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Eagles build up strength with clovers

  • Writer: Dag Jenkins
    Dag Jenkins
  • Jul 24, 2022
  • 3 min read

Pre Season Friendly

Wednesday, July 25, 2001


Stadio Druso, Bolzano

Lazio Panathinaikos 3-0


A positive friendly approaching the key CL Preliminary


Source SS Lazio Museum
Source SS Lazio Museum

Serie A would start on August 26 against Piacenza at home while the Biancocelesti's Champions League debut would be on August 8 away to FC København in the 3rd and final qualification round. The return game in Rome would be on August 21.

 

Lazio had so far played two proper pre-season friendlies, a 1-0 win against Olympiakos Nicosia and 8-0 against a mixed Alto Adige selection.


The match


About 5,000 spectators turned up at the Druso ground in German speaking Bozen.

 

Lazio fielded a strong side and had Marcelo Salas and Claudio Lopez on the bench. Dino Zoff was still experimenting the three-man defence in a 3-5-2 formation.

 

The Greeks too played a competitive line-up although Goran Vlaovic was a substitute.

 

At the start of the game the Lazio defence were in difficulty and Pana had two good chances to take the lead. First Michalis Konstantinou fired wide in the 9th minute and then was denied by an excellent save by Angelo Peruzzi a couple of minutes later.

 

In the 13th minute however, it was Lazio who took the lead. Hernan Crespo twisted and turned an effort towards goal which the keeper could not keep hold of and vulture Simone Inzaghi was there to punish him. Lazio 1 Pana 0.

 

Lazio now looked in control although the Greeks often looked threatening on the break. It was the "Prasinoi" who had the next two opportunities when Peruzzi tipped an Angelos Basinas freekick over the bar and then Stefano Fiore cleared a Giannis Gumas header off the line.

 

The Greeks looked fitter but Lazio had more individual quality. In the 28th minute Crespo skilfully beat a defender and crossed well to Karel Poborsky who had an easy task to double Lazio’s lead. Lazio 2 Pana 0.

 

The second half saw the usual summer friendly endless substitutions by both sides and the game lost fluidity.

 

In the 52nd minute forward Vlaovic replaced Danish midfielder Jan Michaelsen.

 

The first change for Lazio was an important one as in the 56th minute Claudio Lopez came on for Inzaghino. The Argentine immediately showed himself with a powerful left foot well saved by Stefanos Kotsolis who had replaced Antonios Nikopolidis at half time.

 

The Greens tried to get back in the game but Peruzzi was brilliant again on a Gumas effort.

 

The substitutions came thick and fast but in the 74th minute the game came alive with a brilliant Lopez goal. The former Valencia player went past three defenders, round the keeper and slotted the ball in. Lazio 3 Pana 0.

 

More substitutions followed including Marcelo "Matador" Salas for Crespo and Dino Baggio for Alessandro Nesta but not much more goal action. Final score Lazio 3 Panathinaikos 0.

 

A positive test for Lazio against decent opposition. The defence was slightly hesitant but this could be due to being heavy legged from the training sessions while the midfield and attack looked sharp.

 

Next up for Lazio was a friendly against Cittadella (Serie B) in Brunico (Bolzano) on July 28, another Greek side Olympiakos in Bolzano on July 31 before the Trofeo Birra Moretti in Bari against Inter and Juventus in early August. Then there was the crucial first Champions League first leg in Copenhagen on August 8.

 

Who played for Lazio


Manager: Zoff

 

Who played for Panathinaikos


Nikopolidis (46' Kotsolis), Seitaridis (83' Sapanis), Henriksen, Gumas (67' Galetto), Volkolos, Fyssas (64' Saric), Michaelsen (52' Vlaovic), Basinas, Karagounis (78' Boateng), Kolka (75' Warzycha), Konstantinou (63' Liberopoulos)

Manager: Kyrastas

 

Referee: Tait (Italy)

 

Goals: 13' S. Inzaghi, 28' Poborsky, 74' C. Lopez


Sources


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