The week of triumphs in Lazio history. A Scudetto, the Coppa Italia three times and a Cup Winners Cup is what happened between May 13-19.
Matches of the Week
Date: Wednesday, May 13, 2009
Location: Stadio Olimpico, Rome
Fixture: Lazio Samp 1-1 (6-5 on penalties), Coppa Italia Final
A seemingly endless penalty roulette goes Lazio’s way after a 1-1 draw.
Date: Wednesday, May 15, 2019
Location: Stadio Olimpico, Rome
Fixture: Atalanta Lazio 0-2 Coppa Italia Final
Milinkovic-Savic and Correa bring Lazio cup glory and their 7th Coppa Italia.
Date: Sunday, May 16, 1976
Location: Stadio Giuseppe Sinigaglia, Como
Fixture: Como Lazio 2-2
2-0 down after 17 minutes, Lazio manage to equalize thanks to Giordano and Badiani and avoid relegation. A miracle.
Date: Thursday, May 18, 2000
Location: Stadio Giuseppe Meazza, Milan
Fixture: Inter Lazio 0-0, Coppa Italia Final, Second Leg
Lazio clinch a historic double by winning the Coppa Italia following a goalless draw against Inter.
Date: Wednesday, May 19, 1999
Location: Villa Park, Birmingham
Fixture: RCD Mallorca Lazio 1-2, UEFA Cup Winners Cup Final
A late goal by Pavel Nedved gives Lazio European glory in an epic night at Villa Park.
Match In Focus: A Rainy Afternoon in Perugia
Date: Sunday, May 14, 2000
Locations: Stadio Olimpico, Rome & Stadio Renato Curi, Perugia
Fixtures: Lazio Reggina 3-0, Perugia Juventus 1-0
An early summer afternoon in Rome and Perugia. With one match to go to the end of the season, Juventus had a two point advantage over Lazio. The previous Sunday, Parma, who were losing in Turin against the Bianconeri, had equalized but the referee had inexplicably decided to disallow it. To this day nobody knows why. This was the talking point in Italy for the entire week. Juve had already won a controversial Scudetto a couple of years back when a clear penalty on Ronaldo was not given to Inter in Turin. Lazio had to play Reggina at the Stadio Olimpico and Juventus were hosted by Perugia.
It was hot in Rome, but Lazio, with two penalties, one by Simone Inzaghi and another by Juan Sebastian Veron, had already closed the game after 45 minutes.
In Perugia, it was also baking, but a massive black cloud arrived over the Umbrian town and it started raining. The first 45 minutes had ended goalless, but during the interval the heavens opened. Referee Pierluigi Collina tried a number of times to see if the ball would bounce on the waterlogged pitch, but no. There was a problem. If the game was abandoned they would have to start from scratch the next day. With what had happened in the previous match, the Italian referee felt that the repetition of the game would have been unfair. So he insisted.
The games should have been taking place at the same time so as to not give an advantage to either team, so at the Stadio Olimpico they waited to see what would happen in Perugia. After a quarter of an hour, the match in Rome started just the same. At Perugia, they waited. Diego Pablo Simeone made it three and Roberto Mancini retired.
Back in Umbria, when they were about to give up, the rain stopped. The pitch was not in ideal condition, but playable. The second half could recommence, an hour later than it should have.
At the Stadio Olimpico some of the fans had run onto the pitch, some had stayed in the stands looking to find somebody with a radio. At the moment, there would be the need for a play-off Scudetto. But then, the impossible became possible. Perugia scored with Alessandro Calori and Lazio were virtually champions. At the Stadio Olimpico, the news spread like a slow fire and the fans went absolutely crazy. Just like they did in the rest of the city and worldwide. But there were 33 minutes left to play in Umbria. Fans with radios became extremely popular and were crowded by anxious fans. Many wept for the tension, others gnawed their fingers down to the bone. The RAI radio commentary started to blare out on the stadium tannoy, so now everybody could listen to the match. The commentator was Riccardo Cucchi who later when he retired confessed that he was a Lazio supporter. A famous TV program also did the same so those who were at home could listen to the game via the tube.
Juventus had a few chances to equalize but couldn’t. Nerves took over and the wet pitch did not help. Luca Zambrotta got two quick yellow cards and was sent off. The clock was ticking.
Collina gave five minutes of injury time. Too many for the fans in Rome who booed. All people had left were prayers. Even the non-religious prayed.
Collina closed the game with over six minutes of injury time. Cucchi announced “it is 18.04 on May 14, 2000. La Lazio è Campione d’Italia”, Lazio are Italian Champions!
Four days later Lazio won the Coppa Italia. An unforgettable season.
Birthdays this Week
- Fabio Calcaterra, 13-5-1965, defender, Italy, 37 appearances (1985-86)
- Constantino Fava, 14-5-1946, forward, Italy, 24 appearances, 3 goals (1967-71)
- Salvador Gualtieri, 14-5-1917, midfielder, Argentina, 223 appearances, 24 goals (1940-48)
- André Dias, 15-5-1979, defender, Brazil, 131 appearances, 6 goals (2010-14)
- Lionel Scaloni, 16-5-1978, defender, Argentina, 67 appearances, 1 goal (2007-13)
- José Antonio Chamot, 17-5-1969, defender, Argentina, 131 appearances, 2 goals (1994-98)
- Gino Lamon I, 18-5-1903, forward, Italy, 63 appearances, 13 goals (1927-31)
- Alfonso Greco, 19-5-1969, midfielder, Italy, 13 appearances (1986-87)
This Article Was Written by Dag Jenkins & Simon Basten from Lazio Stories. More Information on the Above Matches and Players can be found on LazioStories.com.