Derby triumph
Lazio destroy Roma with goals from Boksic, Jugovic, Mancini and Fuser
Also on this day:
The season so far
President Sergio Cragnotti was certainly not happy with what happened the previous season. Zdenek Zeman had been fired half way through and Dino Zoff had picked up the pieces and led Lazio to a UEFA Cup qualification.
Cragnotti had chosen Sven Goran Eriksson as manager. Sven had been working for Sampdoria for the last five years and had established a strong relationship with Roberto Mancini. Mancini had not renewed his contract with Sampdoria so Cragnotti convinced him to come to Lazio. It was a major change in philosophy: if Lazio had ambitions, they needed to think ambitiously.
A few other players that were to become the backbone of the best Lazio ever arrived in the 1997 summer transfer window: Giuseppe Pancaro, Marco Ballotta and Matias Almeyda. Vladimir Jugovic and the return of Alen Boksic were the other major signings.
In December Lazio lost Beppe Signori. The Lazio hero of the past years was not pleased with the new course. After initially being in the team, Eriksson started putting him on the bench, preferring Mancini, Pierluigi Casiraghi and Boksic. The last straw took place in Vienna in the UEFA Cup tie with Rapid. Signori had been warming up for a while ready to take Mancini’s place on the field. The plan changed when Mancini got sent off. The problem was that nobody warned Signori to stop warming up. Beppe-goal was offended and asked to leave the club. Lazio sold him to Sampdoria in December. A real pity.
In Coppa Italia it had not been an easy ride so far. Lazio entered the competition in the second round and met Fidelis Andria who played in Serie B that season. After winning away 3-0 (thanks to an own goal and two Signori goals), the second leg was almost a friendly with the Biancocelesti winning 3-2 (another Signori double plus a goal from Boksic).
In the third round Lazio faced a struggling Napoli. The first leg, in Rome, saw Lazio seemingly destroy any hopes Napoli had of playing a decisive second leg at home. 4-0 to Lazio thanks to two braces, one from Boksic and yet another from Signori. The return match should have been a mere formality but Napoli fought to the death and won 3-0 putting Lazio’s qualification in danger until the end.
This meant that the quarter final was going to be a double derby, since Roma had first eliminated Verona, then Udinese.
The match: Tuesday, January 6, 1998, Stadio Olimpico, Rome
Just two minutes and Lazio were already ahead. Vincent Candela was dispossessed by Roberto Mancini on the limit of the Roma penalty area, ball to Matias Almeyda who gave a splendid assist to Alen Boksic in front of Konsel. No problem for the Croatian forward, Biancocelesti ahead.
Roma had a chance to equalise but a Luigi Di Biagio volley, following a corner, was saved by Luca Marchegiani. In the 11th minute an Abel Balbo shot on a free kick in the box was again saved by the Lazio keeper. Boksic was creating havoc in the Roma half, cross from the left, Mancini in complete solitude headed the ball wide.
In the 32nd minute Vladimir Jugovic again in the box for Boksic, Konsel tried to stop him but fouled the Alien. Penalty for the Biancocelesti and Jugovic, the specialist, made it 2-0 for Lazio.
Game over? No because in the 39th minute Pavel Nedved, in an attempt to let the ball go out, fouled Cafu when the Brazilian tried to anticipate him. This time spot kick for the Giallorossi which Balbo comfortably put away. Lazio 2 Roma 1.
In the second half the Biancocelesti dominated. Marchegiani was forced off injured and substituted by Marco Ballotta but the new keeper was just another spectator. It took a while to score but when Lazio did it was spectacular. In the 75th minute splendid Jugovic pass to Mancini on the edge of the box, Konsel way too far out, lob over the keeper and it was 3-1.
Five minutes later, free kick for Lazio on the left, just outside the box. Jugovic tapped the ball for Diego Fuser, big whack, Lazio 4 Roma 1.
An impressive statement win by the Biancocelesti. Roma in big trouble, to go through to the next round they would need to win 3-0.
Who played for Lazio
Marchegiani (46’ Ballotta), Pancaro, Nesta, Negro, Favalli (78’ Grandoni), Fuser, Almeyda (55’ Venturin), Jugovic, Nedved, Boksic, Mancini
Manager: Eriksson
Who played for Roma
Konsel, Cafu, Petruzzi, Aldair, Candela, Tommasi, Di Biagio, Di Francesco, Paulo Sergio (46' Gautieri, 82' Vagner), Balbo, Totti
Substitutes: Chimenti, Dal Moro, Scapolo, Delvecchio
Manager: Zeman
Referee: Rodomonti
Goals: 2’ Boksic, 32’ Jugovic (pen), 39’ Balbo (pen), 75’ Mancini, 80’ Fuser
What happened next
Lazio managed to go 16 games in Serie A without losing, from Juventus Lazio 2-1 to Lazio Juventus 0-1. In the middle they were simply superb, beating Milan, Inter and Roma. Unstoppable, one could really see the change in mentality. On the eve of the game against Juventus, Lazio were just two points behind the Bianconeri and were dreaming of winning the scudetto. However, the mother of all games proved to be fatal. Lazio gave all they had but Angelo Peruzzi saved everything and referee Pierluigi Collina did the rest. He sent off Nedved perhaps too harshly and did not award Lazio a clear penalty.
The loss deflated the whole Lazio camp. The Biancocelesti then drew the next match and lost all the following five. What happened? Lazio had played under constant pressure and had reached the finals of both the Coppa Italia and the UEFA Cup. Too many games and too few players. The team just collapsed both physically and mentally.
In the Coppa Italia Lazio also beat Roma in the second leg. They then beat Juventus in the semis and faced Milan in the final. Having lost the first leg 1-0 to a last minute goal, Lazio had to win the return match by two goals. The Rossoneri however scored with Demetrio Albertini at the beginning of the second half, Lazio now needed to score 3 goals to win. They did so with the most amazing ten minutes in their history and brought home the Coppa Italia. Lazio had not won anything since the 1974 scudetto.
In the UEFA Cup, Lazio had the better of Auxerre in the quarterfinals and Christian Vieri’s Atletico Madrid in the semis. The final against Inter was exactly a week after the win in Coppa Italia. Lazio fell behind in the early stages of the game but this time they did not have the energy to come back. They lost their first European final 3-0.
A marvellous season for Lazio, the best since 1974. Mancini was the player with the most games played (51), Boksic and Nedved the top goal scorers with 15.
What happened in Serie A 1997-98
Juventus had won the scudetto the previous year ahead of Parma and Inter. Coming up from Serie B were Brescia, Empoli, Lecce and Bari.
For the 1997-98 season there had been lots of manager changes in the top teams: Gigi Simoni to Inter, Sven-Goran Eriksson to Lazio, Zdenek Zeman to Roma, Alberto Malesani to Fiorentina and Fabio Capello had gone back to Milan.
The major transfers had been Roberto Mancini and Alen Boksic to Lazio, Pippo Inzaghi and Daniel Fonseca to Juventus, Ronaldo and Diego Simeone to Inter, Leonardo and Patrick Kluivert to Milan, Cafu and Vincent Candela to Roma.
Juventus and Inter were clear favourites but there was curiosity to see what the Rome teams could do under their new managers. Big question marks around Milan whereas Parma and Fiorentina were considered outsiders.
August-September
Four games to start off with between the end of August and September. Inter began very well and were top closely followed by all the others, except Milan who had a rather dismal start. Lazio beat Napoli in the first match and drew with Milan in the second, Roma and Juventus drew and Inter beat Fiorentina.
In the Champions League qualifying round in August, Parma crushed Widzew Lodz 7-1 on aggregate and proceeded to the group stage. In the first round Parma drew 0-0 against Sparta Prague and Juventus hammered Feyenoord 5-1. In the first round of the Cup Winners Cup, Vicenza beat Legia Warsaw 2-0. In the UEFA Cup first round Udinese, Lazio and Inter went through but Sampdoria were eliminated by Athletic Bilbao.
The big teams also started their Coppa Italia campaigns. In the round of 32 no real surprises with perhaps the exception of Serie B team Pescara eliminating holders Vicenza.
In the Supercoppa in August Juventus predictably dominated Vicenza 3-0.
Inter 12, Parma 10, Juventus 8, Roma 8, Sampdoria 8, Lazio 7, Atalanta 7, Vicenza 7, Fiorentina 6, Empoli 6, Udinese 6, Napoli 4, Brescia 4, Milan 2, Bologna 2, Piacenza 1, Bari 1, Lecce 0
October
Just a couple of games in October, due to the Nazionale break, so not a lot of changes in the table. However, some interesting scores. Inter and Lazio drew, Roma crushed Napoli who also lost at home to Inter. Juventus beat Fiorentina who were now a bit behind, as were Lazio and Milan.
Parma won their two group games in the Champions League and were well placed. Juventus were second in their group after losing to Manchester United. Vicenza went through to the second round of the Cup Winners Cup and won the first leg of the third. In the 1st leg of the UEFA Cup second round, Inter and Udinese lost, Lazio drew 0-0 against Rotor Volograd. Not easy for the Italian teams now.
The first leg of the round of 16 of the Coppa Italia was played with no major surprises even though Fiorentina, Parma and Milan only had slender advantages, after their home games, going into the second leg.
Inter 16, Juventus 14, Parma 14, Roma 12, Sampdoria 11, Brescia 10, Atalanta 10, Udinese 10, Lazio 8, Vicenza 8, Fiorentina 7, Empoli 7, Milan 5, Napoli 4, Bari 4, Bologna 3, Lecce 3, Piacenza 2
November
Four games in November. Inter beat Parma and drew the derby, Lazio won the Roman derby, Milan and Juventus drew. Still Inter ahead, Roma had crept up to third place. Lazio, Fiorentina and Milan had also moved up while Napoli were last.
In the two CL games Parma only earned one point and were virtually out since the teams that continued to the quarterfinals were the six winners of the groups plus the two best runners-up. Parma could not top their group and only a combination of very lucky results would allow them to be one of the best second placed teams. Juventus on the other hand had to beat Manchester United in the hope of qualifying.
Vicenza qualified for the quarterfinals of the Cup Winners Cup where they would play Roda in March. Inter and Lazio managed to go through to the third round of the UEFA Cup but Udinese were eliminated by Ajax. In the first leg of the third round Inter lost 2-0 to Strasbourg and were almost out, Lazio won in Vienna against Rapid and were almost through.
The second leg of the Coppa Italia round of 16 produced no surprises with the exception of the elimination of Roberto Baggio’s Bologna by Atalanta. Interesting quarterfinals: Fiorentina-Juventus, Lazio-Roma, Milan-Inter and Parma-Atalanta.
Inter 26, Juventus 22, Roma 19, Udinese 19, Parma 18, Lazio 15, Sampdoria 15, Vicenza 15, Fiorentina 13, Milan 13, Atalanta 11, Empoli 10, Brescia 10, Bari 10, Lecce 10, Bologna 8, Piacenza 7, Napoli 5
December
The year closed with three games. Juventus beat Lazio and, due to Inter losing at Udine just before Christmas, were now only one point behind. The Neroazzurri did however demolish Roma. Behind the big two there was Udinese, doing very well as usual. Napoli already had a foot in Serie B.
Parma were eliminated in the Champions League but Juventus managed to qualify as one of the two best second place finishers. They would play Dynamo Kiev in the quarterfinals in March. Inter and Lazio were through to the quarterfinals of the UEFA Cup. They would play Schalke 04 and Auxerre in March.
Inter 30, Juventus 29, Udinese 26, Parma 25, Roma 23, Lazio 21, Fiorentina 20, Milan 20, Sampdoria 19, Vicenza 18, Brescia 14, Empoli 13, Bologna 12, Piacenza 12, Bari 12, Atalanta 11, Lecce 10, Napoli 5
January
1998 started with the big Inter-Juventus clash won by the Milanese, but Juventus went top after the Nerazzurri lost at home to Bari and drew with Empoli. Udinese, third, won in Rome while Lazio, fourth, won in Florence.
In the Coppa Italia quarterfinals, Milan thrashed Inter, Lazio destroyed Roma. In the semifinals they would play Parma and Juventus respectively.
Juventus 38, Inter 37, Udinese 34, Lazio 31, Parma 29, Fiorentina 27, Sampdoria 27, Roma 26, Milan 24, Bari 22, Vicenza 21, Brescia 20, Piacenza 17, Bologna 16, Empoli 16, Atalanta 14, Lecce 11, Napoli 6
February
The lack of European fixtures allowed five games to be played. Lazio beat both Milan and Inter and had now joined the latter in second place behind Juventus who beat Roma. Udinese were keeping up the pace. Below Napoli and Lecce needed a miracle to avoid relegation.
Lazio won 2-1 in Turin against Juventus in the first leg of the Coppa Italia semi-final. In the other match Milan and Parma drew 0-0.
Juventus 48, Lazio 44, Inter 44, Udinese 42, Fiorentina 38, Parma 38, Roma 38, Milan 34, Sampdoria 34, Bologna 26, Brescia 23, Bari 23, Vicenza 23, Empoli 20, Piacenza 20, Atalanta 20, Lecce 12, Napoli 10
March
Five games. Lazio and Inter won the derbies and closed the gap with Juventus who drew with Napoli and Udinese. The Biancocelesti missed a chance to go top drawing at home against Piacenza. Juventus battered Milan and Parma beat Inter.
In the CL quarter finals, Juventus drew at home but then won away against Dynamo Kiev and would play Monaco in the semis. Vicenza destroyed Roda 9-1 on aggregate in the Cup Winners Cup and would now meet Chelsea in the semi-finals in April. Inter, after extra time, and Lazio went through to the semi-finals of the UEFA Cup. In the first leg they both won, Inter 4-2 against Spartak Moscow at home and Lazio 1-0 away against Christian Vieri’s Atletico Madrid.
Lazio would face Milan in the final of the Coppa Italia. The Biancocelesti drew with Juventus at the Olimpico while Milan managed to go through with a goal in the third minute of injury time against Parma.
Juventus 57, Inter 56, Lazio 55, Udinese 49, Roma 46, Parma 46, Fiorentina 44, Milan 39, Sampdoria 37, Bologna 34, Vicenza 30, Brescia 28, Empoli 27, Bari 27, Piacenza 26, Atalanta 25, Lecce 18, Napoli 12
April
Four games in April. Juventus won in Rome against Lazio who had run out of steam and were collapsing. Inter beat Roma and Udinese but lost the crucial match against Juventus. April 26, 1998, Juventus-Inter, winner took all. Alessandro Del Piero scored for the Bianconeri in the first half but in the second a blatant penalty on Ronaldo was ignored by the referee who immediately after gave one to Juventus. All hell let loose on the pitch, outside the stadium and the matter even ended up in parliament. In the end Juve-Inter 1-0 and the scudetto was virtually staying in Turin. In the relegation battle, Napoli were in Serie B, Lecce almost, and it did not look good for Brescia and Atalanta either.
Juventus were through to the final of the Champions League after beating Monaco 6-4 on aggregate. They would face Real Madrid. Vicenza lost the semi-final of the Cup Winners Cup. After winning 1-0 at home against Chelsea they lost 3-1 at Stamford Bridge. Excellent run though. Inter and Lazio would play the final of the UEFA Cup in Paris in April after winning their semi-finals.
Lazio won the Coppa Italia for the first time since 1958. They lost the first leg in Milan 1-0 and were 1-0 down in the second too but then three goals in ten minutes earned them their first silverware since the 1973-74 scudetto.
Juventus 69, Inter 65, Lazio 56, Parma 55, Udinese 55, Roma 52, Fiorentina 48, Sampdoria 46, Bologna 44, Milan 43, Vicenza 35, Bari 34, Empoli 33, Piacenza 32, Brescia 29, Atalanta 28, Lecce 22, Napoli 13
May
The final three games consolidated Juventus’s lead and the Bianconeri won the scudetto. Inter gave up after losing in Turin while Lazio continued to free fall. The top two would play the Champions League the following year, Lazio the last ever Cup Winners Cup, Udinese, Roma, Fiorentina and Parma the UEFA Cup. Brescia and Atalanta joined Lecce and Napoli in Serie B.
Salernitana, Venezia, Cagliari and Perugia were promoted to Serie A.
Top scorer was Olivier Bierhoff with 27 goals ahead of Ronaldo (25) and Roberto Baggio (22).
Juventus lost the Champions League final 0-1 to Real Madrid despite being the favourites. In the final of the UEFA Cup Inter beat a very tired Lazio 3-0 for their third win in the competition.
Final table: Juventus 74, Inter 69, Udinese 64, Roma 59, Fiorentina 57, Parma 57, Lazio 56, Bologna 48, Sampdoria 48, Milan 44, Bari 38, Empoli 37, Piacenza 37, Vicenza 36, Brescia 35, Atalanta 32, Lecce 26, Napoli 14
Sources
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