Tuesday, 24 January 2006
Coppa Italia Quarter-final – first leg result
Stadio Olimpico - Lazio 1-1 Inter
Scorer: Stankovic
Matches between Inter and Lazio are always hard fought affairs and there is no shortage of bad blood between the two clubs. When you combine Inter’s poor record in Rome against the Biancocelesti, with the loss of the championship on 5 May 2002, and the departures of Mancini, Stankovic, Favalli, and Mihajlovic to Inter, it is not hard to understand the bad feeling between the two sides.
In the most recent instalment that is the ongoing drama between Inter and Lazio, the days leading up to this match were mired by speculation that Lazio players, Cesar and Simone Inzaghi would soon be joining their former coach and teammates at Inter. Prior to the match, Moratti announced that any negotiations taking place would be put on hold until after the game.
With one match to play every three days, Mancini’s starting eleven was a wide departure from the successful team that was fielded against Palermo at the weekend. The only survivors from that team to start the game against Lazio were Favalli and Cruz. The rest of the starting line up had either been absent from the team for extended periods or only featured as substitutes against Palermo. Mancini’s starting eleven consisted of: Toldo, Burdisso, Materazzi, Mihajlovic, Favalli, Solari, Cristiano Zanetti, Pizarro, Wome, Stankovic and Cruz.
The opening minutes were eventful with Tare and Di Canio working Inter’s defence to create a chance in the 1st minute: running into space, Di Canio unselfishly cut back to Tare at the top of the box instead of taking a shot and the chance was lost.
In those early exchanges, it looked as though Lazio’s most dangerous players would be Di Canio and Manfredini who were receiving a lot of the ball and looked especially lively. But Di Canio was not on the pitch for much longer as a scuffle broke out between him and Burdisso and both players were sent off.
From the opening minutes it was clear Burdisso was paying very close attention to Di Canio and it appeared they were hustling each other before the sending off. Perhaps the precursor to the scuffle was Mihajlovic’s body check that left Di Canio on the ground. In the next contest between Burdisso and Di Canio, the Argentine beat Di Canio to the ball but the Italian appeared to put in a late challenge. From the replay, Burdisso took exception to the challenge and then Di Canio had him in a headlock before Burdisso fought to find a way out of Di Canio’s clutches. Perhaps the saddest part about the incident is that many Interisti would like to see Burdisso establish himself in the team and getting sent off did not help his cause. The consequences of the red card were not lost on him as he was reluctant to leave the pitch and had to be escorted off with the help of his teammates.
Ten minutes into the first half Inter had a chance to break with Solari pushing out of defence. Close to the half way line, he encountered Standardo who committed a foul. But rather than trying to run into open space and play the advantage (there was no one behind Standardo apart from the keeper at the other end of the field), Solari stopped and complained to the referee who gave Inter a free kick and booked the Lazio player.
For a majority of the first half Lazio endeavoured to play the most enterprising football and controlled the game. With so many first team regulars being rested, Inter struggled and the team’s efforts with a single striker up front and Stankovic playing in a more advanced role can best be described as disjointed. Passes missed their target, crosses and corner kicks were wasted and persistent fouling interrupted the game. Inter’s most coherent moment came in the 25th minute after a string of quick passes and a Favalli cross found Stankovic who scored against his former club.
The Nerazzurri faithful did not have long to enjoy their one goal cushion as Lazio scored straight after the restart. A calamity of errors saw Inter’s defence exposed with Wome chasing back and Toldo rushing off his line in an attempt to beat Manfredini to the ball. Both Inter players failed to put in meaningful challenges and Manfredini lobbed the ball, leaving Wome and Toldo helplessly stranded on the edge of the area where they could only watch as it bounced into the back of the net to make the score 1-1. Television replays showed Stankovic angrily throwing his arm in disgust at the manner in which his teammates conceded the goal and when a half is best remembered for the way in which Lazio supporters booed former players and a Lazio shot that smashed against the crossbar in the 42nd minute then it did not take much to realise that there was plenty of room for improvement in the second half.
In the second half Inter’s game marginally improved as the players kept possession and controlled the match. But to say the second half was interesting or exciting would be inaccurate as both teams were content to sit back as opposed to taking the initiative in an attempt to gain the upper hand for the return leg in Milan.
It would be safe to say that despite having the majority of the possession in the second half, the better chances, of which there were not many, still fell to Lazio. In the 70th minute Mauri had a free header in the box that had Toldo beaten but the header was off target and Stankovic had a shot that came close. But aside from the odd penetrating attacking foray, both teams lacked creativity and the second half was a barren affair that passed without incident.
For Inter, the focus seemed to be on giving under utilised players ninety minutes rather than the end result. Pizarro’s skill and trickery in the middle of the park was something to marvel and Solari’s performance on the right flank was encouraging but we can be certain that a stronger and more competitive team will be fielded in Milan where Mancini will look to kill off the tie as early as possible.
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