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Writer's pictureDag Jenkins

October 31, 2002: Lazio Red Star Belgrade 1-0, UEFA Cup Second Round

Updated: Nov 19

One goal lead for the Marakàna


Fiore gives Lazio decent result but will it be enough in Belgrade hell hole?




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The season so far


This was Lazio's first season without homegrown and possibly best defender in the world Alessandro Nesta. Due to financial difficulties Lazio had been forced to sell their captain to Milan. To make matters worse Milan and Juventus had secretly agreed to keep their bids low, so Lazio were also forced to sell Hernán Crespo to Inter.

 

Fortunately, Lazio had a new manager. The disappointing Alberto Zaccheroni had been replaced by former player and scudetto winner Roberto Mancini.

 

Mancini found quite a different squad from the one he had left as a player only two years earlier. No more Pavel Nedved, Juan Sebastian Veron, Marcelo Salas, Alen Boksic and obviously Nesta.

 

From the previous season Lazio had also let go of midfielders Ivan de la Peña (Espanyol), Gaizka Mendieta (Barcelona - loan) and Karel Poborský (Sparta Prague).

 

Joining Mancini’s Lazio were defender Massimo Oddo (Verona), forwards Enrico Chiesa (Fiorentina) and Bernardo Corradi (Inter). In the winter session midfielder Nikola Lazetić would also be added (Como-via Chievo on loan).

 

Lazio had debuted in Serie A on September 15 but had lost 2-3 at home to Chievo Verona. It was supposed to be the second fixture but the first had been postponed to November as the Serie A clubs had not yet reached an agreement on TV contracts. Since then, the Biancocelesti had won 3 and drawn 2 (including derby 2-2 and Milan 1-1 at home). Lazio were currently 4th on 11 points.

 

In today's competition, the UEFA Cup, Lazio had got through the first round defeating Greeks Skoda Xanthi 4-0 on aggregate. Tonight's opposition Crvena Zvezda (Red Star Belgrade) were of a different level both in prestige and quality.

 

Red Star had finished 2nd in the Yugoslav league behind bitter rivals Partizan Belgrade. Red Star however won the Yugoslav Cup defeating OFK Belgrade 4-2 in the final. The manager was Slavoljub Muslin while their top scorer was Mihailo Pjanović with 11 league goals.

 

This season the manager was Zoran Filipović who Sinisa Mihajlovic knew from his Sampdoria days when, in 1997-98, Filipović was assistant coach to Vujadin Boskov. In the UEFA Cup, so far Zvezda (Star) had eliminated FC Kairat Almaty (Kazakhstan) 5-0 and Italians Chievo 2-0, a warning sign for Lazio who had lost to the Clivensi in September.

 

One interesting name in the squad was a young right full-back called Dušan Basta who many years later would play for Lazio (2014-19).


The match: Thursday, October 31, 2002, Stadio Olimpico, Rome


A small crowd for this midweek European clash on an extremely humid Roman evening, only about 15,000.

 

Lazio changed eight players compared to the recent derby. Sinisa Mihajlovic and Dejan Stankovic were on the bench and initially spared facing their beloved "Zvezda" while Jaap Stam, Beppe Favalli, César, Giuliano Giannichedda, Enrico Chiesa and Bernardo Corradi had the night off altogether.

 

In the 5th minute, after a good Christian Manfredini-Juan Pablo Sorin combination on the left, Stefano Fiore was anticipated at the last second before shooting.

 

Lazio took the initiative and after several shots were walled by the defence in the 10th minute they scored. Fabio Liverani curled in a freekick from the right towards the front post where Stefano Fiore was the quickest to latch onto it and score with a low right footed volley. Lazio 1 Red Star Belgrade 0.

 

The Serbs had their first half chance after twenty minutes but a Kovacevic shot was walled after a rapid counterattack.

 

The game was balanced, Lazio had a double chance with Massimo Oddo and just before half time Mrjda blasted over the bar after a prolonged attack by the visitors. Halftime Lazio 1 Red Star Belgrade 0.

 

The Serbs started on the front foot in the first minutes of the second half, Boskovic had a long-range shot go wide and then Vidic had a header cleared off the line by Lucas Castroman.

 

In the 48th minute a Fernando Couto header went wide from a Liverani freekick from the edge of the box. A minute later Inzaghi was unable to get any power on a shot which landed safely in the keeper's arms.

 

In the 50th minute Mrjda charged down the right and crossed to Boskovic who rose high but, disturbed by Castroman, could not get his header on target.

 

In the 52nd minute Fiore had a powerful effort but it was too central.

 

The first substitution then came as Diego Simeone replaced Liverani. The Argentine had been out for three weeks after a meniscus operation.

 

In the 54th minute a huge chance for Lazio, Liverani floated in a freekick which was headed on by Sorin to Couto whose acrobatic close range left footed volley went wide. An "almost" goal of the season.

 

In the 58th minute Mrjda again charged off on the break but was contained well by Paolo Negro so by the time he shot he was too near the by-line and Angelo Peruzzi saved comfortably.

 

In the 59th minute Claudio Lopez came on for Manfredini and in the 61st for the visitors Bogavac replaced Mrjda.

 

The game went a bit quiet but the Slavs forced a series of corners on one of which in the 70th minute a Peruzzi hesitation on a high cross caused a fair bit of apprehension around the goal line.

 

In the 74th minute on the break Lopez hoofed a high ball into the area to Inzaghi who did well to bring it down but then his finish was not of the same quality and sailed well over the bar.

 

In the 76th minute Fiore, fed by Sorin, had another blast at goal but again his shot had power but was not angled enough.

 

In the 78th minute an excellent long range shot by Gvodzenovic was not far off the right top hand corner.

 

In the 79th minute "Zvezda" made their third and last change bringing on Krivokapic for Kovacevic (no relation to the future Lazio player).

 

In the 84th minute tempers flared between several players including Couto for some harsh tackles, but the situation fortunately defused quickly. In the 85th minute Simeone had a half-hearted attempt from the long range and a minute later Lazio brought on a defender Beppe Pancaro for midfielder Fiore. A 1-0 home win was after all still a good result in those days before the away goals rule was scrapped.

 

In the 89th minute Bogavac did well on the left wing, weaving past a couple of defenders and then squared an intelligent ball back across to the edge of the area where Markovic wasted his teammate's skills by slicing it wide.

 

In injury time the "Crveno-beli" (Red and Whites) pushed forward and in the 91st minute Mladenovic chipped a ball into the centre of the area where Pjanovic' diving header was outdone by a Peruzzi "beach mode" save as he sprung high to his left and caught the ball.

 

Lazio too had another chance to take a more reassuring lead to Belgrade, but in the 93rd minute Simone Inzaghi confirmed it was not his night when he headed a Lopez cross over the bar from a favourable position. Final score Lazio 1 Red Star Belgrade 0.

 

A decent result for Lazio especially with a heavily weakened side but it would not be easy at the Rajko Mitić stadium, the infamous "Marakàna", in two weeks' time in front of 60,000 fans.

 

Who played for Lazio


Manager: Mancini

 

Who played for Red Star Belgrade


Radjenovic, Dudic, Vidic, Lalatovic, Markovic, Gvozdenovic, Mladenovic, Kovacevic (79' Krivokapic), Boskovic, Mrdja (61' Bogavac), Pjanovic

Substitutes: Stojkovic, Lukovic, Milovanovic, Bogdanovic, Jankovic

Manager: Filipovic

 

Referee: Tokat (TUR)


Goal: 10' Fiore



What happened next


The Biancocelesti reached the semi-finals of the UEFA Cup. In the return leg Lazio drew 1-1 in Belgrade (70' Boskovic, 77' Chiesa). The Biancocelesti then eliminated Sturm Graz 3-2, Legia Warsaw 5-4 and Beşiktaş 3-1 but were ultimately defeated by eventual winners Mourinho’s Porto 1-4 on aggregate. Lazio also reached the semi-final of Coppa Italia but were defeated by Roma 1-3 on aggregate. Top scorer was Claudio López with 17 goals (15 in league) while Bernardo Corradi got 10 league goals.

 

Despite the trauma of losing their captain Lazio had a good season in Serie A too. At one stage in December, they were even top of the table. They played excellent, entertaining football and finished 4th (Champions League preliminary qualification, then won against Benfica). The highlight was beating Juventus 2-1 away while both derbies were draws.

 

Red Star Belgrade went out of the UEFA Cup and finished 2nd in the last ever Yugoslav league. Due to the war and disintegration of Yugoslavia from the following year they competed in the Serbian and Montenegrin league and from 2006 just in the Serbian.


Lazio 2002-03

Competition

Played

Won

Drawn

Lost

Goals scored

Serie A

34

15

15

4

57

Coppa Italia

6

3

1

2

7

UEFA Cup

12

6

4

2

18

Total

52

24

20

8

82

Top five appearances

Player

Total

Serie A

Coppa Italia

UEFA Cup

Lopez

47

34

4

9

Fiore

46

33

5

8

Stankovic

38

29

2

7

Cesar

36

26

1

9

Corradi

36

32

4

-

Peruzzi

36

30

-

6

Top Five Goal Scorers

Player

Total

Serie A

Coppa Italia

UEFA Cup

Lopez

17

15

-

2

Corradi

10

10

-

-

Fiore

9

6

1

2

S. Inzaghi

9

4

1

4

Simeone

7

7

-

-

Chiesa

7

2

1

4

Let’s talk about: Stefano Fiore


Stefano Fiore was part of that great generation of Italian players who dominated the 1990s and 2000s such as Alessandro Nesta, Alessandro Del Piero and Fabio Cannavaro.

 

Born in Cosenza on April 17, 1975, he began his football career in the youth teams of Cosenza and in 1994-95 he signed for Parma where he won the UEFA Cup. In 1995-96 he was loaned to Padova and the following year to Chievo Verona. He returned to Parma in 1997-98 and the next year he won the Coppa Italia and a second UEFA Cup. In 1999 he signed for Udinese and in that season, he earned his first cap with the Nazionale and was part of the squad that came second in Euro 2000 (where he played all the games and even scored a goal against Belgium). In the summer of 2000 Lazio signed both him and Giuliano Giannichedda but left them for another year on loan at Udinese.

 

In 2001-02 he finally joined Lazio where he stayed for three seasons. His first year was a difficult one and he did not play as well as he had in previous years. This changed under manager Roberto Mancini and Fiore would become one the stars of a Lazio in financial difficulty yes, but strong on the pitch. He was one of the main protagonists of the 2003-04 Coppa Italia win. He scored three goals in the semi-finals against Milan and three in the double final against Juventus.

 

Lazio however had not finished paying for Gaizka Mendieta yet so in 2004 the club sold Fiore and Bernardo Corradi to Valencia to cover the debt. With the Spanish team he won a UEFA Super Cup in 2004 and in 2005 he was loaned to Fiorentina. The following year he signed for Torino but stayed only half a season, the rest was spent at Livorno. Once he became a free agent, he signed with Mantova in Serie B. He played his last two years of professional football with hometown team Cosenza in Lega Pro.

 

He played a total of 588 professional games (321 in A) with 86 goals (48 in A). He was a modern midfielder. He started off playing centrally but then played mainly on the right. He was a skilful player and could use both feet effectively. He possessed an excellent cross from the by-line and had good long range shooting skills.

 

With Lazio he played 133 games (95 in Serie A, 14 in Coppa Italia, 16 in Champions League and 8 in the UEFA Cup) and scored 30 goals (17 in Serie A, 7 in Coppa Italia, 4 in Champions League and 2 in the UEFA Cup).

 

He played 38 times for Italy and scored two goals (Belgium in 2000 Euros and Argentina in a friendly in 2001). He participated in both Euro 2000 (Silver medallist) and Euro 2004.

 

When he stopped football, he became sporting director for Cosenza. He also did some punditry for Mediaset TV channels. He then began to collaborate with former teammate Massimo Oddo first at Perugia in 2019, then at Pescara and SPAL.

 

He will forever be remembered by Lazio fans for the wonderful win in Coppa Italia that marked the end of an era.


Lazio Career

Season

Total appearances (goals)

Serie A

Coppa Italia

Champions League

UEFA Cup

2001-02

40 (5)

30 (3)

2

8 (2)

-

2002-03

46 (9)

33 (6)

5 (1)

-

8 (2)

2003-04

47 (16)

32 (8)

7 (6)

8 (2)

-

Total

133 (30)

95 (17)

14 (7)

16 (4)

8 (2)


Sources



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