March 14, 2013: Lazio Stuttgart 3-1, Europa League
- Simon Basten
- 35 minutes ago
- 6 min read
Kozak, Kozak, Kozak
A Kozak hat trick gives Lazio the quarter finals of the Europa League
The season so far
Edy Reja had left after the end of the previous season and Lazio had given the keys to the squad to Vladimir Petkovic, a Swiss National of Bosnian origin, who had had a successful managerial career in Switzerland. Lazio had added Ederson and Michael Ciani in the summer plus Bruno Pereirinha in the winter transfer session.
Lazio started the season very well and by the end of the first half were second. The Champions League looked possible. But since the January 13 win against Atalanta they had won just one game and had fallen to seventh place.
But things had continued to go right both in Europa League and in Coppa Italia. In the former, after beating Mura 05 in the playoff in August, Lazio topped their group (Tottenham, Panathinaikos and Maribor the opponents) and eliminated Borussia Mönchengladbach in the Round of 32. In the first leg of the Round of 16 they had won 2-0 in Stuttgart and had more than a foot in the quarter finals.
In the fourth round of the domestic cup Lazio had beaten Siena in the penalty shootout after Ciani saved the campaign with a last second equaliser and Juan Pablo Carrizo stopped two penalties. Things went smoother in the quarterfinals with a 3-0 win over Catania.
In the semi-finals Lazio had to face Juventus. In the first leg in Turin Lazio managed to draw 1-1 thanks to a number of miracles from goalkeeper Federico Marchetti and another last gasp goal from Stefano Mauri. In the return match, Lazio scored with Alvaro Gonzalez in the beginning of the second half and it looked as if the Biancocelesti had secured the final. But a Stefan Radu mistake in the second minute of injury time gave Juventus the equaliser. Extra time was on the cards but a Sergio Floccari header with one minute to go gave Lazio the ticket for the final. A ticket which was about to be thrown away as Juventus had an open goal chance in the 95th minute but Claudio Marchisio kicked the ball wide.
The final would be against Roma who had eliminated Inter in the other semi-final. This was going to be the first derby in a final. Whoever won would have their names in the history books.
The match: Thursday, March 14, 2013, Stadio Olimpico, Rome
Lazio completed the job against VfB Stuttgart to become the first Italian side to reach the UEFA Europa League quarter-finals. After securing a 2–0 win in Germany, the Biancocelesti triumphed 3–1 in a behind-closed-doors match at the Stadio Olimpico. The round-of-16 return leg was decided by a hat-trick from Libor Kozák, who moved to the top of the tournament’s scoring charts with eight goals, while Stuttgart’s goal was scored by Hungarian midfielder Tamás Hajnal. Despite struggling in domestic competition, Vladimir Petković’s team once again proved lethal in Europe, extending their unbeaten run to twelve matches. It was a fully deserved result, built on two convincing performances, allowing Lazio to eliminate another Bundesliga side after having already knocked out Borussia Mönchengladbach in the previous round. The Biancocelesti thus celebrated a return to the “magnificent eight” of European competition for the first time in ten years, since reaching the UEFA Cup semi-finals in 2002/03 against FC Porto. Without the suspended Lorik Cana and the injured André Dias, Petković overhauled the team that had lost 2–0 to ACF Fiorentina on Sunday evening, making six changes. The only players retained — along with goalkeeper Federico Marchetti — were Bruno Pereirinha, Ștefan Radu, Hernanes, and Senad Lulić.
There was also rotation from Stuttgart coach Bruno Labbadia, who changed five players from the side beaten at home by Hamburger SV. In defence, full-backs Gōtoku Sakai and Cristian Molinaro replaced Antonio Rüdiger and Arthur Boka, while William Kvist, Ibrahima Traorè, and Martin Harnik made way for Federico Macheda, Shinji Okazaki, and Hajnal.
Stuttgart started brightly, forcing Marchetti into an early save as he tipped Raphael Holzhauser’s long-range drive out for a corner. It proved a false dawn, however, as Lazio took the lead in the 6th minute: from Radu’s cross from the left, Stuttgart’s defence switched off and Kozák finished from close range. Qualification was effectively sealed, and three minutes later Petković’s side removed any remaining doubt. Hernanes released Kozák, who outpaced Georg Niedermeier and beat Sven Ulreich again with a powerful right-footed strike that clipped the crossbar on its way in.
With Lazio now in complete control, free kicks from Hernanes and Antonio Candreva tested Ulreich, who did well to keep the scoreline respectable. The interval arrived on 2–0, following the introduction of substitute goalkeeper Albano Bizzarri in place of the injured Marchetti, forced off after a collision with Vedad Ibišević.
Early in the second half, the Argentine keeper produced fine saves from Sakai and Holzhauser, but in the 62nd minute he was beaten by Hajnal, who curled the ball into the corner after Kozák’s short clearance from Sakai’s cross. Bizzarri redeemed himself with an outstanding reflex save from Christian Gentner, before a flurry of substitutions followed. Niedermeier went close to making it 2–2, but in the 86th minute it was Kozák — who had earlier missed a clear chance — who sealed the 3–1 win with a diving header from Candreva’s cross.
The Czech striker thus scored his eighth goal in the UEFA Europa League, becoming joint top scorer of the competition alongside Édinson Cavani. Lazio, meanwhile, claimed their eighth victory in twelve European matches and booked their place in the quarter-finals.
Who played for Lazio
Marchetti (43' Bizzarri), Pereirinha, Biava, Ciani, Radu, Candreva, Onazi, Hernanes (74' Ederson), Lulic, Mauri (64' Ledesma), Kozak
Substitutes: Crecco, A. Gonzalez, Cataldi, Floccari
Manager: Petkovic
Who played for Stuttgart
Ulreich, Sakai, Tasci, Niedermeier, Molinaro, Gentner, Holzhauser, Okazaki, Hajnal (74' Harnik), Macheda (63' Traore), Ibisevic
Substitutes: Ziegler, Felipe Lopes, Kvist, Hoogland, Rudiger
Manager: Labbadia
Referee: Hagen
Goals: 6’ Kozak, 8’ Kozak, 63’ Hajnal, 87’ Kozak
What happened next
In campionato Lazio finished seventh and missed out on a Europa League qualification. In EL they were eliminated by Fenerbahçe in the quarter finals. The Biancocelesti lost in Turkey following a horrendous refereeing display and were not able to overcome the deficit in the return match.
It all came down to the Coppa Italia final.
Lazio won the Cup thanks to a goal from Senad Lulic in the now famous 71st minute. Among the most important wins in the history of the club, it gave the players eternal glory, Lulic is now worshipped like a Saint, and Lazio qualified for next season’s Europa League. One of the best seasons ever.
Let’s talk about Federico Macheda
Federico Macheda was born in Rome on August 22, 1991. He joined Lazio at the age of 9 showing a lot of promise as a forward. At 16 he was offered to sign a professional contract by Manchester United. The Biancocelesti could not sign him professionally because against Italian rules to put minors under contract so he went off to North England with his family.
He debuted at the age of 17 in a Man U vs Aston Villa match on April 5, 2009, replacing Nani. The score was 2-2 but in the last minute a wonderful curling shot from Macheda gave Man U a vital win. Six days later he scored again coming on from the bench against Sunderland.
In two and a half seasons he made 27 appearances with 4 goals before he was loaned to Sampdoria in January 2011. Samp were in a bad shape and got relegated at the end of the season, Macheda made 16 appearances with one goal in Coppa Italia. Back at Manchester and six appearances later with one goal in the League Cup he was loaned to Queens Park Rangers but he hardly ever played in his six months there. After a half season with Man U he was loaned to Stuttgart where he did play more, 18 appearances, but never scored. What followed was a year in the Championship, first with Doncaster (15 appearances, 3 goals) and then with Birmingham City where he played 18 games and scored regularly for the first time in his career (10 goals).
His contract with Man U was not confirmed and he signed with Cardiff City. In a year and a half, he made 33 appearances with 8 goals. He then left for a few months to play with Nottingham Forest before signing for Novara in Serie B in 2016. He stayed for two seasons making 52 appearances with 11 goals.
In 2018 he joined Panathinaikos. Finally, he found a place to settle where he could play regularly and also score. He stayed for four years making 116 appearances with 40 goals winning a national cup in 2021-22.
In 2022 he moved to Turkey to play for Ankaragücü. After six months he was loaned to APOEL in Cyprus but came back in 2023. In 2024 he signed for Asteras Tripolīs in Greece.
Federico Macheda remains a memorable figure in Premier League history because of the dramatic impact of his first goal for Manchester United. While his career did not reach the heights predicted in 2009, he has maintained a long professional career across Europe and continues to be remembered for one of the most iconic debut goals in English football.
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