The Lazio Trophy Cabinet

Introduction

When one thinks of winning trophies in Italy, one does not usually think of Lazio; one would probably think of the football clubs Juventus, Milan or Inter. However, although the club does not have a trophy cabinet quite like the aforementioned clubs, the Roman side does have quite a bit of silverware to be proud of. Below, a closer look at the history of the Biancocelesti’s achievements, from their first major trophy in the form of a Coppa Italia in 1958 to their Supercoppa Italiana triumph of 2019; the perfect overview of the Lazio trophy cabinet.

The 1950’s

Lazio’s first major trophy comes in the form of the 1958 Coppa Italia. Back in the 50’s, the Coppa format had Italian clubs play a group stage based geographically with eight groups of four, and only the top team advancing to the quarterfinals from each group. Lazio was in Girone H with Roma, Palermo, and Napoli and topped the group with 4 wins, 2 draws, and no defeats in 6 games, including a huge 2-3 Derby win over rivals Roma. The Biancocelesti advanced to the quarterfinals to play Mariotto Valdagno and beat them 2-1, then defeated Juventus 2-0 in the semifinals. In the finals, they faced off against Fiorentina, who had beaten Padova and Bologna on their way to the finals. On the 24th of September, 1958, at the Stadio Olimpico, Lazio triumphed over Fiorentina 1-0 with the only goal coming from Maurilio Prini in the 30′ to win their first-ever Coppa Italia.

Former Lazio Captain Roberto Lovati Holding the 1958 Coppa Italia
The 1970’s

Lazio’s second major trophy comes in the form of the 1973/74 Scudetto. The 1973/74 Serie A season saw Lazio finish with 18 wins, 7 draws, and 5 losses in 30 games amassing 43 points; two more than second-place Juve, and seven more than third-place Napoli. The Biancocelesti scored 45 goals in their championship campaign; a whopping 24 of them coming from league top-scorer and superstar Giorgio Chinaglia. Lazio was nearly unstoppable at home with only one loss in 15 games, a big reason in which they were crowned champions. A big 3-1 win over Juve and a sweep of arch-rivals Roma were the highlights of a fantastic season. This title was a truly amazing feat considering they had just won the Serie B five years earlier.

Lazio with the Scudetto Patch on their Kits for the First Time

The 1990’s and Early 2000’s

From their first Scudetto to the mid 90’s, Lazio did not really do much to bolster their trophy cabinet. However, this all changed with the arrival of club President Sergio Cragnotti and Manager Sven-Göran Eriksson; the end of the millennium was crazy for Lazio in a good way, as the Cragnotti-Eriksson era saw Lazio win a whopping seven trophies in just three seasons.

Former Lazio President Sergio Cragnotti and Former Manager Sven-Göran Eriksson

After finishing Serie A runners-up in the 1994-95 season, Lazio’s first of these aforementioned seven titles came three years later with the 1997/98 Coppa Italia. Lazio annihilated Roma 6-2 on aggregate in the quarterfinals, then took down Juve in the semis 3-2. In the two-legged finals against AC Milan, Lazio dropped the first game in Milan 1-0 but then proceeded to win the second leg 3-1 in Rome at the Stadio Olimpico to win their second Coppa Italia.

Former Lazio Captain Diego Fuser Hoisting the Coppa Italia

This Coppa Italia victory allowed Lazio to play in the 1998 Supercoppa Italiana against the Serie A Champions, Juventus. The match was played at the Stadio delle Alpi in Turin. Lazio opened the scoring through Pavel Nedvěd only for Alessandro Del Piero to tie it up with a penalty shot in the 87′. But with extra-time looming, Sérgio Conceição won it in the fourth minute of stoppage time to give Lazio the 1-2 victory and our first Supercoppa; this was the second of seven trophies.

The following 1998/99 season in the Serie A was heartbreaking, as Lazio missed out on their second Scudetto by just one point to Milan and were top of the table from the 22nd Matchday to the 33rd Matchday (there were only 34 rounds back then). This being said, the Biancocelesti did not go without a trophy this season, as they managed to win the now abolished UEFA Cup Winners’ Cup. This was a competition founded in 1960 which was not as prestigious as the UEFA Champions League, but more prestigious than the UEFA Cup (now renamed the UEFA Europa League); it featured the winners of each European domestic cup from the season before. Lazio gained qualification for the competition in 1999 through their aforementioned 1997/98 Coppa Italia win. On their route to the finals, they defeated Lausanne-Sport, Partizan Belgrade, and Lokomotiv Moscow. This set up a finals against Spanish Copa del Rey Champions Mallorca at Villa Park in England. After the two teams exchanged early goals, the winner didn’t come until an 81′ strike from Pavel Nedvěd. This was Lazio’s first European trophy but it was the last edition of the UEFA Cup Winners’ Cup.

S.S. Lazio: the Last Winners of the UEFA Cup Winners’ Cup

After missing out on the league title in 1998/99, Lazio was out for revenge. In the 1999/00 season, the Biancocelesti won not one, not two, but three pieces of major silverware. The first came in the form of the 1999 UEFA Super Cup, which back then featured the winners of the previous season’s Champions League (Manchester United) and the previous season’s winners of the UEFA Cup Winners’ Cup (Lazio). Lazio dominated the game at the famous Stade Louis II, but the only goal of the game came from Marcelo Salas in the 35′. Lazio had defeated the Red Devils and had won their second and for now last European trophy.

Former Lazio Captain Alessandro Nesta Hoisting the 1999 UEFA Super Cup

Lazio took this momentum into the domestic competitions as they proceeded to win both their third Coppa Italia and second Scudetto. In the Coppa, Lazio defeated Juve on away goals and smashed Venezia 7-2 on aggregate in the semis to set up a final with Inter. The first leg in Rome finished 2-1 to Lazio and the away leg finished scoreless as Lazio came out on top and added to their silverware; the 1999/00 Coppa Italia. This 1999-00 Serie A campaign was unbelievable. What happened to Lazio the season prior (1998/99), happened for Lazio in 1999/00. Long story short, going into the final Matchday of the season, Juve had been top of the table since the 21st Matchday. But against Perugia in the rain, in the last game of the season, Juventus lost by a score of 1-0 and Lazio beat Reggina 3-0 to complete their incredible comeback, pass Juve by one point, and win their first Serie A title since 1973-74; the 1999/00 Scudetto.

Their outstanding three-trophy-season was then capped off by yet another trophy at the start of the following season – the 2000 Supercoppa Italiana. This was played at the Stadio Olimpico in front of 65,000 fans, was won by Lazio in thrilling 4-3 fashion over Inter.

Supporters Invading the Pitch Following Lazio’s Historic Scudetto Win

The 2000’s and 2010’s

Since their glory days at the turn of the millennium, Lazio has won an additional seven major trophies to add to our collection. The first of these came in the form of the 2003/04 Coppa Italia. Wins against Modena, Parma, and Milan in the round of 16, quarters, and semis respectively earned us another final with Juventus. The final two-legged score was 4-2 and the club had won their fourth Coppa Italia. Next was Lazio’s fifth Coppa Italia triumph. The 2008/09 Coppa Italia saw Milan, Torino, and Juventus all defeated by the Biancocelesti on their path to the finals. Against Sampdoria in the finals, the score after 120 minutes was 1-1, so penalties proved necessary as Lazio won 6-5 in the shootout. This victory was then followed up by the club’s third Supercoppa Italiana. Lazio defeated Serie A winners Inter by a score of 2-1 in China; they secured the 2009 Supercoppa Italiana.

Lazio’s sixth Coppa Italia was a memorable one. After breezing past Catania in the quarterfinals and squeaking past Juventus in the semifinals of the 2012/13 Coppa Italia we come across no other than Roma in the finals. On May 26th, 2013, Lazio took down their arch-rivals in the biggest Derby della Capitale ever. Senad Lulić‘s 71st-minute goal proved decisive; the perfect addition to the Lazio trophy cabinet.

Former Lazio Captain Stefano Mauri Hoisting the Coppa Italia

Lazio’s next trophy came in the form of the 2017 Supercoppa Italiana, won at the start of the season. After climbing out to a 2-0 lead against Juventus, Paulo Dybala brought them back to life with a brilliant free-kick and then proceeded to tie the game with a 91′ penalty before hero Alessandro Murgia won it for Lazio with essentially the last kick of the game.

Current Lazio Captain Senad Lulic Hoisting the Coppa Italia

Lazio’s most recent Coppa Italia win came during the 2018/19 season with a thrilling 2-0 victory over Atalanta. After a disappointing league campaign, it became clear that the Coppa Italia was an objective for Lazio. The Biancocelesti breezed past Novara 4-1 in the round-of-sixteen before squeaking past Inter on penalties in the quarters and then winning a tight 1-0 affair against Milan in the semis. Sergej Milinković-Savić was the hero in the finals scoring the 82′ winner; Lazio secured the 2018/19 Coppa Italia.

Lazio 2018/19 Coppa Italia Winners, Source- Official S.S.Lazio

Lazio’s latest trophy, the 2019 Supercoppa Italiana, was a direct result of winning the aforementioned Coppa Italia the season before. The match was held in Saudi Arabia in late December against Serie A winners Juventus. Dybala’s strike canceled out Luis Alberto’s opener, but a 73′ winner from Senad Lulić followed by a stoppage-time spectacular free-kick from Danilo Cataldi sealed the win for Lazio and gave them their fifth Supercoppa and 16th major trophy.

Lazio: Final Thoughts

Throughout their history, the Biancocelesti have accumulated a respectable 16 major trophies: x2 Scudetto, x7 Coppa Italia, x5 Supercoppa Italiana, x1 UEFA Cup Winners’ Cup, and x1 UEFA Super Cup. This may not be a huge number, but the club is still one of the most successful clubs in Italy, and have a lot to be proud of. To the surprise of everyone, the club may be looking to add to their collection in the 2019/20 season in the form of a third Scudetto, but there is still a ways to go in the season. Let us see what the future holds for the S.S. Lazio trophy cabinet…

Tags Alessandro Murgia Alessandro Nesta Aquile Biancocelesti Coppa Italia Danilo Cataldi Diego Fuser Dino Zoff Giorgio Chinaglia Giuseppe Wilson Lazio Luis Alberto Marcelo Salas Pavel Nedved Scudetto Senad Lulic Sergej Milinkovic-Savic Sergio Conceicao Sergio Cragnotti Serie A Simone Inzaghi Stadio Olimpico Supercoppa Italiana Sven-Göran Eriksson UEFA Cup Winners' Cup UEFA Super Cup