Lazio conquer derby after shock start and dream on
A goal down after three minutes, and after a midweek battle at Stamford Bridge, Lazio fight back to keep Scudetto dream alive
Also on this day: March 25, 1973, Lazio Atalanta 2-1. Lazio with several absences and others not at best suffer but clinch important win. Player of the day: Giacomo La Rosa
The season so far
The previous season Lazio had come agonizingly close to winning the title. They were only overtaken by eventual champions Milan in the penultimate game of the season and in controversial circumstances. Lazio were held to a 1-1 draw in Florence with some extremely dubious refereeing decisions by Fiorenzo Treossi, including the denial of a clear penalty on Marcelo Salas.
Lazio had however triumphed in Europe winning the last ever Cup Winners Cup in May (2-1 against Mallorca in Birmingham) and then beaten Manchester United 1-0 (Salas) to lift the UEFA Super Cup in August, in Monte Carlo.
This season there had been some important changes to the squad. Three more Argentinians were signed; defender Nestor Sensini (Parma), midfielders Diego "El Cholo" Simeone (Inter) and Juan Sebastian Veron "La Brujita" (Parma). Another midfielder Dario Marcolin was back from a loan spell (Blackburn) and striker Simone Inzaghi was added (Piacenza). In the summer big Swedish forward Kennet Andersson had arrived from Bologna, but after the winter market session was already back playing for today's opposition. To replace him Lazio had brought in experienced Fabrizio "Silver Fox" Ravanelli (Olympique Marseille).
Lazio had also lost an important player in striker Christian Vieri who was sold to Inter for a then world record transfer fee of 90 billion Lire (approx 45 million Euros). Spanish midfielder Ivan de la Peña had gone to Olympique Marseille after a disappointing spell at Lazio and Roberto Baronio went to Reggina on loan.
In Serie A this season Lazio were currently in 2nd place behind leaders Juventus. A week earlier Lazio had slumped to a 1-0 away defeat at Verona so were 9 points adrift. They had won 14, drawn 8 and lost 4. On Friday evening Juventus had been beaten 2-0 away to Milan so Lazio had an immediate chance to reduce the gap.
Just three days earlier Lazio had the uplifting 2-1 away win at Chelsea thus qualifying for the quarterfinals of the Champions League. Lazio were tired but galvanized.
Lazio's historic debut in the Champions League had started in September with a 1-1 away draw at Bayer Leverkusen. The first group phase also included Dynamo Kiev (2-1, 1-0), Slovenian Maribor (4-0, 4-0) and Leverkusen (1-1, 1-1). The second phase group was made up of Olympique Marseille (2-0, 5-1), Feyenoord (1-2, 0-0) and Chelsea (0-0, 2-1).
In Coppa Italia Lazio were through to the final and they would play Inter over two legs in April and May. Lazio had eliminated Ravenna (1-1, 4-1), Juventus (2-3, 2-1) on away goals rule and Venezia (5-0, 2-2).
Today's opposition were eternal rivals Roma. The previous year the Giallorossi had finished 5th under Zdenek Zeman. This year they had a new manager, Fabio Capello. The main changes to the squad were the arrivals of striker Vincenzo Montella (Sampdoria), goalkeeper Francesco Antonioli (Bologna) and midfielder Cristiano Zanetti (Cagliari). The main departures were goalkeeper Michael Konsel (Venezia) and forward Paulo Sérgio (Bayern Munich). At this stage of the season Roma were 5th and had lost their last two league games. They had also recently been knocked out of the UEFA Cup by Leeds United in the Round of 16.
So a tired but highly motivated Lazio against a Roma team coming from some bad results but desperately keen to win the derby and destroy Lazio's title hopes.
The match: Saturday, March 25, Stadio Olimpico, Rome
A perfect day for football, sunny, mild and a crowd of 75,000. This was as always a big match, being the local derby, but unlike some years it also meant something in the title race.
Lazio only three days earlier had fought out a tough match at Stamford Bridge, they were also without Sinisa Mihajlovic (suspended) and Alessandro Nesta (injured). Sven-Goran Eriksson left Roberto Mancini, Salas and Alen Boksic on the bench and chose Simone Inzaghi up front with Veron, Nedved and Conceição in support.
Roma had the first chance but a Del Vecchio close range strike was saved by Luca Marchegiani. After only three minutes, however, Roma were already ahead. A medium height Francesco Totti cross was turned in near the goal line by Montella, not without some help from a slightly hesitant Marchegiani. Lazio 0 Roma 1. The nightmares of the away derby, when they had been crushed 4-1 with 4 goals in half an hour with two in the first ten minutes, loomed over the Biancocelesti.
This time however Lazio did not collapse. Hidetoshi Nakata had a long range central shot saved but Lazio too started to have some chances of their own. First Veron headed over the bar and then Pavel Nedved had a penalty appeal when he was brought down by Cristiano Lupatelli (in fairness the keeper did touch the ball too).
The game became very dirty with a series of overboard tackles which is nothing new for the Roman derby, traditionally a fierce contest.
In the 25th minute Lazio equalised. A Giuseppe Pancaro cross was met by Inzaghi at the edge of the box, Simoncino then put a left-footed assist into the box for Nedved who at first missed the ball but was then quick to poke in his second attempt. The ball took a slight deflection off Carlos Zago and beat Lupatelli. A mix of timing, perseverance and luck and it was Lazio 1 Roma 1.
Three minutes later Lazio were awarded a freekick about 27 metres out in a central position but were without their master Mihajlovic. Up stepped Sebastian Veron and Sinisa himself would have been proud of what followed. A perfectly struck shot curled over the wall and made its way into the top left hand corner, a fantastic goal. In three minutes Lazio had turned the derby and their season around. Lazio 2 Roma 1.
The Giallorossi then had two chances to level the score but first Marco Del Vecchio pulled his shot wide and then Totti had a header cleared off the line by Paolo Negro (with Lazio keeper down injured). Before halftime there were two injuries, one per team, in the 37th minute Marcos Cafu hobbled off and in the 43rd Marchegiani, as mentioned, was forced to leave the field due to a serious injury to his neck.
The second half saw Roma take the initiative but they had problems creating any sustained pressure. In the 58th minute Vincent Candela too was unable to continue. Del Vecchio and Totti had a couple of feeble shots and Sergio Conceição for Lazio stretched out and almost got a winning touch but the keeper saved with the tip of his fingers. Roma's best chances came again with Del Vecchio whose acrobatic close range shot was saved and Totti whose curler went over the bar. It was Lazio though who went closest to scoring when a Simeone header literally shaved the post with Lupatelli beaten. The last chance fell to Del Vecchio, his shot was powerful but central.
At the final whistle the exhausted Lazio players fell to their knees before the derby win reinvigorated them and they ran towards the Curva Nord to celebrate.
It had been a tough, hard fought battle as derbies should be. The referee had difficulty keeping it under control and resorted to nine bookings. A derby triumph is always satisfying but these three points also enabled the Biancocelesti to face the title race with renewed optimism. The doom and gloom after Verona was replaced with a new belief. Lazio were now six points off the leaders Juventus and the next match was ... against "La Vecchia Signora" in Turin…
Who played for Lazio
Marchegiani (43' Ballotta), Gottardi, Negro, Couto, Pancaro, Conceição, Almeyda, Simeone, Nedved, Veron (66' Sensini), S. Inzaghi (74' Boksic)
Manager: Eriksson
Who played for Roma
Lupatelli, Zago, Aldair, Mangone, Cafu (37' Rinaldi), Di Francesco, Nakata (46' Marcos Assunçao), Candela (58' Tommasi), Totti, Montella, Del Vecchio
Substitutes: Campagnolo, Gurenko, Blasi, Poggi
Manager: Capello
Referee: Messina
Goals: 3' Montella, 25' Nedved, 28' Veron
What happened next
A week later Lazio beat Juventus 1-0 in Turin. A Simeone goal was enough to further cut the deficit from the leaders. Lazio were now only 3 points behind the Bianconeri with four games to go. Then however a 3-3 away draw in Florence pushed Lazio back to 5 points behind in a deja- vu situation similar to the previous unlucky year.
Then the unexpected happened. With three games remaining Juve lost 2-0 in Verona (a Fabrizio Cammarata brace - I can still see his name flashing up on the Olimpico scoreboard) and Lazio, beating Venezia 3-2 at home, were suddenly only two points behind.
The week later was full of controversy as Juventus beat Parma 1-0 at home but the visitors had a goal inexplicably disallowed. To this day not even the most ardent Juve fan can tell you why it was ruled out. Fabio Cannavaro had headed in from a corner but there was no offside, not even a hint of fouls, the ball had not gone out of play ... a mystery. Lazio meanwhile won 3-2 away at Bologna to maintain a slither of hope.
Then came the drama to end all dramas. In the last match of the season Lazio were at home to Reggina and Juve away to Perugia (both teams were already safe). The most optimistic scenario was maybe forcing a playoff with Juventus if they drew in Perugia and then may the best team win. In Rome it was a gloriously sunny day but up the road in Umbria the weather was different.
At half time Lazio were cruising 2-0 while Juve were still 0-0. Then the heavens opened in Perugia and the pitch became so flooded the game had to be postponed for 75 minutes. Lazio meanwhile cruised to a 3-0 win and what followed was surreal. The players went back to the changing rooms while the game in Perugia restarted despite a waterlogged pitch. The 70,000 Lazio fans stayed in their seats, a few listening to their transistor radios and the others scrutinizing their reactions.
At first it was rumoured the game would be shown on the scoreboard but that never materialized. In the 49th minute came the first explosion of joy and thousands invaded the pitch when Alessandro Calori (initially former Roma player Cappioli was attributed the goal) scored for Perugia. The next 40 minutes were agony and became worse when suddenly the stadium tannoy started booming out the final minutes of the game. People reacted in different ways to the metallic echo of the commentary; some prayed, others blocked their ears, others held on to friends, family or even complete strangers meanwhile the transistor radio owners were no longer treated like Hollywood stars.
After an interminable wait and 5 minutes of injury time at 18.04 of the 14th May 2000 Lazio were declared to be champions of Italy for the second time in their history. Twenty-six years after Tommaso Maestrelli, Giorgio Chinaglia and Co Lazio were "Campioni d'Italia"!! Absolute mayhem broke out in the stadium and in the streets of Rome. A well deserved title albeit won in unique and unexpected circumstances. The celebrations were unforgettable and went on for weeks.
A few days later, still smelling of champagne and sporting celebratory blonde and tricolour hairstyles, Lazio also won the Coppa Italia. Having beaten Inter 2-1 in the first leg of the final in Rome, a 0-0 draw in Milan proved enough to win a historic double. A season to remember and tell future generations about.
In the Champions League Lazio reached the quarter final but were knocked out by Valencia (5-3 on aggregate).
Lazio's top scorer in the league was Marcelo Salas with 12 goals while Simone Inzaghi got 19 in all competitions.
Lazio 1999-2000
Competition | Played | Won | Drawn | Lost | Goals scored |
Serie A | 34 | 21 | 9 | 4 | 64 |
Coppa Italia | 8 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 18 |
Champions League | 14 | 6 | 6 | 2 | 26 |
UEFA Super Cup | 1 | 1 | - | - | 1 |
Total | 57 | 32 | 18 | 7 | 109 |
Top five appearances
Players | Total | Serie A | Coppa Italia | Champions League | UEFA Super Cup |
Nedved | 47 | 28 | 6 | 12 | 1 |
Simeone | 47 | 28 | 7 | 11 | 1 |
Veron | 47 | 31 | 4 | 11 | 1 |
Mihajlovic | 46 | 26 | 7 | 12 | 1 |
Pancaro | 45 | 28 | 5 | 11 | 1 |
Top five goal scorers
Players | Total | Serie A | Coppa Italia | Champions League | UEFA Super Cup |
Inzaghi | 19 | 7 | 3 | 9 | - |
Salas | 17 | 12 | - | 4 | 1 |
Mihajlovic | 13 | 6 | 4 | 3 | - |
Veron | 10 | 8 | - | 2 | - |
Boksic | 8 | 4 | 3 | 1 | - |
Let's talk about Juan Sebastian Veron
Juan Sebastián Verón was born in La Plata, Argentina, on March 9, 1975.
Verón left school in 1993 and signed for Estudiantes. His father Juan Ramón Verón had also played for " Los Pincharratas" (The Rat Catchers) and was nicknamed " La Bruja" (The Witch). Veron senior scored a goal against England in Argentina's 2-1 world cup at Old Trafford in 1966. Juan Sebastian became known as "La Brujita" (The Little Witch) after his father.
Veron played three seasons for the Platense club, with 60 appearances and 7 goals. In 1996 he moved to Buenos Aires and played one season for Boca Juniors with 17 games and 4 goals.
In the summer of 1996 he moved to Europe. He signed for ambitious Sampdoria in Serie A. He played two seasons in Liguria, the first under manager Sven-Goran Eriksson and the second under César Luis Menotti and then Vujadin Boskov. He made 68 appearances with 7 goals.
In 1998 he signed for Parma, at the time one of the best teams in Italy. He stayed in Emilia only one year but he won the Coppa Italia and the UEFA Cup. He made 42 appearances with 4 goals.
In 1999 he was reunited with manager Eriksson when he joined Lazio. In his first year he won the UEFA Super Cup (Manchester United 1-0), the Scudetto and the Coppa Italia (Inter 2-1, 0-0). He played 47 games (31 in the league) with 10 goals.
In his second year he played less due to a few injuries, he made 32 total appearances (22 in Serie A) with 4 goals and Lazio won the Italian Supercoppa (Inter 4-3).
After only two years and much to Lazio fans sadness he left for Manchester United for 80 billion Lire (approx 40 million Euros). Under the guidance of Sir Alex Ferguson he won the Premier League In 2003. In his two seasons for the Red Devils he played 82 games and scored 11 goals. His time in Manchester however was not a roaring success and he moved down to London.
In 2003 he joined Chelsea, managed by Italian Claudio Ranieri. Veron scored on his debut against Liverpool but never repeated his Lazio days, also due to a serious injury. He only played 14 times (7 in the Premier League) and scored 1 goal.
In 2004 he returned to Serie A and joined Inter. In two seasons he played 74 games (49 in Serie A) and scored 4 goals. With the Nerazzurri he won a Scudetto (2006), 2 Coppa Italia (2005, 2006) and a Supercoppa Italiana (2005) under Roberto Mancini, his former Sampdoria and Lazio teammate.
In 2006 he returned to Argentina and Estudiantes. He won the Torneo Apertura 2006 and in 2008 reached the final of the Copa Sudamericana (lost to Brazilians Internacional). In 2008 he won the South-American Player of the Year Award. In 2009 he won the Copa Libertadores and was again voted Player of the Year. In 2010 he won the Torneo de Apertura. In this period he played 189 games and scored 24 goals.
He then announced his retirement but decided to continue. He played a season for Coronel Brandsen at amateur level (28 games-7 goals) and then returned to Estudiantes in 2013 and played a further 22 times. He then played 8 games for amateur Estrella de Berisso (where he was already manager) and then in 2016-17 one final game for Estudiantes (where he was already President) in a Copa Libertadores tie against Ecuadorian Barcelona Guayaquil. At 41 that was La Btujita's last ever match.
At International level he played 72 times for the Albiceleste, scoring 9 goals. He played in three world cups and in one Copa América. He won an Olympic Silver medal at Atlanta 1996.
After retiring between 2014 and 2021 he was President of Estudiantes and is currently Vice-President.
Veron was a fantastic player. He was a midfielder who played behind the forwards. He was capable however of playing anywhere on the field and even organizing the game from the back. He had exceptional vision and would not hesitate in taking risks to open up opposition defences. He possessed good athleticism and could cover large areas of the pitch. His technical skills and his right-footed passes put many a forward in front of goal. He had an excellent use of the outside of his feet and also an accurate long-range pass. With his long legs he was able to dispossess opponents and immediately create dangerous opportunities for his teammates. He was also skilled at corners and free kicks. He was an all round creative midfielder.
At Lazio he was adored. In two years, he played 53 Serie A games with 11 goals, 7 games in Coppa Italia, 19 in Champions League with 3 goals, a UEFA Super Cup final and a Super Coppa. He is considered one of the best players ever for Lazio. In his two years he mesmerized the Lazio faithful with his performances. He became known as "La Luce" (The Light) as he lit up and illuminated Lazio’s games. Some of his assists, such as for Crespo in the 4-1 destruction of Juventus, and his derby winning freekick against Roma are legendary.
Despite only playing two seasons for the Biancocelesti he will always be revered in Rome. He was a likable character, cheerful and down to earth and at the time known for his Che Guevara tattoo. On the field he was class, quality, entertainment and won trophies. In Rome he won the Scudetto, a UEFA Supercup, an Italian Supercoppa and a Coppa Italia. Apart from having his name in Lazio history for the victories he will always be remembered as an outstanding player, one of the all time greats. Gracias de todo y Hasta Siempre Brujita.
Lazio career
Season | Total games (goals) | Serie A | Coppa Italia | Champions League | UEFA Super Cup | Super Coppa |
1999-00 | 47 (10) | 31 (8) | 4 | 11 (2) | 1 | - |
2000-01 | 32 (4) | 22 (3) | 2 | 7 (1) | - | 1 |
Total | 79 (14) | 53 (11) | 6 | 18 (3) | 1 | 1 |
Sources