Threats, weapons, Psy, tears, an eagle cameo and a team bus pelted by its own supporters – that was the Coppa Italia final
The Italian press billed it as the "most important Rome derby of all time". They might even have been telling the truth. Sunday's Coppa Italia final between Lazio and Roma was the 158th official meeting between the capital's pre-eminent clubs, but the first to be played with a major title on the line for both of them.
Both teams had endured disappointment in the league. After two years of heavy transfer investment, Roma began this campaign targeting a Champions League berth but instead finished sixth, outside the European places. Lazio had started out with more modest expectations, and overachieved significantly during the first half of the season – sitting joint-second at the midway point. But their subsequent collapse was catastrophic. They finished seventh, behind their city rivals.
This one game, then, would define both teams' seasons. While the winners could claim a trophy and a spot in next term's Europa League, the losers would walk away with nothing. Worse yet, they would surrender all bragging rights to their most bitter rivals.
How to prepare for such a game? The Lazio owner, Claudio Lotito, gave his answer shortly after his team had closed out the Serie A season with a 1-0 defeat to Cagliari on 19 May. Against the will of their manager, Vladimir Petkovic, Lotito sent the entire Lazio squad away for a week-long training camp in Norcia, a small town 100 miles outside of Rome.
Lotito might have been motivated by superstition. Lazio had made similar trips to Norcia before their derby victory of April 2009 and subsequent Coppa Italia final triumph over Sampdoria the following month. More likely, however, he was simply trying to ease the pressure on his squad. In Rome they would have been subjected to endless media harassment and hype. In Norcia they could take country walks and spent time with a sports psychologist.
Even such secluded settings, though, could not shield Lazio from what was to come next. On Saturday morning it was reported that at least three of the club's players, and one member of staff, had received anonymous phone calls in which they were warned that they and their family members would be killed unless they lost the final.
The club declined to make any comment on the matter, beyond confirming that the incident had been reported to the relevant authorities. That was not to be the only dark development in the build-up to the game, however. Between Saturday evening and Sunday morning, police found significant weapons stashes hidden underneath two bridges – Ponte della Musica and Ponte Duca d'Aosta – in close proximity to the stadium. Among the items seized were a number of ice picks, axes and cudgels.
Anxiety over the potential for violent clashes between fans had been running high even before those arsenals were discovered. Both of this season's league meetings between Roma and Lazio were preceded by fighting in the streets. This time the authorities were determined not to be caught unprepared, deploying close to 2,000 policemen in and around the stadium on Sunday afternoon.
That seemed to be enough. The two clubs' supporters were kept apart as they were ushered into the stadium before kick-off. And then something quite remarkable happened. For the first time in a long time, fans of Roma and Lazio found some common ground.
With fingers firmly on the cultural pulse, the tournament's organisers had booked last summer's great YouTube phenomenon, the Korean rapper Psy, to appear live as part of the pre-game festivities. His performance of Gangnam Style was barely audible amidst the boos and whistles of a furious Stadio Olimpico crowd.
The on-field entertainment, however, only went downhill from there. "Fate vincere il calcio!"– "Make football the winner!"– implored the front page of Rome's Corriere dello Sport on the day of the game, calling on fans and players to each do their bit to make this a memorable afternoon. The latter failed to hold up their end of the bargain.
What ought to have been a compelling fixture between two great rivals instead became governed by fear. The incentives for each team to win were great – Roma, indeed, had the opportunity to become the first team to lift the Coppa Italia for a 10th time – yet the potential repercussions of defeat were too terrible to countenance. The players' anxieties were laid bare with every fretful sideways pass during a dire first 45 minutes.
The second half was initially little better. More than one observer wondered aloud whether both teams might already be playing for penalties, but an injury to Lazio's Cristian Ledesma forced a change of pace. His replacement Stefano Mauri brought a different dynamic to the team's midfield, pushing on through the middle in support of the lone striker Miroslav Klose.
Mauri, though, would not be the one to break the deadlock. Lazio had begun to make incursions down the flanks, too, and with 18 minutes left to play, his team-mate Antonio Candreva swung over a low cross from the right. The Roma goalkeeper Bogdan Lobont got a hand to the ball but could only push it as far as Senad Lulic at the back post. The Bosnian midfielder passed it gratefully into an empty net.
If Roma's supporters had hoped for a furious reaction at that point, then they were to be disappointed. Francesco Totti forced one awkward save from Federico Marchetti, who pushed his free-kick on to the bar, but that was an isolated moment. Indeed, Mauri missed a very presentable opportunity to extend Lazio's lead, shooting straight at Lobont.
When the full-time whistle blew, Roma's players crumpled. Daniele De Rossi, Nicolás Burdisso and Federico Balzaretti all wept, as did their captain, Totti. Pablo Osvaldo, the team's leading scorer this season but left on the bench here until the final 15 minutes, cursed angrily at his manager, Aurelio Andreazzoli, before storming down the tunnel without collecting his runners-up medal.
Lazio celebrated. Theirs had not been a glorious performance, with Andrea Schianchi in Gazzetta dello Sport describing the whole experience as an "abrupt fall back to earth" for fans after the highs of Saturday's Champions League final. This was a scrappy game in the extreme, with nearly three times as many fouls committed in Rome as had been the case at Wembley.
But no Lazio supporters were complaining as the team's manager, Petkovic, walked over to the Curva Nord with the club's mascot, Olimpia the eagle, perched triumphantly on his forearm. The former charity worker has outperformed expectations since taking charge of the club last summer, winning admiration not only for his results but also for his approach.
Petkovic set himself apart from some others in Italy early by insisting that his team take their Europa League commitments as seriously as any other competition. Many would argue that he ultimately asked too much of a thin squad, costing them a better league position. But others will see vindication of his methods in Sunday's triumph.
It was fitting, too, that the goal should come from Lulic. Back in 2008 he had played under Petkovic at Bellinzona, a second-tier club who made a surprise run to the Swiss Cup final before losing to Basel. Both men's careers have been on a firm upward trajectory in the five years since.
Petkovic described Sunday's win as "the most important result of my career", but also caused alarm among some fans by dodging a question about his future with Lazio. If his reticence was caused in any part by uncertainty over the club's ambition going forward, then he may have been reassured by Lotito's words later the same evening. "I will strengthen Lazio, on this there is no doubt," said the owner. "My objective is to make this team more competitive in Europe."
But while Lazio can look forward to another year of European competition, Roma are left looking for answers yet again. Any hopes Andreazzoli had of seeing his caretaker position converted into a permanent one expired with this defeat. A group of 200 or so fans were waiting for Roma's team bus on its return to the club's Trigoria training complex. Most players had already gone but those still on board were pelted with eggs and rocks.
The authorities had succeeded, for the most part, in preventing any significant scuffles between Lazio and Roma's fans in the city. Sadly, the losers of the most important Rome derby of all time were not so well protected from their very own supporters. Reported by guardian.co.uk 2 days ago.
The Italian press billed it as the "most important Rome derby of all time". They might even have been telling the truth. Sunday's Coppa Italia final between Lazio and Roma was the 158th official meeting between the capital's pre-eminent clubs, but the first to be played with a major title on the line for both of them.
Both teams had endured disappointment in the league. After two years of heavy transfer investment, Roma began this campaign targeting a Champions League berth but instead finished sixth, outside the European places. Lazio had started out with more modest expectations, and overachieved significantly during the first half of the season – sitting joint-second at the midway point. But their subsequent collapse was catastrophic. They finished seventh, behind their city rivals.
This one game, then, would define both teams' seasons. While the winners could claim a trophy and a spot in next term's Europa League, the losers would walk away with nothing. Worse yet, they would surrender all bragging rights to their most bitter rivals.
How to prepare for such a game? The Lazio owner, Claudio Lotito, gave his answer shortly after his team had closed out the Serie A season with a 1-0 defeat to Cagliari on 19 May. Against the will of their manager, Vladimir Petkovic, Lotito sent the entire Lazio squad away for a week-long training camp in Norcia, a small town 100 miles outside of Rome.
Lotito might have been motivated by superstition. Lazio had made similar trips to Norcia before their derby victory of April 2009 and subsequent Coppa Italia final triumph over Sampdoria the following month. More likely, however, he was simply trying to ease the pressure on his squad. In Rome they would have been subjected to endless media harassment and hype. In Norcia they could take country walks and spent time with a sports psychologist.
Even such secluded settings, though, could not shield Lazio from what was to come next. On Saturday morning it was reported that at least three of the club's players, and one member of staff, had received anonymous phone calls in which they were warned that they and their family members would be killed unless they lost the final.
The club declined to make any comment on the matter, beyond confirming that the incident had been reported to the relevant authorities. That was not to be the only dark development in the build-up to the game, however. Between Saturday evening and Sunday morning, police found significant weapons stashes hidden underneath two bridges – Ponte della Musica and Ponte Duca d'Aosta – in close proximity to the stadium. Among the items seized were a number of ice picks, axes and cudgels.
Anxiety over the potential for violent clashes between fans had been running high even before those arsenals were discovered. Both of this season's league meetings between Roma and Lazio were preceded by fighting in the streets. This time the authorities were determined not to be caught unprepared, deploying close to 2,000 policemen in and around the stadium on Sunday afternoon.
That seemed to be enough. The two clubs' supporters were kept apart as they were ushered into the stadium before kick-off. And then something quite remarkable happened. For the first time in a long time, fans of Roma and Lazio found some common ground.
With fingers firmly on the cultural pulse, the tournament's organisers had booked last summer's great YouTube phenomenon, the Korean rapper Psy, to appear live as part of the pre-game festivities. His performance of Gangnam Style was barely audible amidst the boos and whistles of a furious Stadio Olimpico crowd.
The on-field entertainment, however, only went downhill from there. "Fate vincere il calcio!"– "Make football the winner!"– implored the front page of Rome's Corriere dello Sport on the day of the game, calling on fans and players to each do their bit to make this a memorable afternoon. The latter failed to hold up their end of the bargain.
What ought to have been a compelling fixture between two great rivals instead became governed by fear. The incentives for each team to win were great – Roma, indeed, had the opportunity to become the first team to lift the Coppa Italia for a 10th time – yet the potential repercussions of defeat were too terrible to countenance. The players' anxieties were laid bare with every fretful sideways pass during a dire first 45 minutes.
The second half was initially little better. More than one observer wondered aloud whether both teams might already be playing for penalties, but an injury to Lazio's Cristian Ledesma forced a change of pace. His replacement Stefano Mauri brought a different dynamic to the team's midfield, pushing on through the middle in support of the lone striker Miroslav Klose.
Mauri, though, would not be the one to break the deadlock. Lazio had begun to make incursions down the flanks, too, and with 18 minutes left to play, his team-mate Antonio Candreva swung over a low cross from the right. The Roma goalkeeper Bogdan Lobont got a hand to the ball but could only push it as far as Senad Lulic at the back post. The Bosnian midfielder passed it gratefully into an empty net.
If Roma's supporters had hoped for a furious reaction at that point, then they were to be disappointed. Francesco Totti forced one awkward save from Federico Marchetti, who pushed his free-kick on to the bar, but that was an isolated moment. Indeed, Mauri missed a very presentable opportunity to extend Lazio's lead, shooting straight at Lobont.
When the full-time whistle blew, Roma's players crumpled. Daniele De Rossi, Nicolás Burdisso and Federico Balzaretti all wept, as did their captain, Totti. Pablo Osvaldo, the team's leading scorer this season but left on the bench here until the final 15 minutes, cursed angrily at his manager, Aurelio Andreazzoli, before storming down the tunnel without collecting his runners-up medal.
Lazio celebrated. Theirs had not been a glorious performance, with Andrea Schianchi in Gazzetta dello Sport describing the whole experience as an "abrupt fall back to earth" for fans after the highs of Saturday's Champions League final. This was a scrappy game in the extreme, with nearly three times as many fouls committed in Rome as had been the case at Wembley.
But no Lazio supporters were complaining as the team's manager, Petkovic, walked over to the Curva Nord with the club's mascot, Olimpia the eagle, perched triumphantly on his forearm. The former charity worker has outperformed expectations since taking charge of the club last summer, winning admiration not only for his results but also for his approach.
Petkovic set himself apart from some others in Italy early by insisting that his team take their Europa League commitments as seriously as any other competition. Many would argue that he ultimately asked too much of a thin squad, costing them a better league position. But others will see vindication of his methods in Sunday's triumph.
It was fitting, too, that the goal should come from Lulic. Back in 2008 he had played under Petkovic at Bellinzona, a second-tier club who made a surprise run to the Swiss Cup final before losing to Basel. Both men's careers have been on a firm upward trajectory in the five years since.
Petkovic described Sunday's win as "the most important result of my career", but also caused alarm among some fans by dodging a question about his future with Lazio. If his reticence was caused in any part by uncertainty over the club's ambition going forward, then he may have been reassured by Lotito's words later the same evening. "I will strengthen Lazio, on this there is no doubt," said the owner. "My objective is to make this team more competitive in Europe."
But while Lazio can look forward to another year of European competition, Roma are left looking for answers yet again. Any hopes Andreazzoli had of seeing his caretaker position converted into a permanent one expired with this defeat. A group of 200 or so fans were waiting for Roma's team bus on its return to the club's Trigoria training complex. Most players had already gone but those still on board were pelted with eggs and rocks.
The authorities had succeeded, for the most part, in preventing any significant scuffles between Lazio and Roma's fans in the city. Sadly, the losers of the most important Rome derby of all time were not so well protected from their very own supporters. Reported by guardian.co.uk 2 days ago.