Excellent start to Champions League

Season 2003-04

Game 1, Champions League Group Phase

Tuesday, September 16, 2003

İnönü Stadium, Istanbul

Beşiktaş – Lazio 0-2

Lazio win in Turkey thanks to Stam and Fiore

The season started with the Champion’s League qualifying round against Benfica. A comfortable 3-1 win at home, followed by a 1-0 away win , was money in the bank for Lazio.

In Serie A Lazio had played the first two games and had won both: Lecce 4-1 at home and Sampdoria 2-1 away.

Today’s game was the first one of the Champions League Group stage. Lazio were paired with Beşiktaş, Chelsea and Sparta Prague.

The match

Difficult first game for Lazio in Champions League in Istanbul, especially because both Sinisa Mihajlovic and Cesar were injured. Beşiktaş started well with a chance for Kaan Dobra which went wide, but Lazio were fully in the game and had two opportunities with Stefano Fiore, saved by Oscar Cordoba, and Claudio Lopez who shaved the post. In the 13th minute a Federico Giunti shot was parried by Angelo Peruzzi. Neither of the teams however created anything apart from shots from outside the box.

The equilibrium was broken by Lazio in the 37th minute. Fiore took a corner and Jaap Stam headed the ball in. Beşiktaş immediately reacted and Peruzzi was miraculous on a Tumer Metin shot.

In the second half the Biancocelesti seemed in control but there was immediate danger when Metin headed towards Daniel Pancu whose shot from outside the box only just missed the target. In the 66th minute the Lazio goalkeeper saved a Sergen Yalcin free kick into corner. The Turks last attempt was with Sinan Kaloglu who hit the top of the crossbar in the 75th minute. Two minutes later, Lazio closed the match. Bernardo Corradi to Fiore who, from a difficult angle, beat Cordoba.

An excellent start to the campaign for the Biancocelesti.

Who played for Beşiktaş

Cordoba, Zago, Ronaldo, Yildirim, Dobra, Tayfur, Giunti (72' Sinan), Ibrahim, Metin (56' Hassan), Pancu, Mansiz (56' Sergen)

Substitutes: Kursunlu, Emre Asik, Aydyn, Okan Koc

Manager: Lucescu

Who played for Lazio

Peruzzi, Oddo, Couto, Stam, Favalli, Conciecao (60' Giannichedda), Albertini, Stankovic, Fiore, Corradi (83' Liverani), C. Lopez (70' Muzzi)