TURIN, Italy, 14 May 2004 — Lazio came back from two goals down to lift the Italian Cup for the fourth time on Wednesday with a 2-2 draw at Juventus in the second leg to secure a 4-2 aggregate victory.
Juventus, trailing 2-0 from the first leg, pulled a goal back through French striker David Trezeguet in the 20th minute and then Alessandro Del Piero brought the tie level with a goal right after the interval.
But Lazio fought back with a header from Bernardo Corradi and a late Stefano Fiore strike to make it 2-2. Trezeguet rose above Giuseppe Favalli to meet an Alessandro Birindelli cross with a superb angled header that flashed into the bottom corner.
Juventus were well on top, particularly in midfield, with Lazio restricted to a shot from Fabio Liverani before the break. Just 24 seconds after the restart Del Piero put Juve 2-0 up on the night, and level overall, with a clinical finish after Trezeguet had put him though following a Pavel Nedved knock down.
Newcastle Draw Puts Liverpool at Europe’s Door
In London, Newcastle United’s dream of a place in the Champions League was snuffed out in a 3-3 draw at Southampton on Wednesday, all but handing qualification to Liverpool.
Substitute Leandre Griffit, who had been on the pitch seven minutes, put Southampton 3-2 ahead after a breakaway two minutes from time after the home side had twice trailed. Midfielder Darren Ambrose squeezed in an injury-time equalizer for Newcastle but it was not enough to keep them in contention for fourth spot.
Victory Puts Lyon Close to Third Title in Row
In Paris, a superb Juninho Pernambucano free kick gave Olympique Lyon a 1-0 victory over Bastia on Wednesday to put them in sight of a third successive Ligue 1 title.
The Brazilian international midfielder beat Bastia goalkeeper Nicolas Penneteau in the 26th minute for his 10th goal of the season to take Lyon to 76 points. Second-placed Monaco were held 0-0 at Racing Strasbourg and are now four points behind with two games left. Paris St. Germain are six points behind. Lyon started poorly but were in total control after Juninho’s goal. The Corsicans were further hampered after 64 minutes when their veteran midfielder Benoit Cauet was sent off. Champions League finalists Monaco pressed hard against Strasbourg but looked tired at the end of a long campaign and were forced to settle for their 12th draw of the season.
Hearts Claim First Victory at Rangers Since 1996
In Glasgow, Hearts consolidated their position as Scotland’s third best side with a 1-0 win at second-placed Rangers on Wednesday — their first victory at Ibrox stadium since January 1996. Joe Hamill pounced on a short back pass by Alan Hutton to race clear and slip the ball past goalkeeper Allan McGregor for a merited winner five minutes into the second half. It was the Edinburgh side’s first victory over Rangers since August 1998 and they are now 12 points ahead of fourth-placed Scottish Cup finalists Dunfermline Athletic with match left. In Wednesday’s other games, Dundee beat Livingston 2-0 while Kilmarnock trounced Aberdeen 4-0 at Rugby Park.
