November 9 1966: Lazio-Red Star Belgrade 3-0, Mitropa Cup
Good lead to take to Marakàna
Lazio win convincingly and can travel to Belgrade with confidence
The season so far
The previous season Lazio had finished 12th under Umberto Mannocci. The highlights were beating Roma 1-0 (the other derby was 0-0) and Milan 2-0 away. Top scorer was Vito D'Amato with 7 league goals.
This season Mannocci had stayed on but then been replaced recently on November 7 by Maino Neri. The main summer transfers in were: defender Sergio Castelletti (Fiorentina, after 214 league games), midfielders Arrigo Dolso (Udinese), Rino Marchesi (Fiorentina), Giuseppe Massa (Internapoli) plus forwards Romano Bagatti (Varese), Juan Carlos Morrone (Fiorentina) and Gianni Sassaroli (Avellino - end of loan). Lazio had recently added defender Pietro Adorni (Napoli) but his medical had cast some doubts on his physical efficiency so the Biancocelesti had also brought in young defender Antonio Maggioni (Juventus - on loan).
Leaving were: defenders Vincenzo Gasperi (Varese), Giampiero Vitali (Fiorentina), midfielder Giovanni Sacco (Juventus - end of loan) plus forwards Nicola Ciccolo (Vicenza), Antonio Renna (Varese) and Orlando Rozzoni (SPAL).
The season started with a 1-5 away defeat to Fiorentina. A sign of things to come. Since then Lazio had won 1 (Lecco 1-0 away), drawn 2 (including Milan 2-2 away) and lost 3 (including derby 0-1). Lazio were currently joint 14th, with Vicenza on 4 points, just off the last relegation slots. The main problem and not a minor one was scoring goals, only 5 in 7 games. Three days earlier the Biancocelesti had lost 0-1 away in Naples.
In Coppa Italia, Lazio had beaten Catania 1-0 away in September and would now play Lecco at home on November 27.
In today's tournament this was the Biancocelesti's debut. It was the last 16 against Crvena Zvezda (Red Star Belgrade).
Red Star Belgrade were from Yugoslavia. The Cverno-beli had won 7 league titles, 6 domestic cup and had won the Mitropa Cup in 1958. One of their former managers, Milovan Ćirić (1954-57) had also been Lazio manager (1957-58).
The previous 1965-66 season they had finished 5th in the Prva Liga under manager Ivan Toplak. The top scorer was Bora Kostić with 14 league goals.
This season the manager was Miljan Miljanić. The main new signings were: goalkeeper Dragomir Racic, midfielder Mirko Dakic plus forwards Vojin Lazarevic and Dorde Milic.
Today's tournament was the 27th edition and involved 4 Italian teams (Lazio, Milan, Cagliari and Fiorentina), 3 from Austria (First Vienna FC, Austria Vienna and Wacker Innsbruck), 3 from Czechoslovakia (Spartak Trnava, Slavia Prague and Slovan Bratislava), 3 from Hungary (Budapest Honvéd, Újpesti Dózsa and Tatabánya) and 3 from Yugoslavia (Red Star Belgrade, Sarajevo and Dinamo Zagreb).
The match: Wednesday, November 9, 1966, Stadio Flaminio, Rome
A 9 pm kick off brought about 10,000 to the Flaminio.
Lazio rested defenders Piero Dotti and midfielder Rino Marchesi but fielded a strong line-up. Aldo Anzuini was making his Lazio debut.
Red Star were missing goalkeeper Ratomir Dujkovic and winger Dragan Dzajic.
The first twenty minutes were balanced. The visitors played with fluidity and precision but neither side had any major chances.
In the 25th minute Lazio appealed for a penalty when Vito D'Amato burst into the area but was visibly held back. The referee said welcome to Europe and played on.
In the 26th minute the Slavs threatened when Idilio Cei misjudged a high Jovan Acimovic cross and Diego Zanetti had to remedy near the goalline.
In the 39th minute Lazio scored. The goalkeeper Dragomir Racic let the ball slip away and Romano Bagatti shot and, with the help of a slight Aleksandar Markovic deflection, found the net, 1-0.
Lazio were galvanised and almost scored three more times before halftime but Paolo Carosi, D'Amato and Juan Carlos Morrone efforts were all just off target.
Lazio deservedly led 1-0 at the break.
In the second half Lazio bossed the game without running any particular risks.
The Biancocelesti doubled the score in the 70th minute. A lovely ball by Can Bartu found Morrone who crossed into the middle where Bagatti volleyed past Racic, 2-0.
The Yugoslavs were then unlucky as they lost defender Zivorad Jeftic due to a muscular problem. Lazio who were already on top now had it even easier.
In the 76th minute they made it three. It was Bagatti again who shot and Racic was unable to hold onto it, 3-0.
Lazio then probably could have gone for more but they seemed to decide to administer the result.
A comforting lead to take to the Rajko Mitić stadium also known as the Marakàna in three weeks time.
Who played for Lazio
Manager: Neri
Who played for Red Star Belgrade
Racic, Karapandzic, Jeftic, Melic, Markovic, Bekic, Klenkovski, Acimovic, Lazarevic, Mihajlovic, Milosevic
Manager: Miljanic
Referee: Fiala (Czechoslovakia)
Goals: 39' Markovic (og), 70' Bagatti, 76' Bagatti
What happened next
In the return game Lazio lost 1-2 in freezing conditions and managed to qualify. It was a tough game as the 17-1 corners to the hosts testify.
Lazio went through to the last 8 with Fiorentina, Austria Vienna, Tatabánya, Újpesti Dózsa, Dinamo Zagreb, Sarajevo and Sparak Trnava who would be Lazio's next opponents in March.
Lazio then played Czechs Spartak Trnava in the quarter-finals and lost 1-2 on aggregate.
In Serie A Lazio ended up relegated by one point. They won 5 more games (including Inter 1-0 at home), drew 13, lost 9 and finished 15th on 27 points. The return derby ended 0-0 and the Biancocelesti only scored 20 goals all season. Top scorers were Romano Bagatti and Juan Carlos Morrone with 4 league goals each.
In the Coppa Italia Lazio then crashed out to Lecco 0-2 at home.
An awful season and the next would not be much better.
The Scudetto was won by Juventus for the 13th time while Lazio went down to Serie B with Foggia, Venezia and Lecco.
Red Star Belgrade finished 5th in the Prva savezna liga. They won 12, drew 8 and lost 10. Their top scorer was Vojin Lazarecić with 15 league goals while Dragan Džajić got 13. The Yugoslav champions were Sarajevo for the first time in their history.
Red Star Belgrade then won 12 more league titles, 6 Cups and 2 Super Cups before the civil war tore up Yugoslavia. They then won the Serbia and Montenegro league 5 times and the Cup 9 and since 2006 have won the Serbian league 12 times plus 9 Cups. In 1991 they won the European Cup (Marseille on penalties) and the Intercontinental Cup (Colo-Colo from Chile 3-0).
The 1966-67 Mitropa Cup was eventually won by Spartak Trnava from Czechoslovakia (Újpesti Dózsa 5-4 on aggregate) while Red Star Belgrade won it in 1967-68 (Sparta Trnava 4-2 on aggregate).
Lazio would play Red Star Belgrade again in the UEFA Cup 2nd round in 2002-03 with Lazio prevailing 1-0 on aggregate.
Let's talk about: A brief history of Red Star Belgrade
Fudbalski Klub Crvena zvezda were founded in February 1945 by a group of University students. The club carried on from where the deceased SK Jugoslavija left off. They inherited the stadium, players, colours and logo to which they added a red star. The players of BSK Belgrade also joined the club which on March 4, 1945, took on the name Red Star.
They are a multi-sports club with football, basketball, waterpolo and handball as their main activities.
Early years
Red Star won their first trophy in 1948 when they lifted the Yugoslavian Cup defeating rivals Partizan Belgrade 3-0 in the final. Their first league title came in 1951. In the 1950s they won 6 league titles and 3 cups. In 1956-57 they reached the semi-finals of the first ever European Cup. In 1958 they won their first International trophy, the Mitropa Cup.
Later years
The early 1960s were disappointing domestically but better in Europe as in 1961-62 they reached the semi-finals of the Fairs Cup (eliminating Feyenoord) and in 1962-63 the quarter-finals (eliminating Barcelona).
In 1963 their new stadium, the Rajko Mitić was inaugurated. Red Star immediately won the double in their new Marakàna fortress.
From the late 1960s Red Star continued to dominate Yugoslavian football. Under the guidance of former player Miljan Miljanić they won 4 league titles and 3 cups between 1966 and 1974. In 1968 they won the Mitropa Cup again. In 1970-71 they reached the European Cup semi-finals and were eliminated on away goals by Panathīnaikos. In 1973-74 they eliminated Liverpool (winning at Anfield) and reached the quarter-finals. In 1974-75 they reached the semi-finals of the Cup Winners Cup defeating Real Madrid on the way.
From 1974 to 1986 Red Star won another 4 league titles and 2 cups. In 1978-79 they reached the UEFA Cup final but lost to Borussia Monchengladbach. They also reached the semi-finals of the European Cup twice (1980-81, 1981-82)
The Golden years
Between 1987 and 1992 the club had some of its finest moments. Red Star won 4 more league titles, a cup and in 1991 the biggest prize of all, the European Cup. They eliminated Grasshopper 5-2, Rangers 4-1, Dynamo Dresden 6-0, Bayern Munich 4-3 and then Olympique Marseille in the final 5-3 on penalties in Bari. In the same year they went on to win the Intercontinental Cup defeating Chileans Colo-Colo 3-0 in Tokyo.
The Balkan War and barren years
After the European Cup triumph many of the players left and then the situation in Yugoslavia degenerated into an internal war. The Yugoslavian state disbanded and the clubs were banned from Europe so more players left.
In this period (1992-2000) Red Star only won one league title (1994-95) but won five domestic cups. The tournament in these years was the Bosnian-Serb league.
Modern day
In 2006 the Serb league was established and Red Star have won 12 more Serbian league titles and 9 domestic cups. In the 2021-21 double season they set a record of 108 points (35 wins and 3 draws). In 2025-26 they won their most recent double.
In 2001-02 they were let back into Europe. They have struggled to be competitive but in 2018-19 reached the Champions League group stage where they were eliminated but managed a famous 2-0 home win against Liverpool.
Round up
Red Star are the most successful former Yugoslavian club and now Serbian. They have won 35 league titles (between Yugoslavia, Serbia/ Montenegro and Serbia) and 29 domestic cups. They are the only former Yugoslsvian club to have won the European Cup. They are current league and cup holders.
Players
Red Star have had many great players in different periods.
In the 1950's players who stood out were: Branko Stanković, Vladica Popović, Rajko Mitić, Bora Kostić, Vladimir Beara and Dragoslav Šekularac (50s and 60s).
In the 1960s above all Dragan Džajić but also Vladimir Durković Ratomir Dujković, Milovan Dorić, Kiril Dojčinovski, Stanislav Karasi, Jovan Ačimovic, Vojin Lazarević, Petar Krivokuća, Stevan Ostojić and Branko Klenkovski.
In the 1970s Vladimir and Ognjen Petrović, Vladislav Bogićević, Zoran Filipović, Slobodan Janković, Dušan Savić and Mihalj Keri.
In the 1980s Tomislav Ivković, Marko Elsner, Boško and Milko Durovski, Husref Musemić, Dorde Milovanović, Rajko Janjanin, Mitad Mrkela, Dragan Stojković and Borislav Cvetković.
In the early 1990s came the golden generation. The squad that won the 1991 European Cup are called the "Sixth Star". They include goalkeeper Stevan Stojanović, defenders Slobodan Marović, Ilija Najdoski, Miodrag Belodedici and Duško Radinovic, midfielders Vladimir Jugović, Sinisa Mihajlović, Robert Prosinečki, Dejan Savićević and Vlada Stošić, forwards Vladan Lukić and Darko Pančev.
The 1990's also produced goalkeeper Dragoslav Jevric, defenders Goran Bunjevcevic and Mivoje Vitakic, midfielders Dejan Stankovic, Milenko Acimovic, Ilija Ivic and Miodrag Pantelic and forwards Perica Ognjenovic, Goran Drulic and Mihalo Pjanovic.
Some of these went on to play for top clubs in Europe. Dejan Stankovic of course won plenty of silverware with both Lazio and Inter.
In the last twenty years or so the most prominent players have been goalkeeper Milan Borjan, defender Nemanja Vidic, midfielders Aleksandar Katai, Mirko Ivanić, Marko Marin and striker Nikola Žigić.
The top player for appearances is Dragan Džajic with 389. He is followed by Bora Kostić 341, Vladimir Petrović 332, Jovan Aćimović 318, Bosko Gurovski 299, Rajko Mitić 294, Vladica Popović 291, Milos Šestić 277, Ratomir Dujković 266 and Miroslav Pavlović 264.
The top 10 goal scorers are: Bora Kostić 230, Dragan Džajić 155, Dušan Savić 149, Zoran Filipović 138, Kosta Tomašević 137, Vojin Lazarević 134, Darko Pančev 116, Rajko Mitić 109, Mihajlo Pjanović 92 and Antun Rudinski 79.
Only 5 players have received the individual award of Star of Red Star. They are:
Vladimir "Pižon" Petrović (1972-82)
Rajko Mitić (1945-58)
Dragan Ďzajić (1963-75, 1977-78)
Dragan Stojkovic (1986-90)
Dragoslav Sekularac (1954-66)
Managers
The first manager was Svetozar Glišović (1946-48). Important and successful managers include: Miljan Miljanic (1966-74), Velibor Vasović (1986-88), Branko Stanković (1988-89), Ljupko Petrović (1990-91, with European Cup).
Other well-known managers include: Walter Zenga (2005-06), Zdenĕk Zeman (2008), Robert Prosinečki (2011-12) and Dejan Stankovic (2019-22, 2025-26).
The current manager is Spaniard Albert Riera.
Colours and names
Red Stars colours have always been red and white. The classic shirts are with thick red and white vertical stripes. Their nicknames are Zvezda (Star) and Crveno-beli (Red and whites)
Playing fields and Stadiums
Their current stadium was built between 1960 and 1963. It was officially called the Stadion Crvena zvezda. It is known as the Marakàna due to its original capacity. In the 1970s it was capable of holding 110,000 spectators.
In 2014 it was renamed the Rajko Mitić stadium.
Rajko Mitić "Zvezdine zvezde" (The Red Star Belgrade Star) was their first captain. He played 294 games, scored 109 goals between 1946-58 and won 5 league titles and 5 cups. He earned 59 caps for Yugoslavia with 32 goals (2 Olympic silver medals). He was later Yugoslavia manager from 1966 to 1970 (runner-up in Euro 1968).
In 1973 it hosted the European Cup Final (Ajax-Juventus 1-0) and in 1979 the UEFA Cup Final first leg (Red Star-Borussia M'Gladbach 1-1).
Today it has a capacity of 51,755 but is still impressive and known to generate an intimidating atmosphere when full.
Fans
Red Star are the Serbian club with the most fans. Their supporters are called "delije" (Bold young men).
Their biggest rivals are obviously Partizan Belgrade against whom they play the "Eternal Derby". The two grounds are actually quite close.
Other fans with whom there is bad blood are Dinamo Zagreb and Hajduk Split, both from Croatia.
Head to head with Lazio
Lazio have played four times with Red Star Belgrade: in the Round of 16 of the Mitropa Cup in 1966 they won 3-0 at home and lost 2-1 away, and again in 2002 in the second round of the UEFA Cup (1-0 at the Olimpico and 1-1 away).
Red Star
An iconic club with passionate fans, a great stadium and a glorious past.
Sources
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