March 8, 1998: Lazio-Roma 2-0
- Dag Jenkins
- Mar 8
- 13 min read
Four out of four!!
Lazio humiliate city rivals by winning unprecedented fourth derby of the season
Also on this day:
The season so far
The previous season had seen Dino Zoff take over from Zdenek Zeman in January and earn a 4th place finish. Giuseppe Signori's 15 goals had helped Lazio conquer a UEFA Cup place and make it a positive season.
This year however, there had been a big change. Lazio had a new manager in Swede Sven-Goran Eriksson, who arrived in the summer from Sampdoria.
There had been other major changes to the squad too. In had come goalkeeper Marco Ballotta (Reggiana), full back Giuseppe Pancaro (Cagliari), midfielders Matias Almeyda (Sevilla) and Vladimir Jugovic (Juventus) plus forwards Alen Boksic (back from Juventus) and Roberto Mancini (Sampdoria).
The players who left were South-African defender Mark Fish (Bolton), midfielders Roberto Baronio (on loan to Vicenza), and Alessandro Iannuzzi (Lecce) plus forwards Marco Di Vaio (Salernitana) and Igor Protti (Napoli-on loan).
Lazio's season in Serie A had started well with a 2-0 home win over Napoli on August 31. It had continued positively with a 1-1 away draw with Milan but then came a shock 0-1 defeat at Empoli (with a goal by future Lazio assistant manager Giovanni Martusciello). Lazio then had recovered and won 13 (including derby 3-1, in ten men with Favalli off after 7 mins), drawn 5 and lost 3. Lazio were unbeaten since December 12 and currently in 3rd place, six points behind leaders Juventus.
In Coppa Italia the Biancocelesti had passed the first obstacle by beating Fidelis Andria 6-2 on aggregate. Then came Napoli home and away in October-November and Lazio won 4-3 on aggregate. Next up came a two-legged derby in January which Lazio dominated 6-2 (4-1, 2-1). In the semi-final first leg on February 19, Lazio had beaten Juventus 1-0 away. The return leg was in Rome on March 11, in three days' time.
In the UEFA Cup Lazio had started in the round of 64 and comfortably won 6-1 on aggregate against Vitória Guimarāes. Then came the Russians Rotor who Lazio defeated 3-0. In the last 16, on November 25, Lazio had then won 2-0 in Vienna against Rapid with goals by Casiraghi and Mancini, then 1-0 at home. Three days before today the Biancocelesti had beaten Auxerre 1-0 at home in the first leg of the quarterfinals. The return game would be on March 17.
Today however all attention was on this second league derby.
The previous season Roma had finished 12th. They had started under Argentine Carlos Bianchi but he had been replaced after 26 games by old favourite Nils Liedholm. Things did not improve with the Swede (W1, D2 and L5). One of the two draws was the derby where Roma almost salvaged something from the season but Igor Protti equalised in the 90th minute, with Lazio in ten men, to deny the "cugini" even that satisfaction (the player sent off was again Favalli). So, a very negative season for the Giallorossi.
This season Roma had a new manager, Zdeněk Zeman. The Bohemian had been so traumatised by his Lazio sacking that he had eagerly accepted the call from their arch rivals.
Roma also had several new players: goalkeepers Michael Konsel (Rapid Vienna) and Antonio Chimenti (Salernitana), defenders Cafu (Palmeiras), César Gomez (Tenerife), Giorgio Lucenti (Palermo), Ivan Helguera (Albacete), Cristian Servidei (Leece), midfielders Vágner (Santos), Cristiano Scapolo (Bologna), Eusebio Di Francesco (Piacenza) plus forwards Paulo Sérgio (Bayer Leverkusen) and Carmine Gautieri (Perugia).
Leaving were: goalkeepers Giovanni Cervone (Brescia) and Giorgio Sterchele (Bologna), defenders Amedeo Carboni (Valencia), Marco Lanna (Salamanca), Enrico Annoni (Celtic), midfielders Jonas Thern (Rangers), Francesco Statuto (Udinese), Antonio Bernardini (Perugia) plus forwards Francesco Moriero (Inter), Daniel Fonseca (Juventus) and Martin Dahlin (Blackburn Rovers).
So, a major overhaul. Some of the new players' names however still bring music to all Laziali's ears, especially Vagner (unsurprisingly), César Gomez, Lucenti, Helguera and Servidei to name a few of their favourites.
In Serie A, Roma were in 5th position, on 41 points, four behind Lazio. The Giallorossi had won 11 (including Napoli 6-2), drawn 8 and lost 4. The last result was a 4-1 home drubbing of Fiorentina. Roma came from four consecutive league wins but the Giallorossi had already lost three derbies this season, 1-3 in A against ten men, 1-4 and 1-2 in Coppa Italia.
In the Coppa Italia, Roma had eliminated Verona 7-4 and Udinese 4-3 both on aggregate. Then came the derby tie lost 2-6 to Lazio. Roma were desperate for revenge. Four defeats in one season would just be too much.
The "Derby della Capitale” was always a big game but Lazio still with an eye on the Scudetto and Roma on a UEFA qualification (and destroying any dreams Lazio may have) made it extra special.
The match: Sunday, March 8, 1998, Stadio Olimpico, Rome
A 70,000 crowd for this fourth derby of the season.
Lazio went with a similar team to that which had beaten Roma in ten men in the first league game, with the exception of Alen Boksic instead of Pierluigi Casiraghi.
Roma had their first choice defenders back, Aldair and Zago, and played Marco Delvecchio and Paulo Sergio alongside Francesco Totti up front.
Roma started on the frontfoot and pushed forward. In the 4th minute Gigi Di Biagio had a bicycle kick saved low by Luca Marchegiani and in the 15th Paulo Sergio had a decent shot go wide. More smoke than fire and Lazio's superior midfield gradually got the upper hand.
Lazio had several chances first Roberto Mancini pulled the ball wide after a good Boksic run. Boksic himself missed a sitter in front of goal, after a perfect Diego Fuser cross, kneeing the ball just wide of the post. Fuser then fired wide set up by Boksic and the Croat mishit a bicycle kick with the goal completely open after a Michael Konsel mistake.
Roma had more possession but made continuous mistakes in midfield leaving themselves open to Lazio's quick counterattacks.
Roma had one more chance of their own with a Totti header from a corner but Giorgio Venturin headed off the line.
Boksic tried again just before halftime but his close range low header on the far post never really got going and was blocked by Konsel. At the break Lazio 0 Roma 0.
Roma were giving it everything but Lazio looked superior and as if they could score any minute as they were by far the more dangerous.
There were no changes for the second period.
In the second half Roma had a Di Biagio header go wide and then a goal came early on and it was unsurprisingly for Lazio. In the 49th minute the Biancocelesti were awarded a free kick just outside the box in the middle. Vladimir Jugovic blasted a mid-height shot which Konsel parried but into the path of Boksic who cooly slotted in the rebound with a low finish. Lazio 1 Roma 0.
In the 55th minute Roma showed some signs of life when Zago hoofed the ball forward to Delvecchio who ran shoulder to shoulder with Alessandro Nesta on the left and went for a shot from a difficult angle but Marchegiani saved without excessive difficulty.
In the 62nd minute Lazio scored again. Boksic ran rampant down the right wing, cut inside Aldair and shot but the ball was saved by Konsel and reached Fuser at the edge of the box who drilled a low shot with the keeper out of goal. The ball was somehow kept out by Zago on the line but only as far as Pavel Nedved who from an angle fired a low left foot past hapless Zago and Damiano Tommasi on the goalline. Lazio 2 Roma 0.
Roma were beaten and powerless to get back into the game. The Giallorossi had a couple of chances with a Eusebio Di Francesco shot wide and a Tommasi low, central shot blocked by Marchegiani but never really gave the impression of being capable of a comeback.
Lazio took both goal scorers off to standing ovations and near the end Dario Marcolin came on for Mancini. For Roma, Ivan Helguera had replaced Di Biagio soon after Lazio’s second goal and then Cristiano Scapolo came on for Di Francesco in the 84th minute.
Lazio had the last chance of the game but Venturin's long range strike was caught in the top corner by Konsel. Final score Lazio 2 Roma 0.
Lazio were superior and they knew it. The win had come easily, almost inevitably. The Biancocelesti were more technical and more confident and the goals were just a matter of time. This was 4 on 4 derbies in a season, a new record that would take some beating.
The Lazio fans held up a banner in Curva Nord, "...e lo scherzo continua" (and the prank goes on) but for the Romanisti it was more like an ongoing nightmare.
With this win Lazio moved up to 2nd place (Inter lost 0-1 at Parma), four points behind leaders Juventus (1-1 at Udine). Roma were now joint 5th with Parma but the table was the least of their problems at the moment.
Who played for Lazio
Marchegiani, Pancaro, Nesta, Negro, Favalli, Fuser, Venturin, Jugovic, Nedved (71' Gottardi), Boksic (74' Casiraghi), Mancini (87' Marcolin)
Manager: Eriksson
Who played for Roma
Konsel, Cafu, Zago, Aldair, Candela, Tommasi, Di Biagio (67' Helguera), Di Francesco (84' Scapolo), Paulo Sergio, Delvecchio, Totti
Substitutes: Chimenti, Pivotto, Petruzzi, Dal Moro, Gautieri
Manager: Zeman
Referee: Boggi
Goals: 50' Boksic, 62' Nedved
What happened next
In Serie A Lazio continued their good form after today's game. In the next 3 games they won 2 and drew 1 and challenged for the title until a precise date, April 5. They played leaders Juventus, got beaten 1-0 and never recovered. In the last 6 matches they managed to muster only one point and ended up in a disappointing 7th place. Top scorers were Pavel Nedvěd and Alen Boksic with 15 goals (Nedved 11 in A and Boksic 10). Alas previous years goal machine Beppe Signori had left in late November due to contrasts with Eriksson over lack of playing time.
Strange but true however it turned out to be a season to remember. As mentioned they beat hated city rivals 4 times! Twice in the league (3-1 in ten men and 2-0) and twice in the Coppa Italia (4-1 and 2-1), a record which has yet to be rivalled.
In the UEFA Cup Lazio then drew 2-2 in France against Auxerre. In the semi-final they knocked out Atlético Madrid, winning 1-0 at the Calderon and drawing 0-0 at the Olimpico. Lazio were in the final of the UEFA Cup.
Unfortunately Lazio arrived in Paris to play Inter having run out of steam and a tired team got beaten 0-3 at the Parc des Princes by Ronaldo's Nerazzurri. A good European campaign however.
It was in the domestic cup, the Coppa Italia, that they lived their finest hour. Three days later they drew 2-2 with Juventus and qualified for the final.
The final against Milan was also still played over two legs, home and away. The first went to Milan 1-0 with an 89th minute George Weah winner. The return match in Rome seemed to be heading in Milan's favour too when a Demetrio Albertini freekick put the Rossoneri 1-0 up just after half time. A stirring second half performance however turned the final around. Goals by Gottardi, Jugovic (pen) and captain Nesta gave Lazio a dramatic 3-1 victory and after 30 years gave the Biancocelesti long awaited silverware.
So, a European Final, 4 derby wins and a domestic cup after thirty years definitely made it a season to cherish.
Roma finished 4th despite their four-derby humiliation. In the next ten games the Giallorossi won 5 (including Milan 5-0 at home), drew 3 and lost 2. Top scorer was Abel Balbo with 16 goas (14 in A).
So, Juventus won their 25th title, Inter the UEFA Cup and Lazio all four derbies… Serie B awaited Brescia, Atalanta, Lecce and Napoli.
Let’s talk about Alen Boksic
Alen Boksic was an exceptional talent who, despite not living up to his potential, delighted Lazio fans for many years.
He was born in Makarska, Croatia, on January 21, 1970. He is regarded as one of the greatest players in the history of Croatian football.
He started his career at nearby Hajduk Split. He played there for three years from 1987-1991. He made 96 appearances and scored 27 goals, also winning a Yugoslavian Cup in 1991.
In the summer of 1991 he went abroad to France and signed for Cannes in Ligue 1. He played just once for the seaside club but a year later he made the jump to bigger club Marseille along the coast. It was in Marseille that he really started to show his talent. In his only season with Marseille he scored 29 league goals in 37 appearances. A phenomenal achievement making him France's top scorer and helping to win the league title (then taken away for match fixing scandal). Marseille also lifted the pre-champions league European Cup beating Milan in the final in Munich. Boksic was a candidate for the prestigious Golden Ball award and came fourth (behind winner Roberto Baggio, Denis Bergkamp and Eric Cantona).
In November 1993 Boksic moved to Italy. He was signed by ambitious Lazio for 15 billion Lire (approx. 8 million Euros). At Lazio he would play for three seasons (1993-1996). He played 80 games and scored 19 times. He impressed but the Lazio manager was Zdenek Zeman, particularly renowned for his tough training methods. Boksic was said to not willingly accept these sessions and perhaps didn't show his full potential.
In 1996 Boksic moved up north to Italian giants Juventus. With the Bianconeri he won the Intercontinental Club Cup, the European Super Cup and the Scudetto. He also played in the Champions League final loss to Borussia Dortmund. He only scored 7 goals in Turin, with 4 coming in the Champions League. He was criticised for not being clinical enough in front of goal and he also suffered several injuries. As it was he returned to Lazio in 1997, after only one season up north. Lazio re-signed him for 25 billion Lire (approx. 13 million Euros) so not exactly a masterpiece of economic strategy. The fact was Boksic wanted to return and Lazio were glad to have him back, even at double the price.
Back in the capital Boksic would then have possibly his best season so far, scoring 10 goals in Serie A. Lazio fought for the title until April and won the Coppa Italia. Towards the end of the season, however, Boksic got injured again and was forced to miss the 1998 World Cup in France (Croatia came 3rd).
In the following season Boksic was again hindered by physical problems but Lazio won the European Cup Winners Cup in Birmingham. The following year he and Lazio won the biggest prize of all, the Scudetto. In total Boksic played six years at Lazio over two spells. He played 115 games for Lazio in Serie A and scored 31 goals, plus 15 appearances in Coppa Italia with 8 goals, 10 in Champions League with one goal, 3 in the UEFA Cup Winners Cup with one goal and finally 14 in the UEFA Cup with 2 goals.
After some problems with Lazio manager Sven-Goran Eriksson, in the summer of 2000 Boksic signed for Middlesbrough, in the English Premier League. He would play in North Yorkshire for three years totalling 68 games with 22 goals. He was said to earn the highest wages in the whole league and this fact, along with his aloof and solitary character, never enabled him to completely fit in. Despite this he did have some highs on the banks of the River Tee. He scored some decisive derby goals and helped Boro stay in the Premier League. He showed flashes of his masterclass but ultimately left a feeling of unfulfilled possibilities in the North-East and in England.
In 2003 Boksic retired from football. Injuries and lack of motivation led him to call it a day at 33. He had been a great player but could have been outstanding.
At International level he earned 40 Caps for Croatia and scored 10 goals. He was unlucky that his only World Cup Finals appearance came in the twilight of his career in 2002, when the Croatian team of that generation were also past their peak.
Boksic was a modern attacker. He was 1.89 metres tall, physically strong and dynamic. He would drop from the box, switch flanks, attract and disorientate defenders with his runs, accelerations and dribbling. Running at defenders at full force he was devastating. He had power and skill enabling him to open up defences and give depth to his team. He was never a 20-plus goal striker (except for his season at Marseille) but all his other attributes made up for his lack of efficiency in front of goal. When he did score however they were often quality, he was no tap-in goal scorer.
There was and always will be a sense that with his talent, technique and physical prowess Boksic could have done more, a lot more. Early in his career he had been compared to Marco Van Basten, in the way he could do it all. Without injuries and perhaps a different mindset Boksic could have been one of the all-time greats.
At Lazio he was called the 'L'Alieno' (The Alien) obviously for his name but also for his aloofness and extra-terrestrial qualities. When I witnessed his debut for Lazio I thought he might well be from another planet, he was that good. In his six years in Rome he scored some memorable goals; lobs, chips, headers, powerful strikes, you name it he scored them. He scored in derbies and a crucial goal in the Cup Winners Cup Semi-final against Lokomotiv Moscow. In Rome too however, he left a feeling of what could have been. He was physically strong (when not injured anyway...) but probably not mentally. He was considered a bit of a rebel and was solitary (he has since bought an island off Croatia), not mixing as well as the others in the squad. He disliked some of the training methods, didn't play with even the most minor niggle and was once even rumoured to have refused to play because his shirt was too tight!
He will however be remembered at Lazio as a superb player. An exceptional talent who, despite not living up to his potential, delighted Lazio fans for many years. He was part of the Cragnotti glory years and will forever belong to the Scudetto winning squad of 2000, in the most successful period in the club's history.
Lazio Career
Season | Total games (goals) | Serie A | Coppa Italia | Champions League | Cup Winners Cup | UEFA Cup |
Nov 1993-94 | 21 (4) | 21 (4) | - | - | - | - |
1994-95 | 33 (11) | 23 (9) | 4 | - | - | 6 (2) |
1995-96 | 26 (4) | 23 (4) | 1 | - | - | 2 |
1997-98 | 38 (15) | 26 (10) | 6 (5) | - | - | 6 |
1998-99 | 6 (1) | 3 | - | - | 3 (1) | - |
1999-00 | 33 (8) | 19 (4) | 4 (3) | 10 (1) | - | - |
Total | 157 (43) | 115 (31) | 15 (8) | 10 (1) | 3 (1) | 14 (2) |
Sources
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