Pre-season friendly
Tuesday, July 25, 2000
Rheinpark Stadion, Vaduz (Liechtenstein)
Bayer Leverkusen - Lazio 0-0
Lazio hold Germans to goalless draw in Liechtenstein despite absences and little training
This was only Lazio’s second friendly of the pre-season. Two days earlier the Biancocelesti had beaten amateurs Schwarzach 15-1 in Schruns (Austria).
The match
A rainy summer day gathered about 8,000 spectators in the small Liechtenstein capital.
The Germans were only two weeks from their league debut and put out a strong line-up.
Lazio had a very experimental team with only three or four first team players. Lazio were weakened and only had a week's training in their legs but they were Italian champions and wanted to put on a good performance.
It was a summer friendly but the game started at a decent pace. The Germans were obviously fitter and Angelo Peruzzi was the busier of the two keepers. He was called into action twice in the first fifteen minutes and showed why Lazio had invested in him. Two of his saves, on Ulf Kirsten and Jurica Vranjes, were a promising visiting card. Lazio responded with a Roberto Baronio freekick just wide and a Pavel Nedved shot off target. Leverkusen had more chances with Oliver Neuville and Niko Kovac but Peruzzi was unbeatable. Halftime Bayer Leverkusen 0 Lazio 0.
The “Aspirins" were on top but Lazio were authoritative and holding their own and had the "Cinghialone" (The Wild Boar) on top form in goal.
For the second half Lazio replaced Peruzzi with Luca Marchegiani while the Germans put on Andreas Neundorf for Carsten Ramelow.
The game was more balanced and in the 51st minute Lazio went close with a Beppe Pancaro header.
On the hour mark Eriksson took off striker Fabrizio Ravanelli and threw on Emanuele Berrettoni. The young Roman played more in midfield so now Lazio basically only had Simone Inzaghi up front
In the 65th minute the "Pillendreher" (The Pill Takers) almost scored with Jens Nowotny but Baronio cleared on the goal line, with Marchegiani beaten.
In the 67th minute Leverkusen changed more than half the team, seven substitutions in one.
The game became unexpectedly tense and nervous after a dirty foul by Robson Ponte in midfield led to a lot of pushing and shoving between Ponte and Paulo Rink on one side and Attilio Lombardo, Ciccio Colonnese and Nedved on the other.
Once things had calmed down the Germans had wasted chances with Thomas Brdaric and Rink but Lazio then had the last opportunity to snatch the win when Simone Inzaghi shot straight into Pascal Zuberbuhler's arms from a favourable position. In the meantime, between the 75th and the 90th minutes Lazio had made four more substitutions, bringing on four youth players. Final score Bayer Leverkusen 0 Lazio 0.
The Romans were more pleased than the Westphalians with the result. Lazio had battled hard and despite missing many key players, including Alessandro Nesta, Beppe Favalli, Paolo Negro, Dejan Stankovic, Diego Simeone, Juan Sebastian Veron, Hernan Crespo, Claudio Lopez and Marcelo Salas, they had been disciplined, determined and as sharp as could be expected after the summer break.
The standout players had been Roberto Baronio and Angelo Peruzzi.
Who played for Bayer Leverkusen
Zuberbuhler (67' Matysek), Reeb, Nowotny (67' Hoffmann), Kovac (67' Ojigwe), Gresko (67' Brdaric), Ballack (67' Rink), Ramelow (46' Neundorf), Zivkovic, Vranjes, Neuville (67' Donovan), Kirsten (67' Ponte)
Manager: Daum
Who played for Lazio
Peruzzi (46' Marchegiani), Gottardi, Pancaro, Colonnese (84' Domizzi), Pesaresi (75' Santarelli), Lombardo, Nedved, Baronio, De la Peña (75' Luciani), Ravanelli (60' Berrettoni), S. Inzaghi (89' Ruggiu)
Substitutes: Varriale, Scotti
Manager: Eriksson
Referee: Meier (Switzerland)
Sources
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