Zoff starts well

Simon Basten

Jan 14, 20243 min read

Season 2000-01

Game 14, Serie A

Sunday, January 14, 2001

Stadio Friuli, Udine

Udinese Lazio 3-4

Zoff, in his first game after Eriksson’s resignation, steers Lazio to victory

After winning the Super Coppa against Inter in September, Lazio did not start too well in the campionato and by the end of the year were fourth with 21 points, way off Roma who were leading the Serie A eight points ahead. There had been a lot of problems. This first issue was that Sven-Goran Eriksson had signed a contract with the English FA to manage England starting from the summer of 2001. This meant that it was going to be his last year with Lazio. This created a negative psychological situation in the team, uncertain of what would happen in the future. Secondly, Crespo got injured early on and he was taking time to get back into form. Thirdly, the team was badly missing a right-winger since Attilio Lombardo was past his prime and Dejan Stankovic was fulfilling the task but rather reluctantly. Fourthly, Claudio Lopez, Lazio’s star summer signing, got injured early on in the season and would be out for a lengthy period.

There was still optimism but in the first game of the new year Lazio lost at home and Eriksson, realising that he might be the problem, resigned. The team was handed to Dino Zoff. In January Lazio finally bought Karel Poborsky and Lucas Castroman to fill the void created by selling Conceição.

Today was the first match under the new management.

The match

Lazio started really strongly and in the first minutes had three corners. On the third, Poborsky, on his debut, crossed into the box and Marco Zamboni, in an attempt to clear, clumsily kicked the ball into his own net. Only three minutes had gone by.

The Biancocelesti smelt blood. Pavel Nedved on the left sent in a great cross, Hernan Crespo got a splendid header but Luigi Turci made a spectacular save.

In the 33rd minute the game changer. Nedved again from the left crossed low in the box, Marcelo Salas missed the ball, Crespo volleyed it towards the goal, Valerio Bertotto in falling touched it with his hand. Fiorenzo Treossi pointed to the spotkick and after a few minutes of indecision sent Bertotto off. Crespo made no mistake, Udinese 0 Lazio 2.

Treossi was the referee who denied the Biancocelesti a penalty in Florence in 1998 which de facto gave the scudetto to Milan. He was under a lot of pressure and from this episode on he basically lost the plot. Loads of mistakes including many non-existent off sides.

Towards the end of the half, Beppe Favalli from the left went into the penalty box and from close to the by-line passed to Salas. The Matador controlled the ball and tried a shot which went wide.

In the beginning of the second half, Lazio made it three. In the 47th minute Poborsky crossed in the centre of the area from the right, Zamboni missed the ball, Salas did not, 3-0 for Lazio.

Udinese at this point woke up and two minutes later scored with Stefano Fiore on a free kick. But the Biancocelesti immediately responded. In the 53rd minute Beppe Pancaro from the right crossed into the box, Crespo tried a volley which went under the keeper’s legs and into the net.

The Biancocelesti thought the game was over, but not Udinese, who forced Lazio on the defensive. In the 66th minute Giuliano Giannichedda tried a shot which became a good assist for Massimo Margiotta. The defence stopped to see what would happen and the Bianconero forward reduced the deficit.

Udinese believed they could reopen the game and they did so in the 86th minute. Fiore crossed low from inside the box and Roberto Sosa tapped the ball in.

But there was no more time left. Lazio won, but there were still a lot of problems to solve.

Who played for Udinese

Turci, Zamboni, Sottil, Bertotto, Diaz (22' Margiotta), Fiore, Walem (41' Alberto), Giannichedda, Gaarde (74' Micolucci), Jørgensen, Sosa

Substitutes: Basso, Bisgaard, Helguera, Gutierrez

Manager: De Canio

Who played for Lazio

Marchegiani, Pancaro, Nesta, Couto, Favalli, Poborsky (90’ Lombardo), D. Baggio (58’ Baronio), Simeone, Nedved, Crespo, Salas (65’ Ravanelli)