April 9, 2000: Lazio -Perugia 1-0
- Dag Jenkins
- 4 days ago
- 12 min read
Lazio still in the hunt
A Lombardo winner keeps Lazio in Scudetto race
Also on this day:
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 Supercup 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 (Piacenza) was added. In the summer big Swedish forward Kennet Andersson had arrived from Bologna but after the winter market session was already back in Emilia Romagna. To replace him Lazio had brought in experienced Fabrizio "Silver Fox" Ravanelli (Olympique Marseille).
Lazio had 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, 3 points behind leaders Juventus. Just two weeks earlier there had been a nine-point gap but with Juve's defeat against Milan, the same weekend Lazio beat Roma, and the consequent Lazio win in the direct clash in Turin had reduced the deficit and now the Biancocelesti were in striking distance. They had won 16, drawn 8 and lost 4. The match this afternoon was possibly a chance to catch the "Zebras" who were away to Bologna.
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 the quarter finals they had lost 3-5 on aggregate to a “high flying” Valencia only a few days earlier.
In Coppa Italia Lazio were through to the final. Lazio had eliminated Ravenna (1-1, 4-1), Juventus (2-3, 2-1) on the away goals rule and Venezia (5-0, 2-2). In the final the Biancocelesti would play Inter in the first leg at home on April 12 and the away return game on May 18.
Today however was all about the Scudetto hopes. Lazio were in striking distance and sensed Juventus were in difficulty.
Perugia had finished 14th, first under Ilario Castagner but he resigned in February and was replaced by Vujadin Boškov. They struggled all season and only avoided relegation on the last day of the season despite losing at home to Milan and hence handing the Rossoneri the title at Lazio's expense. The games against Lazio had finished 2-2 in Umbria and 3-0 to Lazio in Rome. Top scorer was Hidetoshi Nakata with 10 league goals.
This season the manager was Carlo Mazzone. The main new players were: keeper Andrea Mazzantini, defenders Mauro Milanese (Inter), Alessandro Calori (Udinese), Marco Materazzi (back from Everton), midfielders Massimiliano Esposito (Napoli), Pierpaolo Bisoli (Empoli), Ibrahim Ba (Milan - on loan), Massimiliano Cappioli (Bologna) plus forward Nicola Amoruso (Juventus - on loan). In the winter session midfielder Dmitrij Aleničecv (Roma - on loan) had also been added.
Leaving were: defenders Gianluca Colonnello (Lecce), Salvatore Matrecano (Nottingham Forest), midfielder Gianluca Petrachi (Nottingham Forest) plus forwards Cristian Bucchi (Vicenza - on loan) and Iván Kaviedes (Celta Vigo).
The Grifoni were currently in 9th place, in mid-table on 36 points (+9 on B zone). They had won 10, drawn 6 and lost 12 (including Lazio 0-2). A week earlier the Biancorossi had beaten Torino 1-0 at home.
In Coppa Italia they reached the last 16 (winning the Umbrian derby against Ternana) but then lost to Fiorentina 1-2 on aggregate.
Lazio had to win today to keep their Scudetto dream alive. Perugia were carefree and virtually safe but playing without pressure was not always a negative thing. Juventus meanwhile were away to Bologna today.
The match: Sunday, April 9, Stadio Olimpico, Rome
A mild day with light clouds saw about 45,000 spectators at the Olimpico.
Lazio had Luca Marchegiani, Beppe Favalli, Matías Almeyda and Roberto Mancini unavailable. Perugia were without Giovanni Tedesco, Hidetoshi Nakata and Ibrahim Ba.
Lazio had to win and attacked. Perugia came down to Rome with a very defensive approach and it was clear from the start it would not be easy to break them down.
Lazio pushed forward but were too frenetic and lacked the required lucidity to make the last decisive pass or decision. The game was practically played in Perugia's half.
Lazio had three dangerous freekicks, two with Sinisa Mihajlovic and one with Juan Sebastian Veron but Andrea Mazzantini saved all three as he did with another threatening long range Veron effort.
In the 29th minute the Umbri ventured outside their half and almost scored. Marco Ballotta jumped out of time and the ball reached former Lazio, Massimiliano Esposito who went for a lob but as the ball was about to go in Mihajlovic headed it away from the line.
Then it was all Lazio again. The closest the Biancocelesti came was with Marcelo Salas who hit the post. The interval came with still no breakthrough, Lazio 0 Perugia 0.
After the break Alessandro Nesta did not reappear, victim of a muscular problem, replaced by Fernando Couto.
Fortunately for Lazio they broke the deadlock early in the second half. In the 48th minute Beppe Pancaro crossed from the left, Fabrizio Ravanelli headed and it came off Marco Materazzi and fell perfectly for Attilio Lombardo who fired it home near the far post. Lazio 1 Perugia 0.
Juventus were still being held to a goalless draw in Bologna so Lazio were temporarily only one point behind the Bianconeri.
Perugia despite trailing did not really change their game plan and Lazio were able to control the game without much problem.
In the 68th minute the visitors finally showed some endeavour by putting on midfielder Dmitrij Alenichev for defender Hilário. Lazio responded by replacing goal scorer Lombardo with a more heavy-weight midfielder Diego Simeone.
The game continued with Lazio mainly keeping possession and making sure they did not run any unnecessary risks. The fans had eyes on the game and ears on the Juventus score, still 0-0.
In the 78th minute Perugia put on a proper striker Alessandro Melli for talented but today subdued Milan Rapaic and Lazio protected themselves with a solid midfielder Sergio Conceição instead of forward Ravanelli.
It was only in the last ten minutes that the Griffins gave the Eagles anything to worry about albeit without creating any huge chances. In the 82nd minute they threw on former Roma midfielder Massimiliano Cappioli for more defensive Pierpaolo Bisoli.
Perugia finally had some pressure but only had one real opportunity when Melli got a threatening header in but it was walled by Simeone.
The good news was that Lazio managed to hold onto the one goal advantage and conquer three fundamental points, final score Lazio 1 Perugia 0.
The bad news was that in the 90th minute the news came through that Darko Kovačević had scored for Juventus in Bologna. The Bianconeri then got another in the 94th with an own goal.
The table therefore remained unchanged, Juventus still +3 on Lazio with five games to go. Next up Fiorentina vs Lazio and Inter vs Juventus.
Perugia meanwhile were still 9th on 36 points but now in the company of Reggina and Verona. The Perugini still had a comforting 8-point cushion on the last relegation slot (Torino on 28).
Who played for Lazio
Ballotta, Negro, Nesta (45' F. Couto), Mihajlovic, Pancaro, Lombardo (71' Simeone), Sensini, Veron, Nedved, Salas, Ravanelli (78' Conceição)
Manager: Eriksson
Who played for Perugia
Mazzantini, Hilàrio (68' Alenichev), Rivalta, Calori, Materazzi, Milanese, M. Esposito, Bisoli (82' Cappioli), Olive, Rapaic (78' Melli), Amoruso
Substitutes: Proietti, Sogliano, Ripa, Campolo
Manager: Mazzone
Referee: Rosetti
Goal: 48' Lombardo
What happened next
A week later Lazio drew 3-3 in Florence and all seemed lost with Juventus cruising to +5, by defeating Inter 2-1. The gap remained the same the following week with Lazio defeating Piacenza 2-0 away and Juventus beating Fiorentina 1-0 at home. The next game gave Lazio new hope as Juventus surprisingly lost 0-2 in Verona while the Biancocelesti got the better of Venezia 3-2, so the gap was reduced to +2.
Lazio then won 3-2 in Bologna and Juventus beat Parma 1-0 at home but not without controversy. Towards the end of the games a huge roar came from the Lazio end in Bologna. Parma had equalised!
The joy was short-lived as the goal, as would be discovered later, was inexplicably disallowed. The defender had headed in from a corner. There was no offside, no foul, the ball had not gone out… an absolute mystery. To this day no-one understands why it was not given. Well there is theory but it has nothing to do with fair play or equal opportunities…
The table read Juventus 71 Lazio 69. There was one game to go, Juventus played Perugia away while Lazio had Reggina at home (both safe). Perugia the previous year had put up no resistance whatsoever against Milan so there was not much optimism but you never know sometimes miracles happen....
Then came the drama to end all dramas. 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 ambled to a comfortable 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 scrutinising their reactions.
At first it was rumoured the game would be shown on the scoreboard but that never materialised. In the 49th minute came the first explosion of joy and thousands invaded the pitch when Alessandro Calori (initially former Roma player Massimiliano 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 five 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.
Lazio's top scorer in the league was Marcelo Salas with 12 goals while Simone Inzaghi got 19 in all competitions.
Perugia finished 10th. They then won 2 and lost 3 but they won the important one against Juventus. Top scorer was Nicola Amoruso with 11 league goals.
With Lazio champions, at the other end Torino, Venezia, Piacenza and Cagliari slumped down to Serie B. The first three would bounce straight up again.
Let's talk about Attilio Lombardo
Attilio Lombardo was born in Santa Maria La Fossa (Caserta) on January 6, 1966. He was born in southern Italy but as a boy moved up north to Zelo Buon Persico (Lodi). He is nicknamed "Bombetta" (Bowler hat), "Popeye" and Bald Eagle.
He started his career with Pergocrema in C2. He played 38 games and scored 9 goals before moving on but staying in Lombardy.
In 1985 he joined Cremonese. He stayed four seasons in Cremona, the last ending in promotion to Serie A in June 1989. He played 168 games for the "Grigiorossi" with 21 goals.
In 1989 he changed teams and became a "Blucerchiato" at Sampdoria. In Genoa he would have a golden period. With Vujadin Boskov as manager he won the Cup Winners Cup (1990), the Scudetto (1991) and an Italian Supercoppa (1991). He played in the 1992 European Cup lost 1-0 to Barcelona at Wembley. Then under Sven-Goran Eriksson he won the Coppa Italia (1994). He was part of a formidable team including; the late Gianluca Vialli, Roberto Mancini, Pietro Vierchowod, Toninho Cerezo just to name a few). With "Il Doria" he made 272 appearances and scored 51 goals. His main task however was setting up goals for the fantastic Vialli-Mancini partnership.
In 1995 he joined Juventus under Marcello Lippi. His first season was almost a write off as he broke his leg before the league had even started. He however returned in time to play 17 games (13 Serie A, 4 Champions League) with 2 league goals. He won an Italian Supercoppa (1995) and the Champions League (1996) but not as a protagonist.
He returned to form the following season and actively helped Juve win the Scudetto, Intercontinental Cup and the UEFA Super Cup. He played a total of 51 games for the "Old Lady" with 4 goals.
In 1997 he tried the English Premier League experience and joined Crystal Palace. He played 24 games in his first year with 5 goals and even became player manager in March 1998 but the Eagles were relegated. The following year in the Championship he played 254 games with 5 goals until January 1999 when he returned to Italy.
He joined another "Eagled" club, Lazio. In Rome he was reunited with manager Sven-Goran Eriksson plus former teammates Mancini and Sinisa Mihajlovic. This was to be another golden period for Lombardo. He only stayed that first half season, the next one and another half season but in his time with the Biancocelesti won a European Cup Winners Cup (1999), a European Supercup (1999), a Coppa Italia (2000), an Italian Supercoppa (2000) and above all the Scudetto (2000). He played a total of 63 games with 5 goals (Bari, Perugia, Sampdoria x2, Inter).
In January 2001 with Eriksson sacked he went back to Sampdoria in Serie B. He stayed a first half season and a full following one playing another 34 games with 1 goal.
At 36 he retired and has since gone into managing. He has a son who is now a professional footballer.
At International level he won 18 caps for Italy but never played in major tournament finals.
As a manager he started off with Sampdoria youth teams before a series of teams in lower levels. In 2010 he collaborated with Manchester City for two years with his friend Roberto Mancini. He then followed "Mancio" to Turkey with Galatasaray. In 2014-15 he was assistant to another former Lazio, Roberto Di Matteo at Schalke 04. Between 2014-16 he was assistant to Sinisa Mihajlovic at Torino and from 2019-23 he worked for the Italian National team, obviously with his old buddy Roberto Mancini, winning a European Championship. When Mancini resigned he followed him to be his assistant with Saudi Arabia. Lombardo is currently assistant coach to Alberico Evani back at Sampdoria in Serie B.
Lombardo was an excellent club player. He was an attacking right winger. He was extremely athletic, an untiring runner up and down his wing. He reached his peak at Sampdoria but remained a competitive player even after his serious injury. He scored goals but his specialities were darting runs, dribblings and assists for his attacking teammates. He was an incredibly generous and hard working player and modern in the sense he could attack and defend.
At Lazio he was liked for his jovial character but also made a decisive contribution to the 2000 Scudetto. Players like Lombardo and Matias Almeyda were needed to bring some balance to a star studded team. Lombardo also scored the vital goal in the 1-0 victory over Perugia, six matches from the end, which kept Lazio’s dream alive. Thanks also to Lombardo that dream then became reality. Lombardo will always be one of the boys of 2000.
Lazio career
Season | Total games (goals) | Serie A | Coppa Italia | Champions League | Cup Winners Cup | UEFA Super Cup | Super Coppa |
Jan-Jun 1999 | 19 (2) | 14 (1) | 1 (1) | - | 5 | - | - |
1999-00 | 22 (1) | 10 (1) | 6 | 5 | - | 1 | - |
2000- Jan 2001 | 21 (2) | 9 | 4 (2) | 7 | - | - | 1 |
Total | 63 (5) | 33 (2) | 11 (3) | 12 | 5 | 1 | 1 |
Sources
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