October 24, 1999: Lazio Lecce 4-2
A six-minute turnaround
Lazio came from behind to beat Lecce 4-2 at the Olimpico, scoring three times in six extraordinary minutes before surviving a spirited second-half fightback from the visitors
The season so far
In the previous season Lazio had gone agonisingly close to winning the scudetto. With eight games to the end of the season they were leading with five points over Fiorentina and seven over Milan. But a single point in the next three games reduced the cushion over Milan to just one point.
Lazio then won three consecutive games but so did Milan. In the penultimate match in Florence, the Biancocelesti were held to a draw and denied a clear penalty by a distracted referee. Milan won, overtook them, and maintained the lead in the last game.
In the summer transfer window, Lazio surprisingly sold their centre forward Christian Vieri to Inter in exchange for 90 billion lire (45 million euros) plus Diego Simeone. Other signings were Juan Sebastian Veron and Nestor Sensini from Parma, Simone Inzaghi from Piacenza and Kenneth Andersson from Bologna.
The 1999-00 season opened with the victory against the mighty Manchester United in Monte Carlo for the UEFA Super Cup with a Marcelo Salas goal. Another European triumph after having won the final Cup Winners Cup the previous year in Birmingham against Real Mallorca.
In the Champions League Lazio were drawn with Bayer Leverkusen, Dynamo Kiev and NK Maribor. After drawing the first game with the Germans they had won three and needed just a point to go through as first in their group.
In Serie A Lazio were currently top with a point lead over Inter and Juventus. The had won 4 and drawn 2.
The match: Sunday, October 24, 1999, Stadio Olimpico, Rome
Lazio remained at the top of Serie A after a thrilling 4-2 victory over Lecce at the Olimpico, but the scoreline did little justice to an afternoon that was far more complicated than the final result suggested.
Sven-Goran Eriksson had made several changes following the midweek Champions League trip to Maribor. Pavel Nedved was left in the stands because of the foreign-player restrictions, while Sergio Conceição started on the bench. Most significantly, Lazio had to cope with the absence of Alessandro Nesta, leaving Nestor Sensini and Sinisa Mihajlovic together at the heart of the defence. It was a combination that would struggle badly against the pace and movement of Cristiano Lucarelli and David Sesa.
Lecce showed from the start that they had no intention of simply defending. Alberto Cavasin's side played without fear and took the lead after 16 minutes. Sesa's effort was intercepted by Lucarelli, who found himself in front of Luca Marchegiani and made no mistake.
The goal finally woke Lazio up. The reaction was immediate and powerful, and within six minutes the Biancocelesti had completely turned the game around.
In the 26th minute Mihajlovic sent over one of his trademark corners and Beppe Pancaro rose above the Lecce defence to head Lazio level. Four minutes later the home side were ahead. Marcelo Salas' cross was not dealt with by Massimo Lotti and Dejan Stankovic reacted quickest to the loose ball, firing it into the net.
The young Serbian was not finished. Two minutes later Alen Boksic finally found some space on the left and delivered a cross towards the far post. Stankovic arrived at exactly the right moment to head his second goal and make it 3-1. In the space of six extraordinary minutes, Lazio had transformed 0-1 into 3-1.
But Lecce immediately reminded Lazio that the match was far from over.
Just a minute after Stankovic's second, Lucarelli reduced the deficit. His shot took a decisive deflection off Paolo Negro and left Marchegiani helpless.
The second half became increasingly uncomfortable for Lazio. Lucarelli in particular remained a constant menace, and in the 57th minute he came desperately close to an equaliser. He raced through with only Marchegiani to beat, but Mihajlovic produced a remarkable last-ditch recovery to get back and prevent the striker from finishing.
Lucarelli's frustration boiled over soon afterwards. After another confrontation with Sensini, he was eventually substituted, visibly furious at Cavasin's decision. The Lecce forward had scored twice and had caused Lazio's defence problems throughout the afternoon.
Eriksson was equally concerned about the direction of the game. He withdrew the increasingly ineffective Boksic and introduced Conceição, effectively adding another midfielder and leaving Salas as the lone striker. It was a pragmatic decision: Lazio were no longer trying to overwhelm Lecce but simply to survive their pressure.
There were weaknesses elsewhere, too. Negro was replaced by Beppe Favalli at half-time, while neither Juan Sebastian Verón, Diego Simeone nor Matias Almeyda were able to impose themselves as they normally might. The absence of Nesta was particularly noticeable, with Sensini and Mihajlovic looking uncomfortable against Lecce's mobile attack.
Lecce continued to threaten, but Lazio finally found the breathing space they needed deep into stoppage time.
Verón produced the decisive moment, breaking forward and supplying a superb assist for Simone Inzaghi. The substitute kept his composure and finished past Lotti to make it 4-2 and finally extinguish Lecce's hopes of an unlikely comeback.
This victory was Lazio's fifth in their first seven league matches and kept them alone at the top of the table, three points clear of Juventus.
Who played for Lazio
Marchegiani, Negro (49' Favalli), Sensini, Mihajlovic, Pancaro, Stankovic, Almeyda, Simeone, Veron, Boksic (65' Conceição), Salas (82' S.Inzaghi)
Manager: Eriksson
Who played for Lecce
Lotti, Juarez, Viali, Savino, Balleri, Conticchio (75' Bonomi), Lima, Piangerelli, Colonnello, Sesa (70' Biliotti), Lucarelli (61' Marino)
Substitutes: Aiardi, Traversa, Di Carlo, Pivotto
Manager: Cavasin
Referee: Cesari
Goals: 16' Lucarelli, 26' Pancaro, 30' Stankovic, 32' Stankovic, 33' Lucarelli, 93' S.Inzaghi
What happened next
Lazio won their Champions League group and in the second group phase were paired with Chelsea, Olympique Marseille and Feyenoord.
After beating the French in the first game, qualification for the quarterfinal of Champions League was put in peril by only getting one point against the Dutch, after beating the French twice.
In the final game against Chelsea, after having drawn at home, Lazio had to win at Stamford Bridge to clinch the qualification in first place (the top two teams went through) as a bonus, so they could avoid having to play the quarter final against Barcelona, Manchester United or Bayern. They managed to do so, coming from behind in a spectacular game.
In the quarterfinals Lazio played against Valencia. Everybody thought that it would be an easy match, but Lazio collapsed in Spain. Without Luca Marchegiani and Alessandro Nesta, Lazio went 2-0 down after 4 minutes, re-opened the game thanks to an Inzaghi goal half way through the first half, but Valencia netted another two goals and with ten minutes to the end were leading 4-1.
Salas scored in the dying minutes to give Lazio a chance of qualification but another defensive blunder with just a few seconds to go, gave Valencia a three-goal lead. Fans were hopeful Lazio could recover at the Olimpico, but the Biancocelesti only scored one goal with Veron and went out of the Champions League. A real pity.
In the Round of 16 of Coppa Italia Lazio eliminated Ravenna 5-2 on aggregate. The quarter finals were much more difficult as Lazio had to face Juventus.
At the end of the first half in Turin the Biancocelesti were losing 3-0 and were virtually out of the competition. But in the second half first a penalty scored by Fabrizio Ravanelli and then a goal by Roberto Mancini with ten minutes to go re-opened the contest.
In the return match at the Olimpico Lazio scored in the second half with Boksic. Alessandro Del Piero equalised but Diego Simeone put Lazio ahead in the 81st minute and the Biancocelesti were able to hold onto the precious victory.
Whereas on the one side there were two big clashes in the quarter finals (Lazio vs Juve and the Milanese derby), the other two games should have been more one-sided: Cagliari-Roma and Fiorentina-Venezia. But the islanders eliminated the Giallorossi and an away goal by Venezia gave them a historic semi-final against Lazio.
In the first leg, Lazio destroyed Venezia 5-0 with doubles from Mancini and Mihajlovic (with two penalties) plus a Ravanelli goal. Silver Fox had also missed a penalty. The return was just a formality and Lazio drew 2-2 with an Inzaghi double.
Inter brushed off Cagliari and so met Lazio in the final. The first leg was in Rome on April 12. Inter scored immediately with Clarence Seedorf but Lazio managed to equalise with Pavel Nedved at the end of the first half. In the beginning of the second, Simeone put Lazio ahead so Marcelo Lippi put Ronaldo on the pitch, his first game in five months. Five minutes later the Brazilian broke his patellar tendon. The scene was dramatic and very sad. The game basically ended there.
In the campionato a trio of teams (Lazio, Roma and Juve) led the Serie A for a few matches until Lazio sprinted off in the 14th. It did not last long. A loss on a frozen Venice evening on January 5 gave Juventus the lead again. Roma had fallen behind. Lazio regained the top of the table after beating Bologna in the Centenary game, but two goalless draws in the next two games gave Juve a three-point lead.
By the 26th game the deficit increased to nine points and it looked as if it was all over for the scudetto. But on March 25 Lazio won the derby and Juve lost at Milan. The Biancocelesti were at -6 but the next match was in Turin against Juventus.
Thanks to a goal from Diego Simeone, the Juventus lead was reduced to three points. However, Florence looked as if it would be fatal again as Lazio drew 3-3 and Juventus won in Milan against Inter.
There were four games to go. Everybody thought it was all over but manager Sven Goran Eriksson tried to get the team to believe in the impossible. In the 32nd game of the season Lazio beat Venezia and Juventus lost at Verona. Two games to go, two points difference. Lazio beat Bologna away and Juventus were winning 1-0 against Parma. Towards the end of the match there was a corner for Parma. Mario Amoroso crossed and Fabio Cannavaro equalised but the referee inexplicably disallowed it.
This was the talking point in Italy for the entire week. Juve had already won a controversial scudetto a couple of years back when a clear penalty on Ronaldo was not given to Inter in Turin. So there was massive media pressure on the last two games of the season: Lazio-Reggina and Perugia-Juventus.
Perugia President Luciano Gaucci, ashamed of the lack of fighting spirit his team had shown against Milan in the last game of the previous season, stated that it would not be a walkover for Juventus. Lazio fans hoped in a draw and then to go to a playoff.
And this is what was happening at the end of the first half. Lazio were winning 2-0 and it was still goalless in Perugia. But a massive storm had erupted over the Umbrian capital and the pitch was waterlogged. Referee Pierluigi Collina tried a number of times to see if the ball would bounce on the waterlogged pitch, but no.
There was a problem.
If the game had been abandoned they would have to start from scratch the next day. With what had happened in the previous match when Cannavaro’s goal was disallowed for no reason at all, the Italian referee felt that the repetition of the game would have been unfair. So he insisted.
When they were about to give up, the rain stopped. The pitch was not in ideal condition, but playable. The second half could recommence, an hour later than it should have. In the 50th minute Alessandro Calori scored for Perugia. Juve did not manage to equalise and Lazio won their second scudetto.
Still smelling of champagne and without any training whatsoever since the Sunday match, Lazio faced Inter for the second leg of the Coppa Italia final. There were chances for both sides, particularly for Inter in the dying seconds of the match, when Alvaro Recoba hit the woodwork, but the game was goalless and the Biancocelesti won the double.
An amazing season.
A brief history of US Lecce
On March 15, 1908, Sporting Club Lecce was founded, active in athletics, cycling, and football. The club's first president, during that year, was Francesco Marangi. The club participated mainly at regional events and lasted until 1923 when all activity was stopped.
The fascist regime wanted to reform and reorganise Italian football, reducing the number of teams, merging them together to form stronger ones. They accomplished this through a document, the Viareggio Charter. One issue which the Viareggio Charter also took care of was the fact that a) there was the need to have stronger Central South clubs in a League where the Northern clubs dominated and b) the need to merge clubs in financial difficulty to make them more solid and with a multi-sport outreach, thus embracing the fascist values.
As a consequence on September 16, 1927, US Lecce was founded from the merger of FBC Juventus and Gladiator with Luigi Lopez y Rojo as its first president, taking the heritage from Sporting Club. The new club initially adopted black and white as its colours, which gave way to yellow and red in 1929, when they earned promotion to Serie B for the first time in their history. The symbol is a she-wolf under a holm oak tree, which is the emblem of the city of Lecce.
It achieved its first historic promotion to Serie A in 1985 under the guidance of manager Eugenio Fascetti. During this golden era, the team featured legendary world-class Uruguayan players like Waldemar Victorino and Pedro Pasculli, the latter becoming a fan idol and a World Cup champion while playing for the Salento club.
One of the highlights of the club, at least from a Lazio fan point of view, must be considered the historic win against Roma, on April 20, 1986. The giallorossi supporters were already celebrating, convinced that Roma would make short work of Lecce, who had already been relegated and had lost 13 of their previous 14 away games, drawing the other.
Roma took the lead after only a few minutes and everything seemed to be going according to plan. But Lecce fought back, equalised and then scored twice more. Roma lost 3-2 and lost the scudetto.
Over the years, Lecce earned the nickname "I Giallorossi" (The Yellow and Reds) and became famous for being a "yo-yo club," frequently bouncing between Serie A and Serie B. Despite these fluctuations, the club gained a reputation for discovering incredible young talents and launching them into stardom. World-renowned players such as Valeri Bojinov, Mirko Vučinić, Javier Chevantón, and Luis Muriel all made their names brilliant while wearing the Lecce jersey.
Top Lecce appearances all time
Michele Lorusso 418
Carmelo Miceli 331
Guillermo Giacomazzi 330
Ruggiero Cannito 280
Pedro Pablo Pasculli 249
Top five scorers
Anselmo Bislenghi 87
Franco Cardinali 67
Pietro De Santis 57
Javier Chevantón 59
Pedro Pablo Pasculli 61
The 10 greatest Lecce players of all time
1. Javier Chevantón Forward – Lecce 2001-2004; 2010-2011; 2012-2013
2. Pedro Pablo Pasculli Forward – Lecce 1985-1992
3. Mirko Vučinić Forward – Lecce 2000-2006
4. Guillermo Giacomazzi Midfielder – Lecce 2001-2013
5. Luis Muriel Forward/attacking midfielder – Lecce 2011-2012
6. Juan Cuadrado Winger/wing-back/full back – Lecce 2011-2012
7. Valeri Bojinov Striker – Lecce 2002-2005; 2012
8. Cristiano Lucarelli Forward – Lecce 1999-2001
9. Antonio Conte Midfielder – Lecce 1985-1991
10. Fabrizio Miccoli Forward – Lecce 2013-2015
Lazio-Lecce connections
There are quite a few who have played for both Lazio and Lecce, namely:
Christian Ledesma: Lecce 2001-2006, Lazio 2006-2015; Massimo Oddo: Lazio 2002-2007, Lecce 2011-2012; Sebastiano Siviglia: Lecce 2003-2004, Lazio 2004-2010; Guglielmo Stendardo: Lazio 2005-2008, Lecce 2008-2009, and Lazio again 2009-2012.
But the connections do not end with the players, even among the managers there are some famous figures who coached both clubs, such as Pietro Piselli: Lazio 1929-1930, Lecce 1930-1931; Cesare Migliorini: Lazio 1930-1931, Lecce 1949-1950; Eugenio Fascetti: Lecce 1983-1986, Lazio 1986-1988; Zdenek Zeman: Lazio 1994-1997, Lecce 2004-2005 e 2006; Giuseppe Papadopulo: Lazio 2004-2005, Lecce 2006-2008; Delio Rossi: Lecce 2002-2004, Lazio 2005-2009; Edy Reja: Lecce 1994-1995, Lazio 2010-2012 e 2014; Marco Baroni: Lecce 2021-2023, Lazio 2024-2025.
The Stadium
Lecce Stadium is the Via del Mare, officially inaugurated in 1966 to replace the old Stadio Carlo Pranzo, making its debut with a friendly match between Lecce and Spartak Moscow. Located near the coast, from which it takes its name, the stadium underwent a major renovation in 1985 following Lecce's historic first promotion to Serie A.
In 1987, the Via del Mare stadium hosted two official Milan matches, coached by Arrigo Sacchi, both with a sell-out crowd. The first was on September 30th against Sporting Gijón for the return leg of the UEFA Cup round of 64 (which ended 3-0 for the Rossoneri), and the second was on October 21st against Espanyol for the first leg of the round of 32 in the same tournament (a 2-0 win for the Spanish side). The matches were played in Lecce due to the unavailability of San Siro, which had been banned by UEFA following the crowd trouble during the match Milan-Waregem (1-2), the return leg of the 1985-1986 UEFA Cup round of 16.
On March 1st, 1988, the stadium in Lecce also hosted the quarter-final of the 1987-1988 European Cup Winners' Cup between Rovaniemi and Olympique Marseille. This time, the Finnish team's choice was due to the impossibility of playing in March in the freezing climate of the Arctic Circle.
Head to head with Lazio
Lazio have played Lecce a total of 49 times, 38 in Serie A, 10 in Serie B and once in Coppa Italia.
First game: November 23, 1980, Lazio Lecce 2-2
First Lazio home win: October 18, 1981, Lazio Lecce 40
First Lazio away win: December 19, 1993, Lecce Lazio 1-2
Total Lazio wins: 23 (15 home, 8 away)
Total draws: 13 (8 home, 5 away)
Total Lecce wins: 13 (2 home, 11 away)
Best win: Lazio 4-0, October 18, 1981 and January 11, 1998
Match with greater number of goals: 8 (Lecce Lazio 5-3, May 1, 2005)
Worst defeat: May 1, 2005, Lecce Lazio 5-3, and twice 2-0 (January 11, 1987 and November 1, 1987)
Last game played: January 24, 2026, Lazio Lecce 0-0
Last Lazio win away: December 21, 2024, Lecce Lazio 1-2
Last Lazio win home: November 23, 2025, Lazio Lecce 2-0
Sources
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