Pre Season Friendly
Tuesday, July 27, 1999
Påskbergsvallen, Varberg
Elfsborg Lazio 1-4
A positive practice game for Lazio with a convincing attacking performance
Lazio had started their Swedish tour five days earlier and had drawn 1-1 with IFK Gothenburg in front of 30,000 spectators with an equaliser on a Sinisa Mihajlovic freekick. After today they would then play Helsingborgs on July 29 before heading off to Amsterdam to play Atlético Madrid and Ajax. The first really important match however would be on August 27 against Manchester United in the UEFA European Super Cup in Monte Carlo.
Elfsborg, from the town of Borås in south -west Sweden, were in the middle of their domestic league as the Allsvenskan is played from spring until autumn. The previous season they had finished 10th. "Di Gule" had won four league titles but their last was in 1961.They are fifth for participation in the top flight and seventh for the number of titles so a medium - high Swedish club.
A good test for Lazio. The Swedes were no world beaters but a decent side and far fitter than the Biancocelesti at this point of the year.
Today's game was being played in Varberg, a small coastal town just south of Gothenburg.
The match
A beautiful, sun drenched, nordic, summer day welcomed Lazio to western Sweden. A crowd of about 8,000 were present for this friendly game. It was a pleasant return home for Lazio’s Kennet Andersson and manager Sven-Goran Eriksson.
Lazio had a strong team out. The only absences were Beppe Pancaro injured plus the three South Americans who had played the Copa America: Matias Almeyda, Diego Pablo Simeone and Marcelo Salas.
The difference in quality between the two sides was immediately clear. Lazio also had a particularly inspired Alen Boksic.
In the 2nd minute the "Alien" unleashed a left foot which the keeper, with difficulty, saved into corner.
In the 11th minute the Croat went past, or rather through, two Swedish defenders and with the outside of his right foot beat Johansson with a low strike. Elfsborg 0 Lazio 1. Applause all round.
Only three minutes later Boksic set off from inside his own half and caused havoc in the other before sliding a perfect ball to Andersson who went around the keeper and scored. Elfsborg 0 Lazio 2.
In the 27th minute Juan Sebastian Veron sent a thirty-five-metre pass to the left of the area and found young Gasperino Cinelli who squared to Boksic whose powerful left footed effort was parried by the keeper and, while it was bouncing near the goal line, Andersson was then unable to make contact for the tap -in.
It was instead the Swedes who surprisingly scored in the 32nd minute. Alessandro Nesta was guilty of a rare mistake coming out of defence and Karlstrand scored from close range. Elfsborg 1 Lazio 2.
At half time came the customary mass substitutions in these early summer friendlies. The "Ellos" made five while Lazio made ten. The majority of Lazio’s replacements however were by no means reserves and included Paolo Negro, Fernando Couto, Sergio Conceição, Dejan Stankovic, Pavel Nedved, Simone Inzaghi and Roberto Mancini.
Nedved was lively from the start and tried several shots and Mancini pulled the strings beautifully in the last third of the field.
In the 59th minute Lazio scored again. A good Nedved-Conceição combination led to a low cross by the Portuguese which Inzaghi pounced on to make it 3-1 to the Biancocelesti.
The Swedes made three more changes before Lazio made it four in the 79th minute. An Inzaghi-Conceição one-two put the Italian striker through on goal and he did not miss. Elfsborg 1 Lazio 4.
There was still time for Inzaghi to win a penalty but he sacrificed his possible hat-trick and Stankovic took it and missed. Final score: Elfsborg 1 Lazio 4.
A good run around for Lazio against inferior but physical and fitter opposition. The Romans had given all their players a game except the third keeper, Emanuele Concetti, and the only player who had stayed on for the full 90 minutes was Beppe Favalli.
Lazio had been trying to buy Nicolas Anelka all summer and it now seemed any potential deal had fallen through. Not a great loss if Boksic and Inzaghi kept this up against stronger opponents and fan favourite Marcelo "El Matador" Salas would also soon be back.
Who played for Elfsborg
Johansson (46' Bogsio), Sjoberg, Pedersen (68' Ljungcrante), Aruhage, Martinsson (63' Stromberg), Svensson, Mohlin (67' Edenvik), Bengtsson (46' Klarstrom), Ingolfsson (46' Niklasson), Berglund (46' Inago), Carlstrand (46' Wahlemark)
Manager: Strömberg
Who played for Lazio
Marchegiani (46' Ballotta), Gottardi (46' Di Fiordo), Nesta (46' Negro), Mihajlovic (46' Couto), Favalli, Lombardo (46' Conceição), Sensini (46' Stankovic), Veron (46' Pinzi), Cinelli (46' Nedved), Andersson (46' S. Inzaghi), Boksic (46' Mancini)
Substitutes: Concetti
Manager: Eriksson
Referee: Ingvarsson (Swe)
Goals: 11' Boksic, 14' K.Andersson, 32' Carlstrand, 59' S. Inzaghi, 79' S. Inzaghi
Sources
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