Lazio win Champions League group

Dag Jenkins
Oct 26, 2022
3 min read

Season 1999-00

Game 5, Champions League Group A

Wednesday, October 27, 1999

Stadio Olimpico, Rome

Lazio Bayer Leverkusen 1-1

Despite a home draw to Leverkusen the Biancocelesti proceed to second phase in first place

In the Champions League the Biancocelesti had played four games. On their historic debut they had drawn 1-1 away to today's opposition, thanks to a Sinisa Mihajlovic free kick. Lazio had then defeated Dynamo Kiev 2-1 at home and Maribor 4-0 both home and away. This evening was the fifth fixture. The table read: Lazio 10, Bayer Leverkusen 5, Dynamo Kiev 4, Maribor 3.

Bayer Leverkusen had so far won 1 (Maribor 2-0 away), drawn 2 (Lazio and Dynamo Kiev, both 1-1 at home) and lost 1 (Dynamo Kiev 2-4 away).

So, a chance for Lazio to win the group tonight but a draw would also be sufficient. The Germans, on the other hand, needed a win not to risk being overtaken by Dynamo Kiev in second place.

The match

Just over 30,000 were present on a mild October evening.

Lazio were without injured Alessandro Nesta but also Paolo Negro and Roberto Mancini. The visitors were missing Robert Kovač, Michael Ballack and Zé Roberto.

Lazio got off to a dream start and scored after fifty seconds. Sinisa Mihajlovic delivered a corner, Alen Boksic headed down and the keeper saved but on the rebound Pavel Nedved on his third attempt somehow bundled the ball over the line, 1-0.

Lazio played well and it all seemed almost too easy. Lazio were in control but tried to be too fancy and wasted several good chances.

In the 25th minute the Germans replaced Vratislav Greško with Markus Happe. Greško would be a negative protagonist some years later in 2002 playing for Inter against Lazio, contributing to the Nerazzurri losing the Scudetto.

In the 27th minute came the visitors first threat as a Jens Nowotny header whistled just over the crossbar.

After the early dominance Lazio pulled back and the Bundesliga side equalised just before halftime. In the 44th minute Happe crossed from the left, the ball was slightly deflected by Beppe Pancaro, misleading the keeper, and on the front post the first to pounce was Ulf Kristen who anticipated Mihajlovic and Luca Marchegiani to set the score line at 1-1.

Lazio had relaxed too much and let the "Werkself" back into the game.

In the second half the visitors attacked more but were rarely dangerous. The news came through that Dynamo Kiev were winning in Slovenia so at this point Die Aspirin were momentarily third in the table.

In the 59th minute Lazio made their first substitution bringing on Simone Inzaghi for an exhausted Boksic. He immediately put in a good cross for Marcelo Salas but the Chilean did not make the most of it with his header.

Inzaghi then had a chance himself but one-on-one the keeper saved and then Salas missed a sitter on the rebound.

The visitors made a change in the 67th minute, replacing Jörg Reeb with Frankie Hejduk.

Despite the news from Slovenia the "Pillendreher" (Pilltakers) seemed reasonably pleased with a draw and took no risks.

In the 76th minute a quiet Sergio Conceição was taken off and on came Dejan Stankovic.

There was time for Salas to miss another couple of chances and have an appeal for a probable penalty waved away before the final substitutions; Zoran Mamić for goal scorer Kirsten and Diego Simeone for Juan Sebastian Veron.

The game finished 1-1 and both sides seemed satisfied. Lazio were guaranteed to come top of the group while the Westphallians left Rome unbeaten. The table now read: Lazio 11, Dynamo Kiev 7, Bayer Leverkusen 6, Maribor 3.

Lazio could go to Kiev with no pressure or worries and rest some players while Leverkusen had to beat Maribor and hope Lazio did not lose in Ukraine.

Who played for Lazio

Marchegiani, Pancaro, F.Couto, Mihajlovic, Favalli, Conceição (76' Stankovic), Veron (89' Simeone), Almeyda, Nedved, Salas, Boksic (59' S.Inzaghi)