The Events of 5 Maggio that nobody talks about

By: Francesco | April 29th, 2008

Hey, everyone, it’s Francesco from the Parma Offside. Since Chris has been busy and hasn’t been able to update the Italy Offside, I will now handle the duties and hope to give you guys news about Calcio every day. Here’s my first post, it’s about the Events of 5 Maggio that Nobody Talks about:

The Events of 5 Maggio that nobody talked about

If you bring up the term “5 Maggio” to an Inter fan, they will know what it means, and will most probably curse or cry or do something along those lines because they would be upset. For those of you that don’t know, 5 Maggio refers to May 5, 2002. It was the 2001/2002 season, and Inter were one win away from winning their first Scudetto since 1989. Argentine disciplinarian Hector Cuper led the Nerazzurri to the top of the table throughout the year, and had to deal with numerous injury problems and the likes, but still managed to have Inter at the top of the table on the last day. So, on the May 5, 2002, the last day of the season, Inter traveled to the Stadio Olimpico in Rome, where they had to get 3 points vs. Lazio. Lazio were really playing for nothing at that point of the season, as other teams were ahead of them in the European spots. Inter made the mistake of thinking it would be an easy win, and lost 4-2, losing the Scudetto to Juventus and making Christian Vieri and Ronaldo cry.

So what are the events of 5 Maggio that nobody talked about? Was it Juventus stealing the Scudetto away from Inter on the last day? Was it the miracle of Chievo Verona, who qualified for Europe in it’s first Serie A season? No, the events we’re talking about is how Bologna lost a historic qualification to the Champions League. Never heard the story? Well I’ll tell you:

In 2001/2002, Bologna started the season with optimism. Francesco Guidolin led the club with 7 Scudetti to their name to a good campaign in 2000/2001, and the roster was good quality. They could rely on Gianluca Pagliuca in goal, Salvatore Fresi in defense, Tomas Locatelli in midfield, and up front they had an impressive attacking trio of Giuseppe Signori, Claudio Bellucci, and an Argentine striker named Julio Cruz (where have I heard that name before?). The roster also had young talents (Alessandro Gamberini, Matteo Brighi, Christian Zaccardo) and experienced veterans (Carlo Nervo, Fabio Pecchia, Lamberto Zauli), and lots of other familiar names. Even though Bologna was a surprise of the season, they were overshadowed by the whole Chievo Verona story, as the Flying Donkeys had an excellent year in the first ever Serie A season, and were even crowned Winter Champions. Bologna held it’s own, staying in the top half of the table, even with injuries to Signori and Locatelli. Players like Pecchia and Zauli, along with the development of Cruz, allowed Bologna to continue the miracle and march towards a Champions League spot. Bologna even held their own against the big clubs, defeating Inter and Milan, and drawing Juventus. On the penultimate day of the season, the Rossoblu defeated Lazio 2-0, so on the last day of the season, the table looked like this:

4. Bologna 52

Milan 52

5. Chievo 51

6. Lazio 50

7. Atalanta 45

Since Parma reached the Coppa Italia final, they got the third UEFA Cup spot, so only 5th and 6th would get a UEFA Cup spot. Bologna had to win at all costs to grab what would be a historic Champions League qualification. If Bologna and Milan both won, Bologna would have gone to the Champions League because of their superior head to head record with Milan (2-1 win in Bologna, 0-0 draw in Milan). Standing in Bologna’s way was Brescia, lead by Roberto Baggio, who spent a season at Bologna in 1997/98. Brescia had to win to escape relegation, and therefore the game was played between two teams that had to win at all costs.

However, Bologna’s dreams faded. Some tall striker named Luca Toni put Brescia ahead in the 43rd minute, and at half-time, Milan were beating Lecce 2-0. So in the second half Bologna had to go out for the win, however Brescia scored 2 more goals (Bachini and Baggio) and the Rossoblu’s dreams were crushed. To add insult to injury, Chievo and Lazio both won, and they leapfrogged Bologna in the table, which meant Bologna, who 90 minutes ago were fighting for a Champions League spot, had to settle for the Intertoto Cup. Rossoblu fans dreamed of traveling to the Santiago Bernabeu or the Camp Nou or Old Trafford, but instead they had to travel to Craven Cottage (where they were defeated by Fulham in the Intertoto Cup final that summer).

It would’ve been a great story if Bologna had qualified, but unfortunately dreams don’t always become reality.