not played badly, especially in midfield but were toothless up front. The goal after a minute obviously did not help their game plan either.
Who played for Lazio
Fiori, Bonomi, Favalli, Bacci, Luzardi, Cravero, Fuser, Doll, Winter, Gascoigne (76' Corino), Signori (73' Sclosa)
Manager: Zoff
Who played for Atalanta
Ferron, Porrini, Minaudo (73' Mascheretti), Valentini, Alemao, Montero, Rambaudi, Bordin, Ganz, De Agostini (58' Rodriguez), Perrone
Substitutes: Pinato, Pasciullo, Tresoldi
Manager: Lippi
Referee: Ceccarini
Goals: 1' Signori, 51' Winter, 80' Fuser
Red cards: 68' Luzardi and Alemao
What happened next
Lazio had a good season and finished 5th. The Biancocelesti qualified for Europe (UEFA Cup) after a fifteen-year absence. Lazio had some good wins: Inter 3-1, Fiorentina 2-0 away, Udinese 4-0, Ancona 5-0, Napoli 4-3. They drew both derbies, the first was memorable with Paul Gascoigne equalising with a header under the Curva Nord a few minutes from time. Top scorer was Beppe Signori with 32 goals (26 in A) while Diego Fuser got 11 (10 in A), Riedle 10 (8 in A) and Winter 8 (6 in A)
In Coppa Italia Lazio beat Cesena 3-1 in the return leg but were then eliminated by Torino 4 -5 on aggregate in the quarter finals.
Atalanta improved and finished 7th, narrowly missing out on Europe. The Bergamaschi won 14 (including Juve 2-1, Roma 3-1) drew 8 (including Inter, Milan and Lazio) and lost 12. Top scorer was Ganz with 15 goals (14 in A).
The Scudetto was won by Milan for the 13th time. There were four relegations and the unlucky ones were Pescara, Ancona, Fiorentina and Brescia.
Lazio 1992-93
Competition | Played | Won | Drawn | Lost | Goals Scored |
Serie A | 34 | 13 | 12 | 9 | 51 |
Coppa Italia | 6 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 13 |
Total | 40 | 16 | 14 | 10 | 78 |
Top Five appearances
Player | Total | Serie A | Coppa Italia |
Fuser | 38 | 33 | 5 |
Signori | 38 | 32 | 6 |
Favalli | 36 | 32 | 4 |
Winter | 36 | 30 | 6 |
Bacci | 35 | 31 | 4 |
Top Goal Scorers
Player | Total | Serie A | Coppa Italia |
Signori | 32 | 26 | 6 |
Fuser | 11 | 10 | 1 |
Riedle | 10 | 8 | 2 |
Winter | 8 | 6 | 2 |
Gascoigne | 4 | 4 | - |
Let's talk about Gigi Corino
Luigi 'Gigi' Corino was born in Benevento, on April 26, 1966.
He started playing football with his hometown club Benevento. He made his debut for the Sanniti in C1 in 1983.
In 1983-84 he was at Sambenedettese in Serie B but never played.
In 1984-85 he was back with the "Stregoni" (The Sorcerers) in his hometown. The Giallorossi finished 11th in C1 and Corino played 29 league games under future Lazio manager Giuseppe Materazzi.
In 1985 he first joined Udinese but before getting a game moved to Genoa in Serie B. He played 6 league games under Tarcisio Burgnich and the Grifone (The Griffin) finished 7th.
In 1986-87 he was back at Benevento in Serie C1. The manager was Rosario Rampanti and they got relegated. Corino again played 29 league games with his home club. One of his teammates was a future one at Lazio, Raffaele Sergio.
In 1987-88 he moved further south to Catanzaro in Serie B. The Giallorossi from Calabria had a good season and finished 5th under Vincenzo Guerini. Corino played 28 league games.
The next season he stayed with Catanzaro, first under Tarcisio Burgnich (1-7) and then Gianni Di Marzio (8-38). The "Aquile del Sud" (The Eagles of the South) finished 11th and Corino played 31 league games.
The 1989-90 would be his last in Calabria and it ended badly with relegation. The managers were Fausto Silipo (1-14), Renzo Aldi (15-20) and then Silipo again (21-38). Corino played 34 league games.
In 1990-91 he joined Triestina in Serie B. It was another negative season as the Giuliani were relegated, first under former Lazio player Massimo Giacomini (1-15) and then Fernando Veneranda (16-38). Corino played 33 league games.
In 1991-92 he made a surprise move to Lazio in Serie A. The manager was Dino Zoff and the Biancocelesti finished 10th. Corino played 20 league games and 1 in Coppa Italia.
In 1992-93 the Roman Eagles finished 5th and returned to Europe after fifteen years. Corino played 19 league games and 4 in Coppa Italia.
The 1993-94 season would be his last in Rome. Lazio finished 4th (UEFA Cup again) but Corino only played 2 league games due to a serious injury. He came back on April 24 against Lecce for the last 20 minutes and received a standing ovation from the 50,000 crowd.
In 1994-95, with new manager Zdenek Zeman on his way and bringing José Antonio Chamot with him, Corino was sold to Brescia in Serie A. He only played 1 league game and 1 in Coppa Italia under Mircea Lucescu before leaving for Cosenza in Serie B. His teammates with the Leonessa included Lazio connections Roberto Baronio, Marco Ballotta, Daniele Adani, Marco Piovanelli and Maurizio Neri plus a young Andrea Pirlo. For the record Brescia were relegated.
Corino was already in Calabria again, in Cosenza. The "Lupi della Sila" (The Wolves of the Sila) finished 15th under future Lazio manager Alberto Zaccheroni. Corino played 14 league games. One of his teammates was former Lazio Luciano De Paola.
In 1995 he moved on again and joined Ancona in Serie B. It was a negative season for the Dorici ending up in relegation. The coaches were first former Lazio keeper Massimo Cacciatori (1-35) and then Marcello Neri (36-38). Corino played 10 league games.
In 1996-97 he was back in Trieste, with Triestina in Serie C2. The Alabardati finished 11th under Giorgio Roselli and then Adriano Lombardi. Corino played 17 league games.
In 1997-98 he was back down south with Cavese from Cava de' Tirreni. The Aquilotti were in C2 and finished 12th. Corino played 19 league games.
In 1998 he came back to Rome and joined nearby Tivoli in the C.N.D amateur league. The Superbi finished 14th and Corino played 5 league games.
In 1999 he moved down to Sicily, to Messina in C2. The Giallorossi won promotion to C1 under Stefano Cuoghi. The following year, under former Lazio teammate Paolo Beruatto and then Carlo Florimbi, Messina won promotion again, this time to Serie B. In his third year on the Straits, Messina finished 12th in B under Daniele Arrigoni. In his three seasons in Messina, Corino played 45 league games. In his final year he played alongside former Lazio, Alessandro Iannuzzi.
At 36 he retired and went into coaching.
He started as assistant to Daniele Arrigoni for a period at Palermo in Serie B. Arrigoni did not last the season so Corino went too. Palermo eventually finished 6th.
In 2003-04 he was assistant to Arrigoni again this time at Frosinone in C2. They came in during the season and got the Ciocari promoted to C1 in top position.
In 2004-05 he was a technical adviser at Cagliari.
In 2005 he was briefly assistant manager at Torino in Serie B.
In 2006 he returned to Frosinone for two years as Primavera coach (U19's).
In 2008-09 he was coach with Matera in Serie D for nine matches (1-9) with 5 wins, 2 draws and 2 defeats but was then replaced.The "Bue" (The Ox) eventually finished 7th.
In 2009 he moved to Pomigliano (Naples) in Serie D. He stayed two years with 7th and 2nd places.
In 2011-12 he collaborated with Cesena in Serie A with Arrigoni as manager. The "Cavalluccio" (The seahorse) was relegated.
In 2014-15 he was head coach at Battipagliese (Salerno) in Serie D but only until February. The "Zebrette" eventually finished 15th and stayed up after a playoff with local rivals Sorrento.
Since 2015 he has been assistant to the Italy Lega Pro team.
Gigi Corino was a defender. He usually played in the middle, marking the opposition centre-forward. He was a tough, rugged defender who would give and take in equal measure. Apparently, Gascoigne always wanted him on his side in training games, respecting his “British” style of defending but also probably to avoid his hard tackles. Corino always gave 100% in every game and was a fan favourite. Despite not being one of the most stylish or talented defenders he had his own chant, "Mi diverto solo se, solo se gioca Corino, gioca bene o gioca male lo vogliamo in nazionale" (something along the lines of, I only enjoy myself if Corino plays, whether he plays well or badly we want him in the national team). The chant was inherited years later by Guerino Gottardi.
Corino played 46 games for Lazio but is still one of the more popular players to have worn the Lazio jersey. He himself, despite his origins, has become a hard-core Lazio fan. In an interview he once quoted, "If I should die tomorrow, I would like to be die in a Lazio shirt".
Lazio Career
Season | Total appearances | Serie A | Coppa Italia |
1991-92 | 21 | 20 | 1 |
1992-93 | 23 | 19 | 4 |
1993-94 | 2 | 2 | - |
Total | 46 | 41 | 5 |
Sources
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