February 6, 2000: Torino Lazio 2-4
- Lazio Stories
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Back at the top
Lazio win and regain the solitary lead
The season so far
In the previous season Lazio had gone agonisingly close to winning the scudetto. With eight games to the end of the season they were leading with five points over Fiorentina and seven over Milan. But a single point in the next three games reduced the cushion over Milan to just one point. Lazio then won three consecutive games but so did Milan. In the penultimate match in Florence, the Biancocelesti were held to a draw and denied a clear penalty by a distracted referee. Milan won, overtook them, and maintained the lead in the last game. But Lazio did win the Cup Winners Cup in the final against Real Mallorca.
In the summer transfer window, Lazio surprisingly sold their centre forward Christian Vieri to Inter in exchange for 90 billion lire (45 million euros) plus Diego Simeone. Other signings were Juan Sebastian Veron and Nestor Sensini from Parma, Simone Inzaghi from Piacenza and Kenneth Andersson from Bologna. The Swede would go back to Emilia Romagna in the winter and Lazio would add Fabrizio Ravanelli.
The 1999-00 season opened with the victory against the mighty Manchester United in Monte Carlo for the UEFA Super Cup with a Marcelo Salas goal. Another European triumph after having won the final Cup Winners Cup the previous year in Birmingham against Real Mallorca.
Lazio had passed the first group round of the champions league. The 199900 Champions League saw the Biancocelesti participate for the very first time. In the 1974-75 season Lazio should have played the European Cup but had been disqualified following the brawl with Ipswich Town players in the UEFA Cup earlier the previous season.
Lazio were grouped with Bayer Leverkusen, Dynamo Kiev and Maribor. Two draws against the Germans, two wins against the Ukrainians and two against the Slovenians allowed Lazio to top their group and qualify for the second group round. Here they were joined by Chelsea, Olympique Marseille and Feyenoord. In the first two games they had won in France and drawn against the Londoners.
In Coppa Italia they had eliminated Ravenna 5-2 on aggregate and were to face Juventus in the quarter finals. In the first leg, they were under 3-0 after the first 45 minutes. But in the second half they managed to score two, and then win the second leg 2-1, qualifying for the semi-finals where they would play Venezia.
Lazio had been in the top places of Serie A right from the beginning and were even solitary leaders three weeks earlier. But two goalless draws, with a lot to say about the referees, had placed them second, three points behind Juventus. That gap had just been reduced to one as the Biancocelesti had beaten Bari at home and Juve had surprisingly drawn in Turin with Cagliari. The Bianconeri they day before this match had drawn again. A win would take Lazio back to solitary top place.
The match: Sunday, February 6, 2000, Stadio delle Alpi, Turin
The Biancocelesti took to the field already aware of Juventus’ result, held to a draw by Udinese the previous day. Lazio immediately went on the offensive and took the lead as early as the 8th minute, when Néstor Sensini rose to head home a cross from Sinisa Mihajlović. Lazio pushed to double their advantage straight away, but their moves lacked fluency and the first half drifted to a close amid boredom.
The second half, however, burst into life. In the 53rd minute it was Mihajlović who made it 2–0, converting a penalty awarded for a foul by Luca Pastine on Simone Inzaghi. Fifteen minutes later Fabrizio Ravanelli added the third goal with a spectacular header on a Dejan Stankovic cross. The match appeared settled, but in the 80th minute Lazio were reduced to ten men when Mihajlović was sent off for an elbow in the penalty area. The resulting spot kick was calmly converted by Marco Ferrante.
The Granata surged forward, putting Lazio under severe pressure, and struck again in the 89th minute when Fabio Galante collected the ball in the box and finished. Fortunately for Lazio, two minutes later Marcelo Salas — set up by Ravanelli — scored the decisive goal to seal the win. A victory that had remained in doubt until the final moments, it allowed Lazio to return to the top of the table on 42 points, one ahead of Juventus, with Milan and Roma following on 38.
Who played for Torino
Pastine, Bonomi, Grandoni, Galante, Jurcic, Brambilla, Pecchia (72' Maltagliati), Lentini, Sommese, Ferrante, Scarlato (46' Ivic)
Substitutes: Nista, Minotti, Ficcadenti, Coco, Tricarico
Manager: Mondonico
Who played for Lazio
Marchegiani, Negro, Nesta, Mihajlovic, Pancaro, Stankovic, Sensini (77’ Almeyda), Simeone, Nedved (73’ Mancini), Inzaghi (58’ Ravanelli), Salas
Manager: Eriksson
Referee: Pellegrino
Goals: 8’ Sensini, 53’ Mihajlovic, 65’ Ravanelli, 81’ Ferrante (pen), 89’ Galante, 91’ Salas
What happened next
In the Champions League, qualification for the quarterfinal was put in peril as, after beating the French again, Lazio only got one point against the Dutch. In the final game against Chelsea, after having drawn at home, Lazio had to win at Stamford Bridge to clinch the qualification in first place (the top two teams went through) as a bonus, so they could avoid having to play the quarterfinal against Barcelona, Manchester United or Bayern. They managed to do so coming from behind in a spectacular game. In the quarterfinals Lazio played against Valencia.
Everybody thought that it would be an easy match, but Lazio collapsed in Spain. Without Luca Marchegiani and Alessandro Nesta, Lazio went 2-0 down after 4 minutes, re-opened the game thanks to an Inzaghi goal halfway through the first half, but Valencia netted another two goals and with ten minutes to the end were leading 4-1. Salas scored in the dying minutes to give Lazio a chance of qualification but another defensive blunder with just a few seconds to go, gave Valencia a three-goal lead. Fans were hopeful Lazio could recover at the Olimpico, but the Biancocelesti only scored one goal with Veron and went out of the Champions League. A real pity.
In the first leg of the Coppa Italia semi-final, Lazio destroyed Venezia 5-0 with braces from Mancini and Mihajlovic (with two penalties) plus a Ravanelli goal. Silver Fox had also missed a penalty. The return was a mere formality and Lazio drew 2-2 with an Inzaghi double.
Inter brushed off Cagliari and so met Lazio in the final. The first leg was in Rome on April 12. Inter scored immediately with Clarence Seedorf but Lazio managed to equalise with Pavel Nedved at the end of the first half. In the beginning of the second, Simeone put Lazio ahead so Marcelo Lippi put Ronaldo on the pitch, his first game in five months. Five minutes later the Brazilian broke his patellar tendon. The scene was dramatic and very sad. The game basically ended there.
In Serie A by the 26th game the deficit increased to nine points and it looked as if it was all over for the scudetto. But on March 25 Lazio won the derby and Juve lost at Milan. The Biancocelesti were at -6 but the next match was in Turin against Juventus. Thanks to a goal from Diego Simeone, the Juventus lead was reduced to three points. However, Florence looked as if it would be fatal again as Lazio drew 3-3 and Juventus won in Milan against Inter.
There were four games to go. Everybody thought it was all over but manager Sven Goran Eriksson tried to get the team to believe in the impossible. In the 32nd game of the season Lazio beat Venezia and Juventus lost at Verona. Two games to go, two points difference. Lazio beat Bologna away and Juventus were winning 1-0 against Parma. Towards the end of the match there was a corner for Parma. Mario Amoroso crossed and Fabio Cannavaro equalised but the referee inexplicably disallowed it.
This was the talking point in Italy for the entire week. Juve had already won a controversial scudetto a couple of years back when a clear penalty on Ronaldo was not given to Inter in Turin. So, there was massive media pressure on the last two games of the season: Lazio-Reggina and Perugia-Juventus.
Perugia President Luciano Gaucci, ashamed of the lack of fighting spirit his team had shown against Milan in the last game of the previous season, stated that it would not be a walkover for Juventus. Lazio fans hoped for a draw and then to go to a playoff. And this is what was happening at the end of the first half. Lazio were winning 2-0 and it was still goalless in Perugia. But a massive storm had blown up over the Umbrian capital and the pitch was waterlogged. Referee Pierluigi Collina tried a number of times to see if the ball would bounce on the flooded pitch, but no. There was a problem however. If the game had been abandoned, they would have to start from scratch the next day. With what had happened in the previous match when Cannavaro’s goal was disallowed for no reason at all, the Italian referee felt that the repetition of the game would have been unfair. So, he insisted. Just when they were about to give up, the rain stopped. The pitch was not in ideal condition, but playable. The second half could recommence, an hour later than scheduled. In the 50th minute Alessandro Calori scored for Perugia. Juve did not manage to equalise and Lazio won their second scudetto.
Still smelling of champagne and without any training whatsoever since the Sunday match, Lazio faced Inter for the second leg of the Coppa Italia final. There were chances for both sides, particularly for Inter in the dying seconds of the match when Alvaro Recoba hit the woodwork, but the game was goalless and the Biancocelesti won the double.
An amazing season
Let’s talk about Nestor Sensini
Nestor Sensini was born in Arroyo Seco, Argentina, on October 12, 1966.
He is the son of Italian immigrants from Le Marche and started his football career with Newell's Old Boys. He made his debut for "La Lepra" in 1986. The Rojinegro also produced players such as Gabriel Omar Batistuta, Jorge Valdano and Lionel Messi amongst others. Sensini played 89 games and scored 2 goals for Newell's and won a league in 1989 and reached a Copa Libertadores final but lost to Nacional. It is here was given his nickname "La Boquita" (Little Mouth), I presume sarcastically...
In 1989 he went to Europe and joined Udinese in Serie A. His first season was unfortunate and the Friulani were relegated under Bruno Mazzia and then Rino Marchesi. Sensini played 33 games with 2 goals (Sampdoria, Cesena) and 1 game in Coppa Italia.
The following year Udinese finished 8th in Serie B under Marchesi, then Pietro Fontana and finally Adriano Buffoni. Sensini played 36 league games and scored 4 goals (Salernitana, Barletta, Padova, Triestina). In the squad were also Francesco Dell'Anno, Claudio Garella and Lorenzo Marronaro.
In 1991-92 Udinese were promoted under Franco Scoglio until February and then Adriano Fedele. The Bianconeri finished 4th and Sensini played 36 league games with 2 goals (Piacenza x2) and 4 games in Coppa Italia.
In Serie A Fedele stayed on but was then replaced by Alberto Bigon. Udinese finished 14th after a relegation playoff (Brescia 3-1). Sensini played 33 league games plus the playoff with 1 goal (Torino) and 2 in Coppa Italia.
In 1993-94 he started at Udinese under Azeglio Vicini and played 11 league games and 3 in Coppa italia but then in November joined Parma. Udinese eventually went down under Adriano Fedele who took over while Sensini was still in Friuli.
At Parma the manager was Nevio Scala and the Gialloblu finished 5th. They won the European Super Cup (Milan 2-1 on aggregate after extra-time) and reached the final of the Cup Winners Cup (Arsenal 0-1). Sensini played 20 league games, 6 in Coppa Italia and 5 in Europe with 1 goal (Benfica in semi-final).
In 1994-95 Parma finished 3rd, won the UEFA Cup (Juventus 2-1 on aggregate) and were runners-up in the Coppa Italia (Juventus 1-2 on aggregate). Sensini played 24 league games with 2 goals (Inter x2), 8 in Coppa Italia with 1 goal (Cagliari) and 10 games in Europe. He played with Fernando Couto, Dino Baggio, Stefano Fiore and Gabriele Pin.
In 1995-96 Parma finished 6th. Sensini played 31 league games with 2 goals (Torino, Roma), 1 game in Coppa Italia, 6 in the Cup Winners Cup plus the Italian Supercoppa (lost 0-1 to Juventus).
In 1996-97 Carlo Ancelotti arrived as manager. The Ducali finished 2nd in Serie A. Sensini played 31 league games with 1 goal (Sampdoria) and 2 in the UEFA Cup. He played with Hernan Crespo and Enrico Chiesa as teammates.
In 1997-98 Parma finished 6th. Sensini played 24 league games with 5 goals (Piacenza, Udinese, Empoli, Lazio), 3 games in Coppa Italia and 6 in the Champions League with 3 goals (Widzew Łódź x2, Galatasaray).
In 1998-99 Alberto Malesani became Parma manager. The Crociati finished 4th (CL qualification) but above all won the Coppa Italia (Fiorentina 313, on away goals) and the UEFA Cup (Olympique Marseille 3-0). Sensini played 26 league games with 1 goal (Sampdoria), 8 games in Coppa Italia and 10 in Europe with 1 goal (Bordeaux). Two of his teammates were Diego Fuser and Juan Sebastian Veron.
In 1999-2000 he joined Lazio. The manager was Sven-Göran Eriksson and he joined former teammates Couto and Veron. Lazio had a great season winning the Scudetto and the Coppa Italia. Sensini gave a good contribution playing 23 league games with 1 goal (Torino), 2 games in Coppa Italia and 7 in the Champions League.
The following season he started off at Lazio but after 1 league game, 3 in the Champions League and the Italian Supercoppa final he returned to Parma. He left after winning another trophy, the Super Cup beating Inter 4-3.
Back at Parma he found Alberto Malesani as manager but he was replaced by Arrigo Sacchi (14-16) and then Renzo Ulivieri (17-34). Parma finished 4th (CL qualification) and were runners-up in the Coppa Italia (Fiorentina 1-2 on aggregate). Sensini played 19 league games and 4 in Coppa Italia. His teammates included Matías Almeyda, Sergio Conceição and Marco Di Vaio.
In 2001-02 Parma had three different managers; Renzo Ulivieri (1-9), Daniel Passarella (11-14) and Pietro Carmignani (15-34). Parma finished 10th but won the Coppa Italia beating Juventus, on away goals after 2-2 on aggregate. Sensini played 16 league games, 3 in Coppa Italia and 6 in Europe 4 (CL + 2 EL) with 1 goal (Lille in CL).
In 2002 he returned to Udine. He stayed another four seasons, under Luciano Spalletti for three and the last under Serse Cosmi (1-24) and Loris Dominissini (25-30) but by then he had retired and helped Dominissini as coach. Udinese finished 6th, 7th, 4th (CL) and 11th. Sensini played another 101 games (91 A, 4 CI, 1 UC, 6 UCL) with another 7 league goals. In his second spell in Udine he played with Roberto Muzzi, Giampiero Pinzi, Stefano Fiore, Lucas Castromán, Manuel Belleri, Stefano Mauri and Roberto Baronio.
He then retired at 39 in January 2006.
At International level he won 59 caps for Argentina. He played in 3 World Cups including the Italia 90 final (lost 0-1 to Germany). He won a silver medal at Atlanta Olympics '96 and a bronze at the ' 89 Copa América.
Since retiring he has become a manager. He shared the job with Dominissini for 6 matches at Udinese after retiring. He then spent a year at Estudiantes, two seasons with Newell's Old Boys, one with Colón and one with Atletico Rafaela. In 2015 he was nominated Director General of Newell's Old Boys, a role he kept until May 2019. In December 2020 he became head coach of Everton de Viña del Mar in Chile and stayed a year.
Sensini was versatile and could play both as a defender and as a midfielder. He is 1.78 and 77 kilos. He was mainly a defensive player and was used at full-back, centre-back and as a central midfielder. He was a strong tackler but would also be dangerous at the other end with his well-timed runs, enabling him to often get on the score sheet. He was a hard but fair player, both rugged and refined, most managers dream. His best years were at Parma where he won the Coppa Italia twice (1999, 2002), 2 UEFA Cups (1995, 1998) and a UEFA Super Cup (1993).
At Lazio he unfortunately only played one full season but it was enough for Laziali to appreciate his strong character, experience and class. It was a successful one too; a Scudetto, a Coppa Italia and an Italian Supercoppa (2000). It was brief but intense and he will forever be one of the second Scudetto heroes.
Lazio career
Season | Total appearances (goals) | Serie A | Coppa Italia | Champions League | Super Coppa |
1999-00 | 32 (1) | 23 (1) | 2 | 7 | - |
Sep-Nov 2000 | 7 (1) | 1 | 2 (1) | 3 | 1 |
Total | 39 (2) | 24 (1) | 4 (1) | 10 | 1 |
Sources
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