On 1 June 1997 Udinese, with Alberto Zaccheroni as coach, was at a historic crossroads. There was one match left in the season and Udinese had 51 points, while those right behind them, Bologna, had 48. So one point was enough for Udinese to secure the sixth place and qualify for the very first time for one of Europe’s greatest tournaments – the UEFA Cup. Just one year earlier, Udinese were in Serie B. The match was in Rome, against Roma, who had just come from a disappointing season and had barely avoided relegation.
The many fans who had followed Udinese to the capital, and all those crowded together in front of the mega screen in Primo Maggio square, started celebrating after 30 minutes, when Roma’s goalkeeper Gianluca Berti was sent off after a reckless run-out. After that, the rest of the match was all downhill, despite two chances for Roma thwarted by Giovanni Bia: Paolo Pioggi and Oliver Bierhoff executed a one-two pass and closed the match at the end of the first half. That would have been enough, but towards the end of the match Bia scored the third goal, after receiving a cross from Thomas Helveg. Once the match ended, the celebrations began in the visitors’ section of the stadium: Udinese had qualified for a European tournament for the first time in its history. At the end of the season, the team secured fifth place, after overtaking Sampdoria on the last matchday.
In the following season, Zaccheroni’s team advanced past the first European round against Widzew Lodz, and then lost against Ajax in those historic two matches that all Udinese fans still remember. In the Serie A season they did even better than the previous year, finishing in third place.
Roma-Udinese 0-3 (HT 0-2)
Scorers: Poggi 42, Bierhoff 45, Bia 87
Roma: Berti; Pivotto, Lanna, Petruzzi, Statuto (Delvecchio 67); Tommasi, Di Biagio, Thern, Bernardini (Di Magno 27); Totti, Balbo (cap.).
Subs not used: Moriero, Stovini, D. Conti. A. Conti. Coach Sella - Liedholm.
Udinese: Caniato; Bia, Calori (cap.), Pierini; Helveg, Giannichedda, Rossitto, Sergio; Poggi (Cappioli 73), Bierhoff, Amoroso (Locatelli 83)
Subs not used: Battistini, Bertotto, Orlando, Nicoli, Genaux. Coach Zaccheroni.