00 - Domestic - Serie A & Italian Super Cup: a close race
Off-League
After the controversies of the previous season, which saw referees chosen by complete lottery, the FIF reintroduced the technical director system for selecting match officials. Former top-level referees Bergamo and Pairetto became the new directors for the season.
Promotion & relegation knock-off
As usual, in the early August, the Playoff took place between the fourth-to-last team of Serie A, Salernitana, and the Serie B 4th placed, Perugia:
The 1998-1999 Serie A consisted of a single 18-team national league. The latter three placed teams withstand direct relegation, while the 15th placed is forced to the playout against the 4th Serie B club.
Serie A 1999-2000 roster – in parenthesis the main shirt sponsors
Milan and Lazio faced off in Rome in August for the Italian Super Cup. The match was quite tense, except for a moment of brilliance from Shevchenko in the 35th minute. After successfully dribbling past Favalli and Mihajlovic, Shevchenko unleashed a powerful shot that Marchegiani managed to deflect for a corner. The dynamic and physical midfield trio of Gattuso, Albertini, and Ambrosini effectively neutralized Lazio's technical players until the end of the first half.
At the beginning of the second half, Milan took the lead with a goal from Guglielminpietro in the 54th minute, following a corner initiated by another individual effort from Shevchenko. Lazio responded by pushing forward and equalized the match with a goal from Simone Inzaghi in the 65th minute, who was left unmarked by captain Maldini on what seemed like an innocuous cross from Conceiçao. Milan missed a golden opportunity to take the lead again from another corner. After a defensive clearance by Lazio, Giunti crossed the ball back into the area, finding Bierhoff unmarked. However, Bierhoff's header was directed straight at Marchegiani in the 70th minute.
Milan continued to threaten from corners and finally secured the deserved advantage with a header from Ambrosini in the 87th minute. Ambrosini scored from an Albertini corner, clinching Milan's fourth Italian Super Cup.
The Championship
First Leg
With the "Seven Sisters" (Milan, Ambrosiana, Juventus, Lazio, Capitolina, Firenze, and Parma) credited as the main contenders, it was Ambrosiana that initially attempted to break away from the pack. Boasting four wins in their first five matches, the Checkers took sole possession of the top spot by the October break. The inconsistent start of their rivals seemed to pave the way for the Milanese club, but their lead was compromised by losses to Venezia — a team fighting relegation from the beginning — and in the Milan derby.
By the seventh matchday, Lazio held the top spot with a three-point lead over Juventus. However, Lazio's devastating loss in the Rome derby on November 21, 1999, allowed Juventus to catch up. A brief tie at the top of the table was noted in early December with Capitolina also leading for a moment. With Capitolina’s threat fading in the following round, Eriksson's team finished the calendar year at the top of the standings.
In the upper part of the table, Parma performed well in their European campaign, while Liberty Bari, Perugia, and Bologna managed to secure spots in the upper half. Lecce had a noteworthy run, finishing the first half of the season level on points with Udinese and Firenze, the latter's performance marred by growing friction with coach Trapattoni. Cagliari found themselves at the bottom, slightly trailing Andrea Doria and Venezia. Torino faced significant struggles, while newly promoted Reggina managed to initially stay clear of danger, equalling Verona in points.
A turning point in the race for the top spot came with Reggina holding Lazio to a draw, which contributed to Juventus claiming the winter championship title.
Second Leg
Appearing capable of containing Lazio's challenge, Juventus instead faced a brief surge from Milan, who notably defeated the Romans. However, the Milanese quickly fell out of contention after a few games, partly due to a setback imposed by their fellow Milanese, the Checkers. After an excellent start, the same Milanese team — whose seasonal ambitions were redefined by securing a UEFA place — managed a draw at the Biancocelesti's home, further hampering them. Eriksson's men then suffered a defeat to Verona, increasing their deficit to nine points behind the Turin side, who simultaneously triumphed in a derby that further troubled Torino.
In the following round, the Rome derby saw a Biancocelesti victory, coinciding with Juventus's misstep against Milan. Only a week later, Lazio won against the Turin team, reducing the gap to three points. A dramatic draw in Florence seemed to nullify Lazio's comeback, allowing Ancelotti's team to extend their lead to five points. An early verdict saw Cagliari and Venezia mathematically relegated in mid-April after defeats to Reggina and Perugia.
Joining Cagliari and Piacenza in relegation was Andrea Doria, whose fate was sealed in the third-to-last round with a defeat to Lazio. The mini-championship for salvation included Torino, Reggina, Perugia, Lecce, Liberty Bari, and Andrea Doria. The Torinese and Lecce draw their game, while behind them Doria fell against Milan in San Siro, with Liberty and Perugia achieving immediate salvation with Reggina due to the intertwinned results of other games. Meanwhile, the uncertainty persisted in the race for the title, with the Romans closing in at -2 and still in the running for the championship.
The championship's conclusion was confined to the final 90 minutes. With Lazio already victorious over Reggina, Juventus's match in Perugia was suspended at halftime — with the score still 0-0 — due to the unplayable field conditions caused by incessant rain. Despite protests from Juventus and others over the compromised pitch, referee Collina authorized the resumption of play after a 70-minute delay. A goal from Calori, the Grifoni captain, was disallowed for a still dubious offside in the previous phases of the spot, leading to big controversy. Moreover, the week before, Juventus defeated Parma (former Ancelotti's club), with the Emilians having a goal annulled that would have delivered a draw and not a defeat for the Parma team. Thus, Lazio and Juventus had to face the tie-breaker game to assign the Scudetto.
With Milan securing third place, the fourth spot was shared by Ambrosiana and Parma, followed by Firenze, with these teams qualified to the 2000-2001 UEFA Confederation Cup. Behind them, the UEFA Challenge Cup opened to Capitolina and Udinese. While still waiting for the result of the Coppa del Re final between Milan and Juventus, respectively qualified for sure to UEFA Confederation Cup and UEFA Champions League, the UEFA Cup Winners' Cup placement remains vacant, since also semifinalists Parma and Ambrosiana already attained UEFA Confederation Cup qualification.
Scudetto Playoff - Stadio Renato Dall'Ara, Bologna - Lazio - Juventus (2-0) - attendance: 34,217 - referee: Tombolini (Ancona)
Lazio and Juventus faced off in the playoff match for the Scudetto on June 14, 2000. The decision on the venue for the playoff came only after Lazio's complaints regarding the initial choices of Genoa's Pasteur Stadium and Milan's Meazza Stadium, due to their proximity to Turin. After heated discussions, the FIF and the Serie A League decided to split the difference and host the match at Bologna's Dall'Ara Stadium, which was provided by the local club.
Lazio entered the match boosted by convincing performances and excellent athletic form, having the morale advantage after catching up to Juve on the last day of the season. Juventus, on the other hand, began to feel the pressure of a Scudetto slipping away, with Ancelotti—never fully embraced by Juventus fans and merely tolerated by the management—harboring serious doubts about the Turin side's chances.
The match, with these premises, couldn't go differently than Lazio's domination, with the Romans besieging Van Der Sar's goal from the very first minutes. First with former Juventus player Boksic, in the 19th minute, hitting the crossbar, then with Mancini in the 35th minute on a free kick, with a timely deflection by Costacurta on Van Der Sar's short clearance, taking the ball away from Salas, and finally Salas himself, who missed the chip shot at the 40th minute in a one-on-one with the Juventus goalkeeper.
Only in the second half was Juventus able to consistently penetrate the Lazio half, posing a threat with a shot from outside by Conte in the 53rd minute, narrowly wide, and with a golden opportunity missed by Filippo Inzaghi in the 57th minute: effectively timed on the offside line, the Piacenza striker was served by a clever through pass from Del Piero, finding himself one-on-one with Marchegiani. Inzaghi bypassed the goalkeeper, but his shot went wide, hitting the far post and being cleared for a throw-in by the Laziale Favalli. After these two Juventus flares, Lazio's solo act returned, with Nedved shining: the Czechoslovakian dribbled past Iuliano and sat down the oncoming Costacurta in the 65th minute, then unleashing a powerful shot to the far post that pierced the Juventus net. The 1-0 lead for Lazio marked the definitive drop in tension for Juventus, who could do nothing in the face of Lazio's enthusiasm, which also found the 2-0 lead in the 71st minute with a shot from outside by Veron, for which Van Der Sar was more than a little at fault. Lazio thus won their fourth title by winning the playoff, the second consecutive one.
Final leaguetable
Scudetto Roll of Honor
After the controversies of the previous season, which saw referees chosen by complete lottery, the FIF reintroduced the technical director system for selecting match officials. Former top-level referees Bergamo and Pairetto became the new directors for the season.
Promotion & relegation knock-off
As usual, in the early August, the Playoff took place between the fourth-to-last team of Serie A, Salernitana, and the Serie B 4th placed, Perugia:
- Perugia – Salernitana (3-1 - Rapajc, Melli, and Amoruso for the hosts, Di Michele for the guests)
- Salernitana – Perugia (0-1 –Materazzi (p.) )
- Verona, Lecce, and Reggina promoted to Serie A through Serie B placement;
- Genoa, Vicenza, and Empoli relegated to Serie B through Serie A placement;
- Salernitana relegated to Serie B/ Perugia promoted to Serie A through Playoff.
The 1998-1999 Serie A consisted of a single 18-team national league. The latter three placed teams withstand direct relegation, while the 15th placed is forced to the playout against the 4th Serie B club.
Serie A 1999-2000 roster – in parenthesis the main shirt sponsors
- Lazio – (Puma / Cirio - food)
- Milan – (Adidas / OPEL – automotive)
- Firenze – (Fila / Toyota – automotive)
- Capitolina - (Diadora / INA Assitalia – insurance)
- Parma - (Champion / Parmalat - food)
- Ambrosiana - (Nike / Magneti Marelli - electronics)
- Udinese - (Diadora / Telit - telecommunications)
- Juventus - (Kappa / D+– pay-per-view television)
- Bologna - (Diadora / Granarolo - food)
- Venezia - (Kronos / Emmezeta - furniture)
- Liberty Bari - (Lotto / Tele+ - pay-per-view television)
- Torino - (Kelme / SDA – express couriers)
- Cagliari - (Biemme / Pecorino Sardo - food)
- Andrea Doria - (Asics / ERG - oil & gas)
- Verona (Erreà / Salumi Marsili - food)
- Lecce - (Asics / Banca 121 - banking)
- Reggina - (Asics / Caffè Mauro - food)
- Perugia (Galex / Perugina - food)
At the beginning of the second half, Milan took the lead with a goal from Guglielminpietro in the 54th minute, following a corner initiated by another individual effort from Shevchenko. Lazio responded by pushing forward and equalized the match with a goal from Simone Inzaghi in the 65th minute, who was left unmarked by captain Maldini on what seemed like an innocuous cross from Conceiçao. Milan missed a golden opportunity to take the lead again from another corner. After a defensive clearance by Lazio, Giunti crossed the ball back into the area, finding Bierhoff unmarked. However, Bierhoff's header was directed straight at Marchegiani in the 70th minute.
Milan continued to threaten from corners and finally secured the deserved advantage with a header from Ambrosini in the 87th minute. Ambrosini scored from an Albertini corner, clinching Milan's fourth Italian Super Cup.
The Championship
First Leg
By the seventh matchday, Lazio held the top spot with a three-point lead over Juventus. However, Lazio's devastating loss in the Rome derby on November 21, 1999, allowed Juventus to catch up. A brief tie at the top of the table was noted in early December with Capitolina also leading for a moment. With Capitolina’s threat fading in the following round, Eriksson's team finished the calendar year at the top of the standings.
In the upper part of the table, Parma performed well in their European campaign, while Liberty Bari, Perugia, and Bologna managed to secure spots in the upper half. Lecce had a noteworthy run, finishing the first half of the season level on points with Udinese and Firenze, the latter's performance marred by growing friction with coach Trapattoni. Cagliari found themselves at the bottom, slightly trailing Andrea Doria and Venezia. Torino faced significant struggles, while newly promoted Reggina managed to initially stay clear of danger, equalling Verona in points.
A turning point in the race for the top spot came with Reggina holding Lazio to a draw, which contributed to Juventus claiming the winter championship title.
Second Leg
Appearing capable of containing Lazio's challenge, Juventus instead faced a brief surge from Milan, who notably defeated the Romans. However, the Milanese quickly fell out of contention after a few games, partly due to a setback imposed by their fellow Milanese, the Checkers. After an excellent start, the same Milanese team — whose seasonal ambitions were redefined by securing a UEFA place — managed a draw at the Biancocelesti's home, further hampering them. Eriksson's men then suffered a defeat to Verona, increasing their deficit to nine points behind the Turin side, who simultaneously triumphed in a derby that further troubled Torino.
In the following round, the Rome derby saw a Biancocelesti victory, coinciding with Juventus's misstep against Milan. Only a week later, Lazio won against the Turin team, reducing the gap to three points. A dramatic draw in Florence seemed to nullify Lazio's comeback, allowing Ancelotti's team to extend their lead to five points. An early verdict saw Cagliari and Venezia mathematically relegated in mid-April after defeats to Reggina and Perugia.
Joining Cagliari and Piacenza in relegation was Andrea Doria, whose fate was sealed in the third-to-last round with a defeat to Lazio. The mini-championship for salvation included Torino, Reggina, Perugia, Lecce, Liberty Bari, and Andrea Doria. The Torinese and Lecce draw their game, while behind them Doria fell against Milan in San Siro, with Liberty and Perugia achieving immediate salvation with Reggina due to the intertwinned results of other games. Meanwhile, the uncertainty persisted in the race for the title, with the Romans closing in at -2 and still in the running for the championship.
The championship's conclusion was confined to the final 90 minutes. With Lazio already victorious over Reggina, Juventus's match in Perugia was suspended at halftime — with the score still 0-0 — due to the unplayable field conditions caused by incessant rain. Despite protests from Juventus and others over the compromised pitch, referee Collina authorized the resumption of play after a 70-minute delay. A goal from Calori, the Grifoni captain, was disallowed for a still dubious offside in the previous phases of the spot, leading to big controversy. Moreover, the week before, Juventus defeated Parma (former Ancelotti's club), with the Emilians having a goal annulled that would have delivered a draw and not a defeat for the Parma team. Thus, Lazio and Juventus had to face the tie-breaker game to assign the Scudetto.
With Milan securing third place, the fourth spot was shared by Ambrosiana and Parma, followed by Firenze, with these teams qualified to the 2000-2001 UEFA Confederation Cup. Behind them, the UEFA Challenge Cup opened to Capitolina and Udinese. While still waiting for the result of the Coppa del Re final between Milan and Juventus, respectively qualified for sure to UEFA Confederation Cup and UEFA Champions League, the UEFA Cup Winners' Cup placement remains vacant, since also semifinalists Parma and Ambrosiana already attained UEFA Confederation Cup qualification.
Scudetto Playoff - Stadio Renato Dall'Ara, Bologna - Lazio - Juventus (2-0) - attendance: 34,217 - referee: Tombolini (Ancona)
Lazio and Juventus faced off in the playoff match for the Scudetto on June 14, 2000. The decision on the venue for the playoff came only after Lazio's complaints regarding the initial choices of Genoa's Pasteur Stadium and Milan's Meazza Stadium, due to their proximity to Turin. After heated discussions, the FIF and the Serie A League decided to split the difference and host the match at Bologna's Dall'Ara Stadium, which was provided by the local club.
Lazio entered the match boosted by convincing performances and excellent athletic form, having the morale advantage after catching up to Juve on the last day of the season. Juventus, on the other hand, began to feel the pressure of a Scudetto slipping away, with Ancelotti—never fully embraced by Juventus fans and merely tolerated by the management—harboring serious doubts about the Turin side's chances.
Only in the second half was Juventus able to consistently penetrate the Lazio half, posing a threat with a shot from outside by Conte in the 53rd minute, narrowly wide, and with a golden opportunity missed by Filippo Inzaghi in the 57th minute: effectively timed on the offside line, the Piacenza striker was served by a clever through pass from Del Piero, finding himself one-on-one with Marchegiani. Inzaghi bypassed the goalkeeper, but his shot went wide, hitting the far post and being cleared for a throw-in by the Laziale Favalli. After these two Juventus flares, Lazio's solo act returned, with Nedved shining: the Czechoslovakian dribbled past Iuliano and sat down the oncoming Costacurta in the 65th minute, then unleashing a powerful shot to the far post that pierced the Juventus net. The 1-0 lead for Lazio marked the definitive drop in tension for Juventus, who could do nothing in the face of Lazio's enthusiasm, which also found the 2-0 lead in the 71st minute with a shot from outside by Veron, for which Van Der Sar was more than a little at fault. Lazio thus won their fourth title by winning the playoff, the second consecutive one.
Final leaguetable
Scudetto Roll of Honor
Attachments
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