On June 6, 1993, at Rome`s Stadio Olimpico, Giallorossi hosted Udinese for the final matchday of the season. In a truly unusual scene, the home fans surprisingly celebrated a goal scored by the opposing team. This was because the scorer, Desideri, was a former Roma player, and for Roma, the match held no real significance as their focus was entirely on the upcoming Coppa Italia final. Roma would later lose that final against Torino in a dramatic two-legged tie that finished 5-5 on aggregate.
In the second half of the match against Udinese, Muzzi broke through the defense and was brought down by Calori. Haessler stepped up to take the resulting penalty and coolly converted it, giving Roma a 1-0 lead. Udinese appeared to be heading for automatic relegation. However, with just ten minutes left in the game, Desideri netted a crucial goal with a curling shot, leveling the score and, more importantly, securing a relegation playoff spot for Udinese against Brescia. After the match concluded, Udinese coach Albertino Bigon spoke to reporters, commenting, “Usually, a playoff is a completely unpredictable game. I believe both teams are in good form and health, they have a 50% chance, and as often happens, it will be a match decided by an individual moment.” The subsequent playoff, played at a neutral venue in Bologna, saw Udinese emerge victorious with a 3-1 scoreline, securing their Serie A status.
Match Details
Score: Roma 1-1 Udinese
Goalscorers: 48’ Haessler, 80’ Desideri
Lineups
Roma
- Fimiani
- Garzya
- Petruzzi
- Bonacina
- Benedetti
- Aldair (67’ Comi)
- Mihajlovic
- Haessler
- Muzzi (68’ Carnevale)
- Salsano
- Rizzitelli
Coach: Vujadin Boskov
Udinese
- Di Sarno
- S. Pellegrini
- A. Orlando (77’ Marronaro)
- Sensini
- Calori
- Desideri
- Kozminski
- Rossitto
- Dell’Anno (45’ Mattei)
- Branca
Coach: Albertino Bigon
