April 3, 1977: Lazio-Inter 2-1
- Dag Jenkins
- Apr 3
- 8 min read
Bruno-Gol strikes twice
Two goals by Roman striker give Lazio good win
Also on this day:
The season so far
Lazio had finished 13th the previous season. It had been a difficult season due to Tommaso Maestrelli's illness. Lazio had started the season with Giulio Corsini in charge but he had clashed with the old guard players especially Giorgio Chinaglia and left in early December.
At this point Maestrelli surprisingly returned seemingly in better health. Lazio however struggled all season and in April Chinaglia left to play for the New York Cosmos. Lazio ultimately avoided relegation in a dramatic last game of the season 2-2 draw at Como.
This season Maestrelli was replaced by Brazilian Luís Vinicio. The main new players were keeper Claudio Garella (Novara), defender Dario Pighin (Palermo), midfielders Franco "Ciccio" Cordova (free agent), Fernando Viola (Cagliari) and forward Renzo Rossi (Como).
Cordova was a free agent but he was actually a rare arrival from Roma where he was captain. He had fallen out with president Gaetano Anzalone who had then tried to sell him to Verona but he refused. To stay in Rome and as payback to Anzalone he then signed for Lazio.
Leaving were keeper Avelino Moriggi (Novara), defender Sergio Petrelli (Anconitana), midfielder Sergio Borgo (Pistoiese) and forward Giovanni Carlo Ferrari (Cagliari).
The season had started with the Coppa Italia in August-September. Lazio had won 2 (Novara 3-2 at home and Catania 3-1 away) and lost 2 (Atalanta 1-2 away and Milan 1-2 at home) and were eliminated.
In Serie A, Lazio lost the opener (Juventus 2-3 at home) and were now in mid-table. After losing their debut the Biancocelesti had won 6 (including first derby 1-0), drawn 8 (including Inter 1-1) and lost 7 (including recent second derby 0-1). Lazio were currently 10th on 20 points.
It had not been an easy season for Lazio. Tommaso Maestrelli died on December 2 1976.
Yet another tragedy hit Lazio on January 18, 1977. One of their star players Luciano Re Cecconi died tragically at 28. He was shot by a jeweller in a shop in north Rome. Initially it seemed it may have been a prank gone wrong and that Re Cecconi had jokingly simulated a hold up, pretending to have a gun in his coat pocket. This has since been challenged, especially by his teammate Pietro Ghedin who was with him at the time. It emerged that the jeweller just panicked, he had already shot at someone before and was on edge, while the Lazio player had done nothing suspicious at all. It did not help that the jeweller did not follow football and so did not recognise "Cecco" who had even played for the national team. The sad fact remains that Re Cecconi died at 28.
Inter had finished 4th the previous season under Giuseppe Chiappella. The Nerazzurri had drawn 1-1 in Rome against the Biancocelesti and won 1-0 at home. Top scorer was Roberto Boninsegna with 12 goals (10 in A).
This season the manager was still Chiappella. The main novelties in the squad were defender Viviano Guida (back from Varese), midfielder Claudio Merlo (Fiorentina) plus forwards Pietro Anastasi (Juventus) and Carlo Muraro (back from Varese). A young defender was also up from the youth sector, Giuseppe Baresi who would go on to play 559 games.
Leaving the Nerazzurri were: goalkeeper Lido Vieri (Pistoiese), defenders Roberto Galbiati (Pescara), Mario Giubertoni (Verona), midfielder Franco Cerilli (Vicenza) and forward Roberto Cesati (Pescara-on loan).
In Serie A, Inter were 3rd on 26 points. They had won 8, drawn 10 (including Lazio 1-1 and both derbies) and lost 4. They were however winless in the last five games (D4, L1). The Nerazzurri were 11 points behind Juventus and 10 Torino, so out of the title race.
In Coppa Italia they were through to the second round to be played in June. The "Beneamata" had won 3 (Palermo and Pescara 1-0 at home and Varese 3-0 away) and drawn 1 (Fiorentina 2-2 away).
In the UEFA Cup they went out in the first round, losing to Hungarians Honvéd 1-2 on aggregate.
A difficult game to predict today. Neither team was particularly on form. Inter had not won since February 21 and Lazio came from a derby defeat.
The match: Sunday, April 3, 1977, Stadio Olimpico, Rome
A lovely, sunny day attracted about 55,000 spectators to the Olimpico.
Lazio were without Vincenzo D'Amico while Inter had forward Carlo Muraro unavailable.
Lazio went in front almost immediately. In the 5th minute Renzo Garlaschelli hooked a ball towards goal from outside the area but it came off Giacinto Facchetti's face and fell comfortably to Bruno Giordano who easily beat an already wrong footed Ivano Bordon. Lazio 1 Inter 0.
Inter reacted and forced Lazio on the back foot. In the 18th minute Sandro Mazzola went close but hit the crossbar.
A minute later Lazio had a huge chance to double their lead but Ciccio Cordova with only the keeper to beat managed to miss.
Inter were let off the hook and attacked again. They equalised in the 28th minute but, like Lazio's goal, it was helped by an element of luck. Anastasi went for a shot which did not look particularly dangerous but it then hit Giacomo Libera and sent Felice Pulici the wrong way. Lazio 1 Inter 1.
Lazio felt the blow and faded while Inter were unable to take advantage of the situation. Half time 1-1.
In the second half Lazio reorganised and dominated. It was one-way traffic with Lazio attacking constantly. In the 65th minute the Biancocelesti's pressure seemed about to be rewarded when the referee gave a penalty for a Facchetti handball on a shot by Cordova. Fernando Viola took it but kicked it centrally and straight into Bordon's arms.
This time Lazio reacted well from the setback and continued to push forward looking for a winner.
In the 75th minute the visitors replaced Giorgio Roselli with a more defensive midfielder Giuseppe Pavone.
Inter defended but were increasingly groggy. They finally capitulated in the 82nd minute. Roberto Badiani crossed, Garlaschelli astutely back-heeled and Giordano hammered in from close range. Lazio 2 Inter 1.
Lazio's superiority almost brought a third goal but Lionello Manfredonia was denied by the crossbar. Final score 3-1.
An excellent win for the Biancocelesti. They had deserved the two points. Despite some periods of difficulty Lazio had been more determined and had far more chances. The midfield in particular had played well with Cordova, Andrea Agostinelli and Gigi Martini dominating, especially in the second half. Giordano however with his two goals was obviously man of the match.
Lazio were now on 22 points and moved up to joint 8th with Verona and Genoa, only two points behind Roma.
Inter fell down to 5th on 26 points. The Nerazzurri were overtaken by both Fiorentina and Napoli.
Who played for Lazio
Pulici, Ammoniaci, Martini, Wilson, Manfredonia, Cordova, Garlaschelli, Agostinelli, Giordano, Viola, Badiani
Manager: Vinicio
Who played for Inter
Bordon, Canuti, Fedele, Oriali, Gasparini, Facchetti, Anastasi, Merlo, Mazzola, Roselli (75' Pavone), Libera
Substitutes: Martina, Sabato
Manager: Chiappella
Referee: Pieri
Goals: 5' Giordano, 28' Libera, 83' Giordano
What happened next
Lazio finished a positive 5th on 31 points and qualified for the UEFA Cup. They finished strongly and even overtook city rivals Roma.
So, Lazio had a good season, helped by young rising stars from the academy Bruno Giordano, Lionello Manfredonia and Andrea Agostinelli. In the next 7 games Lazio won 3 (including Genoa 4-1 at home), drew 3 and lost 1. Top scorer was Giordano with 13 goals (10 in A).
Inter finished 4th (UEFA Cup) on 33 points. In the following games they won 3 (including Napoli 3-0 and Roma 3-2, both away), drew 3 and lost 1 (Juventus 0-2 at home). Top scorer was Carlo Muraro with 10 goals (9 in A).
Inter also reached the final of Coppa Italia. In the second summer group they won 3 (Juventus 1-0 home and away, Vicenza 3-0 away) and drew 3 (Vicenza 1-1 and Lecce 0-0 at home and Lecce 1-1 away). In the final however, at San Siro on July 3, they lost 0-2 to city rivals A.C.Milan.
In Serie A the winners were Juventus who won their 17th title, one point ahead of Torino. Leaving for now were Cesena, Catanzaro and Sampdoria.
Let's talk about Giacinto Facchetti
Giacinto Facchetti was born in Treviglio (Bergamo) on July 18, 1942.
At 14 he joined local club Zanconti GSD Treviglio and at 15 the main club Trevigliese. The Lombards were in amateur leagues and Facchetti played 81 games. He played mainly as a forward and attracted the interest of Atalanta but his parents were not keen and it fell through.
He also caught Helenio Herrera's eye and towards the end of the 1960-61 season he made the big move to Inter. At Inter he became an attacking full-back and one of the best defenders in Italian history.
He made his debut on May 21 1961 against Roma and stayed on until May 7 1978 when he played his last game for inter.
In these 17 years he played 639 games (475 in A, 85 in Coppa Italia, 68 in Europe and 10 in other competitions). To be a defender he scored an impressive 76 goals (59 in A).
He won the Scudetto 4 times with Inter (1963, 1965, 1966 and 1971), the Coppa Italia (1978), the European Cup twice (1964, 1965) and the Intercontinental Cup twice (1964, 1965). At Inter he is a true great, possibly the greatest. His number 3 shirt will never be worn again by any Inter player.
For Italy he won 94 caps and scored 3 goals (Finland, Scotland and Cyprus). He won a European Championship in 1968 as captain and was runner-up at the 1970 World Cup. He took part in three World Cups and the triumphal European Championship. He was captain from 1966 to his last game in 1978 against England at Wembley.
In Italy Facchetti is a legend. He was a left full-back but an innovator in the position as he also took part in the attacking moves. He was strong physically with superb athleticism but also good technique. His athleticism won him the student games 100 metre title with a time of 11.00 seconds.
He scored 76 goals without penalties or freekicks. For such a big and strong player (1.88 and 85 kilos) he was agile too and able to cut in from the wing to shooting positions. For all his attacking abilities he was above all an excellent defender, solid marker and good in the air.
These strengths also allowed him to adapt to central defender and sweeper in his later years. The famous journalist Gianni Brera nicknamed him "Giacinto Magno". To his teammates he was "Cipe", possibly due to Herrera initially pronouncing his name wrong as Cipelletti.
He was also an extremely clean and correct player. In his long career he only got sent off once and that was for applauding the referee.
When talking of the greatest Italian defenders of all time, Facchetti's name always comes up.
After retiring he stayed at Inter. He became a director and was even president between January 2004 and September 2006. He continued to be respected off the field for his gentleman-like behaviour and sporting values.
Facchetti died on September 4, 2006 in Milan. A sad day for the passing of a symbol of Italian sport.
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