At around 21.30 CET on Thursday evening, Juventus.com gave supporters the chance to vote for their favourite #LazioJuve encounter at the Stadio Olimpico from years gone by with five matches to choose from on Google+.
Among the nominations were:
• 1994’s meeting which saw an Alessandro Del Piero-inspired Juventus come away from Rome with a thrilling 4-3 victory – a pivotal result that ultimately contributed to the Old Lady’s 23rd Scudetto triumph.
• The 2011/12 encounter decided by a flowing Bianconeri move, finished off in emphatic fashion by Simone Pepe, with a classic celebration to boot.
• Thierry Henry’s brace in 1999’s 3-1 success, with Nicola Amoruso bagging the other goal.
• 2009’s comprehensive 2-0 victory decided by Martin Caceres and David Trezeguet’s strikes.
• A classic from the archives as Juventus ran out 4-1 victors over the Biancocelesti in 1958 thanks John Charles hat-trick.
And it was the first candidate in that list which ultimately topped the charts with 70 per cent of supporters’ votes.
Let’s take a step back in time to relive that pulsating Serie A success…
With the 1994/95 campaign edging ever closer to the winter break, Marcello Lippi’s Juventus side – then in second position behind Parma in the league standings – arrived in Rome bereft of attacking duo Roberto Baggio and Gianluca Vialli.
It was time for a then 20-year-old Del Piero to step up to the plate and grab his opportunity by the scruff of the neck– the future Juventus captain taking his position up front alongside Fabrizio Ravanelli.
Lazio began the game on the front foot and were ahead on 20 minutes when Roberto Rambaudi tucked the ball home after Angelo Peruzzi was unable to hold a left wing cross.
The Old Lady levelled eight minutes before the break, Del Piero stamping his mark on proceedings by prodding the ball past Luca Marchegiani, before the visitors turned the game on its head following the restart when Giancarlo Marocchi’s finish cannoned in off the underside of the crossbar.
Juventus made it three after Del Piero weaved his way past a barrage of defenders before curling an exquisite effort past an unmoved Marchegiani on 77 minutes.
All three points looked secured when Corrado Grabbi broke through to beat Lazio’s offside trap and grab his first and only goal in the black and white jersey moments later.
Lazio then rallied and scored twice through Pierluigi Casiraghi and Diego Fuser in the final seven minutes but it was a case of too little, too late.