Francesco Totti, so often openly antagonistic towards Lazio's supporters in the past, even kissed [Lazio fans'] giant mural of Sandri
Paolo Bandini [Guardian]
March 20, 2008 1:40 PM
"The capital must not lose this chance to show the world of football the level of maturity that its fans have achieved," said Lazio president Claudio Lotito on the eve of last night's Rome derby - the first since Biancocelesti fan Gabriele Sandri was shot dead by a policeman in November. At the Stadio Olimpico his wish was granted. Rarely has this fixture been played before such a united audience.
"Inside the Olimpico there was an unreal silence, before this different derby," recounts La Repubblica's Giulio Cardone. "The (police) helicopter passed over the adjacent streets, but tonight there was nothing for it to keep an eye on. Underneath, on the banks of the river Tiber, the groups of Ultras stayed in their usual spots: there were no crossed looks, and nobody trying to start a fight."
Before kick-off Roma captain Francesco Totti, his opposite number Tommaso Rocchi and Sandri's brother Cristiano laid flowers in front of Lazio's supporters in the Curva Nord (north stand) to a tumultuous reception. At the same end they unfurled a banner made by Roma fans, bearing the message: "Tears don't know colour. Gabbo is one of us". Totti, so often openly antagonistic towards Lazio's supporters in the past, even kissed their giant mural of Sandri.
At the opposite end Sandri's father Giorgio, wrapped in his Lazio scarf, stood side-by-side with Roma's Ultras in the Curva Sud (south stand) and wept for 10 minutes straight. Also beside him was Gabriele Paparelli, son of Vincenzo - a Lazio fan who died when struck in the eye with a flare during the Rome derby in 1979. During half-time both moved together to the Curva Nord, where they would spend the remainder of the game among the Lazio supporters.
By that point the game was balanced at 1-1 and rapidly developing into a classic. The decision by TV bosses to have the game kick off at 9.15pm had caused quite some outrage locally (Corriere dello Sport editor Alessandro Vocalelli said they had: "displayed a lack of due respect to the city") but it also meant the second half had only just begun when the full-time whistle blew on Inter's 1-1 draw at Genoa. Despite having been pegged back to 1-1 themselves just a minute before half-time, Goran Pandev equalising after Valon Behrami's attempted clearance had ricocheted off Rodrigo Taddei's face and past Marco Ballotta to give Roma the lead, Roma will have fancied their chances of closing the gap at the top of Serie A to just four points.
The problem being that Lazio had no intention of rolling over. The Biancocelesti may be 18 points worse off than they were at this point last season, and 24 points behind Roma, but that is above all the legacy of a miserable start to the season - when a thin squad that had not been sufficiently augmented following Champions League qualification found itself overstretched and decimated by injuries. Ousmane Dabo, Stefan Radu, Rolando Bianchi, and David Rozehnal were all added (the last three on loan) in January, and combined with an eased fixture list the return from injury of such players such as Stefano Mauri, have helped restore the sort of performances that carried Lazio to third last year.
They came into yesterday's game unbeaten in four and bristling with a confidence manifested by manager Delio Rossi's decision to not only adopt an attacking 4-3-3, but to openly acknowledge that he planned to do so all week before the game. The result was a gloriously open encounter in which the Biancocelesti were slightly the better side, but both teams might have scored a hatful. In the end, Lazio were able to make more of their opportunities tell: winning 3-2 after Behrami crashed home from eight yards in injury time after Simone Perrotta had cancelled out a Rocchi penalty.
"Now we have to win every game," observed Roma manager Luciano Spalletti afterwards, once he was done railing at referee Emidio Morganti's decision to award the penalty for a foul by Juan on Bianchi. Even that might not be enough - Inter, even if they are below their best lately, will only drop so many more points this season. Yesterday Genoa needed an 85th-minute goal from Marco Borriello to force a draw, despite the fact Inter had been playing with 10 men since the 40th minute after Portuguese midfielder Pelé received a second booking.
For Lazio the greatest satisfaction will come from knowing they have disrupted their rivals' scudetto hopes. The Biancocelesti remain eight points below the Uefa Cup spots and even on current form recovering that gap in the next nine games will probably prove a bridge too far.
Then again, things are far from predictable at the top of Serie A right now. Yesterday not one of the top five sides managed a win, and in fact Juventus - who chugged to a painfully uneventful goalless draw at Empoli - and Inter were the only sides in that group to even earn a point. Fiorentina retain a four-point advantage over Milan in the race for fourth place despite losing 2-0 at Napoli. Milan look all the less likely to overcome that gap after Kaka limped out of their 2-1 home defeat to Sampdoria after just 10 minutes.
"We made two unforgivable mistakes and then it became very difficult to make up for them," complained Milan manager Carlo Ancelotti after the game. "The approach to the game was totally wrong." With Milan's prospects of Champions League football dwindling even as the Club World Cup sits gleaming in the trophy cabinet, it is increasingly tempting to describe the Rossoneri's approach to the season in the same terms.
Paolo Bandini [Guardian]
March 20, 2008 1:40 PM
"The capital must not lose this chance to show the world of football the level of maturity that its fans have achieved," said Lazio president Claudio Lotito on the eve of last night's Rome derby - the first since Biancocelesti fan Gabriele Sandri was shot dead by a policeman in November. At the Stadio Olimpico his wish was granted. Rarely has this fixture been played before such a united audience.
"Inside the Olimpico there was an unreal silence, before this different derby," recounts La Repubblica's Giulio Cardone. "The (police) helicopter passed over the adjacent streets, but tonight there was nothing for it to keep an eye on. Underneath, on the banks of the river Tiber, the groups of Ultras stayed in their usual spots: there were no crossed looks, and nobody trying to start a fight."
Before kick-off Roma captain Francesco Totti, his opposite number Tommaso Rocchi and Sandri's brother Cristiano laid flowers in front of Lazio's supporters in the Curva Nord (north stand) to a tumultuous reception. At the same end they unfurled a banner made by Roma fans, bearing the message: "Tears don't know colour. Gabbo is one of us". Totti, so often openly antagonistic towards Lazio's supporters in the past, even kissed their giant mural of Sandri.
At the opposite end Sandri's father Giorgio, wrapped in his Lazio scarf, stood side-by-side with Roma's Ultras in the Curva Sud (south stand) and wept for 10 minutes straight. Also beside him was Gabriele Paparelli, son of Vincenzo - a Lazio fan who died when struck in the eye with a flare during the Rome derby in 1979. During half-time both moved together to the Curva Nord, where they would spend the remainder of the game among the Lazio supporters.
By that point the game was balanced at 1-1 and rapidly developing into a classic. The decision by TV bosses to have the game kick off at 9.15pm had caused quite some outrage locally (Corriere dello Sport editor Alessandro Vocalelli said they had: "displayed a lack of due respect to the city") but it also meant the second half had only just begun when the full-time whistle blew on Inter's 1-1 draw at Genoa. Despite having been pegged back to 1-1 themselves just a minute before half-time, Goran Pandev equalising after Valon Behrami's attempted clearance had ricocheted off Rodrigo Taddei's face and past Marco Ballotta to give Roma the lead, Roma will have fancied their chances of closing the gap at the top of Serie A to just four points.
The problem being that Lazio had no intention of rolling over. The Biancocelesti may be 18 points worse off than they were at this point last season, and 24 points behind Roma, but that is above all the legacy of a miserable start to the season - when a thin squad that had not been sufficiently augmented following Champions League qualification found itself overstretched and decimated by injuries. Ousmane Dabo, Stefan Radu, Rolando Bianchi, and David Rozehnal were all added (the last three on loan) in January, and combined with an eased fixture list the return from injury of such players such as Stefano Mauri, have helped restore the sort of performances that carried Lazio to third last year.
They came into yesterday's game unbeaten in four and bristling with a confidence manifested by manager Delio Rossi's decision to not only adopt an attacking 4-3-3, but to openly acknowledge that he planned to do so all week before the game. The result was a gloriously open encounter in which the Biancocelesti were slightly the better side, but both teams might have scored a hatful. In the end, Lazio were able to make more of their opportunities tell: winning 3-2 after Behrami crashed home from eight yards in injury time after Simone Perrotta had cancelled out a Rocchi penalty.
"Now we have to win every game," observed Roma manager Luciano Spalletti afterwards, once he was done railing at referee Emidio Morganti's decision to award the penalty for a foul by Juan on Bianchi. Even that might not be enough - Inter, even if they are below their best lately, will only drop so many more points this season. Yesterday Genoa needed an 85th-minute goal from Marco Borriello to force a draw, despite the fact Inter had been playing with 10 men since the 40th minute after Portuguese midfielder Pelé received a second booking.
For Lazio the greatest satisfaction will come from knowing they have disrupted their rivals' scudetto hopes. The Biancocelesti remain eight points below the Uefa Cup spots and even on current form recovering that gap in the next nine games will probably prove a bridge too far.
Then again, things are far from predictable at the top of Serie A right now. Yesterday not one of the top five sides managed a win, and in fact Juventus - who chugged to a painfully uneventful goalless draw at Empoli - and Inter were the only sides in that group to even earn a point. Fiorentina retain a four-point advantage over Milan in the race for fourth place despite losing 2-0 at Napoli. Milan look all the less likely to overcome that gap after Kaka limped out of their 2-1 home defeat to Sampdoria after just 10 minutes.
"We made two unforgivable mistakes and then it became very difficult to make up for them," complained Milan manager Carlo Ancelotti after the game. "The approach to the game was totally wrong." With Milan's prospects of Champions League football dwindling even as the Club World Cup sits gleaming in the trophy cabinet, it is increasingly tempting to describe the Rossoneri's approach to the season in the same terms.
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