Historical victory against Lazio in Rome: 1-2

Lazio-Genoa 1-2 (2 goals of Borriello)

The last victory of Genoa in Rome against Lazio was on 11th January 1959. Today, exactly 49 years and 2 days later, Genoa beat Lazio again by 1-2.

Mr. Gasperini again suprised everybody by starting with De Rosa and Milanetto in the line-up in stead of Santos and Paro, 2 of the best players in the last match of 2007 against Parma. But as often Mr. Gasperini was right with his tactical substitutions. In the first half both teams were equal, but in the 23rd minute Lazio scored the first goal after a mistake of Rubinho in the air: 1-0.

After half-time it was Genoa that was the boss in the field to score the equalizer. In the 51st minute Omar Milanetto was hit softly by a defender, but referee Stefanini decided to give us a penalty which Borriello scored: 1-1. Within 4 minutes Borriello doubled his and Genoa’s production by heading a perfect free-kick of Milanetto behind Ballotta: 1-2.  

Borriello scores his 10th goal of the season: 1-2 

In the last 39 minutes Genoa had a lot of chances to decide the match definitively, but till the last 94th minute we had to suffer. But us Genoani have a great suffering history, which helped us this time to beat Lazio in Rome after 49 years. Mille grazie ragazzi !!

1000 Genoa-fans in Stadio Olimpico supported the team to the first victory in Rome in 49 years   

Mr. Gasperini takes 19 players to Rome

Stadio Olimpico in Rome

Tomorrow the team of Genoa goes by plane to Rome, which is 500 kilometers away of Genova. Sunday-morning very early (mostly between 6 and 7 o’clock) around 1000 fans follow the team that plays for the first time in 12 years in Stadio Olimpico, with a capacity of 82.000 the biggest in Italy after San Siro.

Mr. Gasperini has selected 19 players for the important match against Lazio:

Goalkeepers: Rubinho and Scarpi

Defenders: Bega, Bovo, Criscito, De Rosa, Lucarelli, Masiello and Santos

Midfielders: Fabiano, Juric, Konko, Milanetto, Paro and Rossi

Strikers: Borriello, Figueroa, Leon and Sculli 

Genoa misses: Danilo (injured) and Coppola (not selected) in midfield and the strikers:  Di Vaio (not selected) and Papa Waigo (Afrika Cup). Because the official transferpapers did not arrive yet from Uruguay also Matias Masiero can not play this weekend, but he travels tomorrow with the team to Rome. 

Enrico Preziosi promises extra wing-striker

Enrico Preziosi enjoys a victory on the field

President and owner of Genoa C.F.C., Mr. Enrico Preziosi, who invested already 17 million €uro’s in transfers last summer (spend € 21 million, earned € 4 million) promised the fans of Genoa an extra wing-striker in the next days. At the moment Mr. Gasperini has 4 wing-strikers in his team: Leon, Sculli, Papa Waigo and Di Vaio. Because the last two don’t play like we all hoped at the beginning of the season one of them will be substituted by the new wing-striker.

The new striker will be the 3rd new player this transfer-period. Last week Domenico Criscito returned from Juventus and Matias Masiero arrived from Uruguay. Because Mr. Gasperini does not want more than 22 players in the team also 1 defender (Bega or Lucarelli say the newspapers) has to leave the club this winter. Will be continued ……

Genoa beats Lucchese in friendly match: 0-5

Today Domenico Criscito returned in the team of Mr. Gasperini. Matias Masiero did not play yet because of a jet-lag (yesterday-afternoon he arrived from Uruguay in Italy) and because tomorrow he first must have his medical test, before the transfer is official.

The five goals of Genoa: Leon 2’, Figueroa 25’ pt; Sculli 57’, Leon 72’, Eusepi 85’ 

Genoa (3-4-3): Rubinho (76’ Lanza); Masiello (59’ Bovo,), De Rosa (65’ Lucarelli), Santos; Konko, Milanetto, Juric, Fabiano (46’ Paro); Leon (76’ Lazarevic), Figueroa (76’ Eusepi), Sculli (59’ Criscito). Trainer: Gasperini.

2nd new player: Matias Masiero (Uruguay); tomorrow: Lucchese-Genoa

Again a new player in the team of Genoa, after Criscito now Mr. Enrico Preziosi bought 19 years old wing-player Matias Masiero of Central Espanol di Montevideo (Uruguay).

  Matias Masiero Matias Masiero, 1.76 high and 70 kilos.

Tomorrow Genoa plays a friendly match in maybe the most beautiful city of Toscany: Lucca against their local Serie C-1 team: Lucchese. Genoa surely misses Rossi and Borriello (both in bed with influenza), Papa Waigo (Afrika-cup) and injured Bega and Danilo. Mr. Gasperini already wants the 2 new players Criscito and Masiero to play, while he left Coppola and Di Vaio out of his 18-players selection. Should the two friends leave Genoa in a short time ?    

Domenico Criscito is (finally) back home

Mimmo Criscito against (and not with) Juventus

The only line-up player of last season that had to leave Genoa last summer is back where he belongs. Despite the fact that a lot of football-watchers think Mimmo Criscito has everything to become the new Paolo Maldini, he never was very popular with Juventus. The main reason: last summer Criscito told everybody that he wanted to stay with Genoa in stead of moving to Juventus, the most succesful and biggest club of Italy. Millions of boys in the whole world dream to play once in the jail-outfit of Juventus, but not Criscito, he prefered to stay with Mr. Gasperini. Because of the fact Juventus is the owner of Mimmo, he had to go to Turin last summer, but after only 8 matches in Serie A and 1 in Coppa Italia the player of young Italy below 21 years is back. Genoa rents the young very talented defender till the end of the season and can buy him definitively by paying € 6 million next summer.  

Criscito is the first arrival in this tranfer-period. The newspapers say that 2 or 3 other new players are expected the next weeks. Every day there are new names in the newspapers, but the strikers Jeda (Rimini) and Olivera (Juventus) and midfield-player Foggia (Cagliari and player of the Italian national team) are already for some days close to a transfer to Genoa in the opinion of the journalists. If all these players arrive, Mr. Gasperini also wants to say goodbye to some players because he wants to work with a maximum of 22 line-up candidates. In the rumours: defender Cicco Bega, midfield-player Manuel Coppola and the strikers Marco di Vaio and Papa Waigo are on the transferlist to leave Genoa. Let’s see what happens the next weeks.