November 1, 1994: Lazio -Trelleborgs FF 1-0, UEFA Cup
- Dag Jenkins
- Nov 1, 2025
- 10 min read
Updated: Nov 4, 2025
Lazio scrape into last 16
Lazio leave it late to get the better of the Swedes with a Boksic 95th minute winner
The season so far
The previous season Lazio had finished fourth and again qualified for the UEFA Cup.
New owner Sergio Cragnotti however decided it was time for a change. Out went Dino Zoff's conservative style of play and in came "Zemanlandia" with new manager Zdenek Zeman, who had impressed at Foggia. Zoff was kept on as President.
The Bohemian brought Argentinian defender José Chamot with him and was reunited with winger Roberto Rambaudi (Atalanta). Lazio also added midfielder Giorgio Venturin (Torino) to their squad.
Leaving Lazio were defenders and fan favourite Luigi Corino (Brescia), Luca Luzardi (Napoli) plus well serving midfielder Claudio Sclosa (Cremonese-on loan).
In Serie A Lazio had so far played 8 games with 5 wins (Bari 1-0 away on debut, Torino 3-0 and Napoli 5-1 at home, Genoa 2-1 away and Cremonese 1-0 at home), 2 draws (Parma 2-2 at home and Fiorentina 1-1 away with a 94th minute Cristiano Bergodi equaliser) and lost 1 (Milan 1-2 away with 90th minute Gullit winner). Lazio had 17 points and were in joint 3rd place with Juventus and Foggia.
In the Coppa Italia the Biancocelesti had eliminated Modena 9-1 on aggregate and then Piacenza 6-4. Next up were Napoli at the end of November and mid-December.
In the UEFA Cup Lazio had knocked out Dinamo Minsk 4-1 on aggregate and then drew the first leg 0-0 away to Swedish Trelleborgs. This evening was the return game in Rome.
Trelleborgs Fotbollsförening from Southern Sweden finished 3rd in the Allsvenskan in 1993 (to qualify for today's competition). The Swedes had also just finished their 1994 domestic campaign and finished 10th (the league runs from early April until late October due to the climatic conditions).
To get to this stage the Blue and Whites had eliminated GI Gota (Faroe Islands) 4-2 in the preliminary and then shocked Blackburn Rovers 3-2 (1-0, 2-2). The manager was Tom Prahl who had been in charge since 1990.
In the round of 32 the Swedes had been rewarded with a tie against Lazio. In Sweden two weeks earlier, the game had been more difficult than expected for the Romans but Lazio were hoping to clinch the qualification without excessive difficulties tonight.
The match: Tuesday, November 1, 1994, Stadio Olimpico, Rome
A 40,000-crowd turned up at the Olimpico to cheer Lazio on in Europe.
Lazio were without long term injured Paul Gascoigne and also Gigi Casiraghi but otherwise fielded their best eleven.
Trelleborgs played with a similar line-up to the first leg with the exception of the introduction of Jonas Brorsson instead of Niklas Mattson.
As predictable Lazio started out on the attack. In the 2nd minute Aron Winter's effort hit the side netting not far from the post.
Lazio dominated possession and territory but physically the Swedes held their own and looked fresher than their Roman counterparts. Lazio had played Cremonese at home only two days earlier and seemed a bit sluggish. The Swedes were also logically very buttoned up with only Joachim Karlsson up front.
Lazio threatened again in the 22nd minute with a good move. Paolo Negro fed Roberto Rambaudi who crossed to Beppe Signori, the striker coordinated himself perfectly and hit a brilliant volley which whistled just outside the post.
The Biancocelesti pushed forward but often messed up the last crucial pass and on one occasion Signori was stopped by a dubious offside call.
In the 43rd minute Karlsson clashed with Lazio goalkeeper Luca Marchegiani and came out worse for wear. The visitors played the last few minutes in ten men but Lazio were unable to take advantage. Half time 0-0.
For the second half Karlsson came back on so the numerical balance was restored. Lazio meanwhile now placed Signori in the centre of attack and Alen Boksic moved to the left, with Roberto Rambaudi remaining on the right.
In the 50th minute Roberto clashed heads with the unfortunate Karksson who was forced off again for treatment. He came back on five minutes later but soon had to give in and was replaced by defender Niklas Mattson.
Lazio struggled to create clear cut chances. Their next opportunity only came in the 71st minute but Signori's ambitious acrobatic attempt from a Boksic cross was off target. Signori then swapped positions with Boksic again.
In the 73rd minute Signori teed up the Croat well but he was anticipated into corner at the last second.
In the 75th minute Signori tried to overdo it and instead of shooting immediately he tried to walk the ball in but when he eventually shot he was unbalanced and it went wide.
Boksic then fired over the bar from a favourable position and further shots by Rambaudi and Boksic again were off target.
Trelleborgs were fighting for their lives now and Lazio attacked frantically but the Swedish goal seemed jinxed.
In the 87th minute Boksic missed a sitter and in the 94th was denied by a superb save by Polish keeper Ryszard Jankowski.
Just as it seemed extra-time and then possibly penalties were on the cards Lazio scored. In the 95th minute Rambaudi set up Winter on the left inside the box, the Dutchman shot but the keeper saved with his foot, the ball reached Signori who could not make decent contact and then it spun back to Boksic who blasted it into the roof of the net, 1-0.
The Olimpico erupted. Lazio had finally managed to break the deadlock and with the winner qualified for the third round of a UEFA European competition for the first time in their history.
A tougher game than expected but all the sweeter with such a late winner. Trelleborgs had battled well over the two legs and made the tie a lot less one-sided than most had predicted.
Next up for Lazio would be Turkish club Trabzonspor. A trip to the Black Sea on November 22 and the return leg in Rome on December 6.
Who played for Lazio
Manager: Zeman
Who played for Trelleborgs
Jankowski, J.Eriksson, C.Karlsson, Brorsson, M.Andersson, Sexerin, Palmer, Engqvist, J.Karlsson (58' Mattsson), Sandell, Blixt
Substitutes: A.Andersson, Larsson, Hansson, Rasmusson
Manager: Prahl
Referee: Ihring (Slovakia)
Goal: 95' Boksic
What happened next
Lazio had a positive season. They finished in 2nd place in Serie A, albeit ten points behind champions Juventus. The Biancocelesti won 19 (including derby 2-0, Juventus 3-0 away, Inter 2-0 away, Milan 4-0, Fiorentina 8-2, Foggia 7-1, Padova 5-1, Genoa 4-0), drew 6 and lost 9 (including derby 0-3). So, some great and high scoring wins but not enough consistency yet to really challenge for the Scudetto.
In the Coppa Italia Lazio reached the semi-finals. They defeated Napoli 2-1 on aggregate but were then beaten by Juventus 1-3 on aggregate.
In today's competition, the UEFA Cup, they had a good run reaching the quarterfinals. Lazio then eliminated Trabzonspor 4-2 (2-1, 2-1) but were then narrowly knocked out by Borussia Dortmund, 1-2 on aggregate (last minute winner by former Lazio, Karl-Heinz Riedle). The cup was eventually won by Parma who got the better of Juventus 2-1 on aggregate.
All in all, a season to remember. Entertainment was guaranteed, especially at home, and Lazio had the best attack with 69 goals (51 at home but only 18 away...). Top Lazio scorer was Beppe Signori with 21 (17 in the league).
As mentioned Trelleborgs finished 10th in the Allsvenskan after 7 wins, 9 draws and 10 defeats. This would remain their only participation in European competitions. Their best domestic result since was a 5th place in 2010. Since 2019 they have been in the Superettan (2nd tier).
The coach Tom Prahl would go on to win three Swedish league titles (Halmstad 1997, 2000 and Malmò FF 2004). He returned to Trelleborgs from 2008 to 2011.
Let's talk about Alen Boksic
Alen Boksic was born in Makarska, Croatia, on January 21, 1970. He is regarded as one of the greatest players in the history of Croatian football.
He started his career at nearby Hajduk Split. He played there for four years from 1987-1991. He made 96 appearances and scored 27 goals, also winning a Jugoslavian Cup in 1991.
In the summer of 1991 he went abroad to France and signed for Cannes in Ligue 1. He played just once for the seaside club but a year later he made the jump to bigger club Marseille along the coast. It was in Marseille that he really started to show his talent. In his only season with Marseille he scored 29 league goals in 37 appearances. A phenomenal achievement making him France's top scorer and helping to win the league title (then taken away for match fixing scandal). Marseille also lifted the pre-champions league European Cup beating Milan in the final in Munich. Boksic was a candidate for the prestigious Golden Ball award and came fourth (behind winner Roberto Baggio, Denis Bergkamp and Eric Cantona).
In November 1993 Boksic moved to Italy. He was signed by ambitious Lazio for 15 billion Lire (approx. 8 million Euros). At Lazio he would initially play for three seasons (1993-1996). He played 80 games and scored 19 times. He impressed but the Lazio manager was Zdenek Zeman, particularly renowned for his tough training methods. Boksic was said to not willingly accept these sessions and perhaps didn't show his full potential.
In 1996 Boksic moved up north to Italian giants Juventus. With the Bianconeri he won the Intercontinental Club Cup, the European Super Cup and the Scudetto. He also played in the Champions League final loss to Borussia Dortmund. He only scored 7 goals in Turin, with 4 coming in the Champions League. He was criticised for not being clinical enough in front of goal and he also suffered several injuries. As it was he returned to Lazio in 1997, after only one season up north. Lazio re-signed him for 25 billion Lire (approx. 13 million Euros) so not exactly a masterpiece of economic strategy. The fact was Boksic wanted to return and Lazio were glad to have him back, even at double the price.
Back in the capital Boksic would then have possibly his best season so far, scoring 10 goals in Serie A. Lazio fought for the title until April and won the Coppa Italia. Towards the end of the season, however, Boksic got injured again and was forced to miss the1998 World Cup in France (Croatia came 3rd).
In the following season Boksic was again hindered by physical problems but Lazio won the European Cup Winners Cup in Birmingham. The following year he and Lazio won the biggest prize of all, the Scudetto. In total Boksic played six years at Lazio over two spells. He played 115 games in Serie A and scored 31 goals, plus 15 appearances in Coppa Italia with 8 goals, 10 in Champions League with one goal, 3 in the UEFA Cup Winners Cup with one goal and finally 14 in the UEFA Cup with 2 goals.
After some problems with Lazio manager Sven-Goran Eriksson, in the summer of 2000 Boksic signed for Middlesbrough, in the English Premier League. He would play in North Yorkshire for three years totalling 68 games with 22 goals. He was said to earn the highest wages in the whole league and this fact, along with his aloof and solitary character, never enabled him to completely fit in. Despite this he did have some highs on the banks of the River Tee. He scored some decisive derby goals and helped Boro stay in the Premier League. He showed flashes of his masterclass but ultimately left a feeling of unfulfilled possibilities in the North-East and in England.
In 2003 Boksic retired from football. Injuries and lack of motivation led him to call it a day at 33. He had been a great player but could have been outstanding.
At International level he earned 40 caps for Croatia and scored 10 goals. He was unlucky that his only World Cup Finals appearance came in the twilight of his career in 2002, when the Croatian team of that generation were also past their peak.
Boksic was a modern attacker. He was 1.89 metres tall, physically strong and dynamic. He would drop from the box, switch flanks, attract and disorientate defenders with his runs, accelerations and dribbling. Running at defenders at full force he was devastating. He had power and skill enabling him to open up defences and give depth to his team. He was never a 20-plus goal striker (except for his season at Marseille) but all his other attributes made up for his lack of efficiency in front of goal. When he did score however they were often quality, he was no tap-in, opportunist goal scorer.
There was and always will be a sense that with his talent, technique and physical prowess Boksic could have done more, a lot more. Early in his career he had been compared to Marco Van Basten, in the way he could do it all. Without injuries and perhaps a different mindset Boksic could have been one of the all-time greats.
At Lazio he was called the 'L'Alieno' (The Alien) obviously for his name but also for his aloofness and extra-terrestrial qualities. When I witnessed his debut for Lazio I thought he might well be from another planet, he was that good. In his six years in Rome he scored some memorable goals; lobs, chips, headers, powerful strikes, you name it he scored them. He scored in derbies and a crucial goal in the Cup Winners Cup Semi-final against Lokomotiv Moscow. In Rome too however, he left a feeling of what could have been. He was physically strong (when not injured anyway...) but probably not mentally. He was considered a bit of a rebel and was solitary (he has since bought an island off Croatia), not mixing as well as the others in the squad. He disliked some of the training methods, didn't play with even the most minor niggle and was once even rumoured to have refused to play because his shirt was too tight!
He will however be remembered at Lazio as a superb player. An exceptional talent who, despite not living up to his potential, delighted Lazio fans for many years. He was part of the Cragnotti glory years and will forever belong to the Scudetto winning squad of 2000, in the most successful period in the club's history.
Lazio Career
Season | Total games (goals) | Serie A | Coppa Italia | Champions League | Cup Winners Cup | UEFA Cup |
Nov 1993-94 | 21 (4) | 21 (4) | - | - | - | - |
1994-95 | 33 (11) | 23 (9) | 4 | - | - | 6 (2) |
1995-96 | 26 (4) | 23 (4) | 1 | - | - | 2 |
1997-98 | 38 (15) | 26 (10) | 6 (5) | - | - | 6 |
1998-99 | 6 (1) | 3 | - | - | 3 (1) | - |
1999-00 | 33 (8) | 19 (4) | 4 (3) | 10 (1) | - | - |
Total | 157 (43) | 115 (31) | 15 (8) | 10 (1) | 3 (1) | 14 (2) |
Sources
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