A new superhero is born… Castroman!!

Season 2000-01

Game 28, Serie A

Sunday, April 29, 2001

Stadio Olimpico, Rome

Roma Lazio 2-2

The Argentine equalises with twenty seconds to go to salvage pride and at least put the rivals title hopes in some doubt

In Serie A things had not gone as hoped and Lazio were currently in 3rd position but well off leaders Roma. In early January Sven-Goran Eriksson had resigned due to Lazio's difficulties and a 5th position but also as he had already agreed to become England national coach from June 2001 and thought it was the right thing to do. Dino Zoff took over and things had improved with 11 wins (including Juventus 4-1 at home), a draw and 2 defeats. Lazio came into today's game following three consecutive wins.

Roma were top of the table. They had a six-point lead on Juventus and seven on Lazio.

A massive derby this evening. Finally, one for the top positions.

The match

A sell-out crowd of 78,000 for this possibly scudetto deciding derby.

Lazio had to do without Fernando Couto, Simone Inzaghi, Marcelo Salas and Juan Sebastian Veron while Roma were missing Antonio Carlos Zago, Emerson, Hidetoshi Nakata and Vincenzo Montella.

The first initiative was Roma's as Marco Delvecchio had a shot walled and deflected into corner. It was immediately an extremely physical game with rough fouls on both sides, Beppe Pancaro and Francesco Totti were booked early on.

The game was tense and without shots on target. Hernan Crespo fired over the bar with a long-range effort and then Damiano Tommasi stretched out on a low Delvecchio cross but again the ball went high. Gabriel Batistuta then had a freekick go just over the bar but Angelo Peruzzi looked to have it covered and Tommasi just before halftime pulled his shot wide following a clearance from a corner. Halftime Roma 0 Lazio 0.

A nervous, rough affair with so much at stake that neither side was sufficiently lucid. Roma slightly on top but Peruzzi had not been tested at all yet.

For the second half Lazio brought on a more offensive midfielder, Dejan Stankovic, for Roberto Baronio.

The second period started with a bang. Delvecchio went down the left wing and put in a low cross onto the front post where Batistuta anticipated Alessandro Nesta and with the outside of his foot put the ball in the opposite corner. A great goal, Roma 1 Lazio 0.

Roma were galvanised and sensed that, with now +10 points on Lazio, the title was there for the taking. In the 54th minute they scored again. Cristiano Zanetti chipped a central ball into the area where Delvecchio, getting between Nesta and Beppe Pancaro, stretched forward and sent a low left foot into the opposite corner. Roma 2 Lazio 0.

The league title seemed to be on its way across the river to the Giallorosso side.

At this point Lazio threw on forward Claudio Lopez for midfielder Diego Simeone.

Lazio inevitably pushed forward. Sinisa Mihajlovic had a dangerous freekick but it was something between a shot and a cross and went about a metre wide. Roma had space on the break and Peruzzi had to rush off his line and head the ball away on a threatening Cafu attack.

In the 64th minute Lazio made their third substitution with Lucas Castromán coming on for Karel Poborsky. Not a move to get overly excited about but life is unpredictable.

Mihajlovic then had a venomous freekick into the area but no-one could get a touch. A few minutes later Lopez had a weak shot and Francesco Antonioli had to dive low to anticipate Crespo who had pounced on the ball.

Lazio were attacking but were having difficulty in creating any serious problems for their "cousins".

That changed in the 78th minute. Lazio had a free kick from the left about 25 metres out and Mihajlovic crossed it into the crowded area where it was cleared with a header but only as far as Pavel Nedved on the edge of the box, the Czech brought the ball down and hammered a left-footed volley under the crossbar. A superb strike and Roma 2 Lazio 1.

The Biancocelesti were back in it. Nedved celebrated wildly, this was no consolation goal he gestured, there was still hope.

Roma realised they could not merely defend the result and started going forward more again. Cafu burst out of defence on the break, he combined with Totti, and once towards the right by-line sent in a low ball which crossed the whole goal mouth without any Romanisti getting there. Tommasi a few minutes later blasted an ambitious left foot, from the edge of the box, well over the bar towards the Curva Sud.

Roma then almost fell under friendly fire when Walter Samuel sliced a ball in the area but Antonioli was alert and reacted well to catch it.

Lazio attacked desperately and Roma became increasingly defensive, replacing Zanetti with Gianni Guigou and Delvecchio with defender Amedeo Mangone.

In the last of the five minutes of added time Lazio won a corner from the left. It was realistically their last possible opportunity. Mihajlovic swung the ball in but it was headed away to the edge of the box where Castromán did not think twice and blasted a low right-footed strike of glorious perfection that went through the crowded area and into the tiny space left between Antonioli's outstretched fingers and the right post. Castromaaaaan!! Absolute mayhem followed in the Lazio end as the diminutive Argentine ran towards the Curva Nord followed by the whole team. Roma 2 Lazio 2.

A great comeback by Lazio. The Romanisti were stunned while their rivals celebrated what felt like a victory. Lazio were still alive and had at least complicated their bitter enemies’ course towards the title. A last-minute equaliser in a derby is always special but to do so in one with so much at stake is even sweeter.

The game has gone down in history as Castroman's derby, the unlikely hero in the dying moments.

Roma were still in the driving seat on 63 points, Juventus 57 and Lazio 56, with six games to go, but it had been a huge satisfaction anyway.

Who played for Roma

Antonioli, Zebina, Samuel, Aldair, Cafu, Tommasi, C. Zanetti (90' Guigou), Candela, Totti, Batistuta, Delvecchio (90' Mangone)

Substitutes: Lupatelli, Rinaldi, Di Francesco, Balbo, Bonanni

Manager: Capello

Who played for Lazio

Peruzzi, Pancaro, Nesta, Mihajlovic, Favalli, Poborsky (64' Castroman), Baronio (46' Stankovic), D. Baggio, Simeone (55' C. Lopez), Nedved, Crespo