After coaching the Romanian national team where he led the team to their first appearance at UEFA European Championship finals, Lucescu had a long career in Italy, where he coached several clubs such as Pisa, Brescia, Reggiana and Inter Milan. He then took charge of Turkish club Galatasaray, with whom he won the UEFA Super Cup against Real Madrid in 2000. Under Lucescu's managership, Galatasaray reached the quarter-finals on the UEFA Champions League during the 2000–01 season. In the quarter-finals, they lost to Real Madrid. The same year, he lost the Turkish League title to rivals Fenerbahçe. The following year, Galatasaray qualified to the second phase of the Champions League and won the Turkish League title under his managership. Lucescu was sacked at the end of the season, despite winning the league championship, and was replaced by Fatih Terim.