Final, Cup of the Alps
Friday, June 25, 1971
St. Jakob Stadium, Basel
Basel Lazio 1-3
Lazio put on good performance to beat Basel 3-1 and lift consolation silverware
The season so far
It had been a negative season for Lazio. The Biancocelesti had been relegated from Serie A under Juan Carlos Lorenzo. Lazio had finished 15th, after 5 wins, 12 draws (both derbies) and 13 defeats.
The Coppa delle Alpi (The Alps Cup) was the last tournament of the season and the chance for some consolation silverware. It was to be played between June 12 and June 25.
The formula was that each team played the foreign team in their group twice (so no matches between Italians). The highest placed Italian and Swiss team would then qualify for the final. The points were calculated from the points from the four matches plus the goals scored.
In the first match, on June 12, Lazio beat Lugano 4-0.
In the second match, on June 15, Lazio beat Winterthur 4-1 (Giorgio Chinaglia hat-trick and Ferruccio Mazzola).
In the third match, on June 19, Lazio drew 2-2 away at Lugano (Giuliano Fortunato, Chinaglia).
In the last match, on June 22, Lazio beat Winterthur 5-2 away (Pierpaolo Manservisi, Mario Facco, Costantino Fava, Arrigo Dolso, Giancarlo Morrone).
So Lazio, with 7 points plus 15 goals, totted up 22 points and qualified for the final (Samp 11, Verona, 11, Varese 8).
In the Swiss aggregate group Basel came first with 4 points plus 7 goals so a total of 11 (Lugano 8, Lausanne 7, Winterthur 5).
The final Basel vs Lazio was to be played at St. Jakob Stadium in Basel on June 25.
Basel were the holders of the cup as they had won the past two editions. They were considered a decent team (far superior to Lugano and Winterthur), had some good players in Karl Odermatt, Walter Balmer, Peter Ramseier and had a highly respected manager in German Helmut Benthaus (would later win Bundesliga with Stuttgart in 1984). They had come second in the Swiss league (would win it the following year) and reached the Last 16 in the European Cup (lost to eventual winners Ajax).
The match
The final was played on a drizzly evening in front of 15,000 spectators (mainly Italian). Lazio were without Pino Wilson and Arrigo Dolso but otherwise put out their best possible line-up.
The Swiss imposed an extremely high rhythm from the start but Lazio held their own.
The first chance was for the hosts but Gaetano Legnaro managed to wall a shot by Balmer. Lazio had a penalty appeal in the 4th minute when Mazzola was pulled down but not for the referee. The Biancocelesti had a huge chance in the 14th minute but Giuliano Fortunato's powerful strike hit the crossbar. The "Rotblau" then hit the woodwork themselves with a Jurgen Sunderman header.
After 20 minutes Lazio took the lead. Straight after the Swiss post, Chinaglia got the ball in midfield and skipped past his marker Urs Siegenthaler and then Walter Mundschin, he then put Manservisi through on the right and he beat Jean-Paul Laufenburger with a low diagonal shot. Basel 0 Lazio 1
Basel took a while to recover from the setback and Lazio continued to attack. Gradually however the "Bebbi" reorganized and Rosario Di Vincenzo had to save a thundering shot by Balmer.
In the 40th minute the Swiss equalised. Peter Wenger headed a Sunderman free kick under the crossbar to level the score. Basel 1 Lazio 1.
For the second half both sides made replacements; Lazio put Giuseppe Massa on for Fava while Basel put Bruno Rahmen on for Stefan Reisch.
Basel continued where they had left off and Di Vincenzo made a superb save on Ramseier. From then on however it was all Lazio. Chinaglia almost scored from a tight angle forcing Laufenberger to make a diving save. Then in the 57th minute Chinaglia shot wide with the keeper coming off his line.
The Swiss were in difficulty and became increasingly physical and dirty, targeting Chinaglia and Mazzola in particular. The German referee Weyland let them get away with it and in the 69th minute waved away a blatant penalty for Lazio when Josef Kiefer blocked a Massa shot with his arm. The Lazio players, led by "Long John", surrounded the referee, trying to convince him to change his decision. The fans too were furious with about twenty invading the pitch in protest. The police and numerous appeals on the tannoy finally restored order.
After five minutes of chaos the game restarted. "Uccellino" (Little Bird) Manservisi scored but he was clearly offside. A minute later, in the 74th, Lazio scored and this time it was all good. The move started with Massa who found Fortunato at the edge of the box, his quick thinking pass reached Chinaglia who pounced and hammered the ball past Laufenburger. Basel 1 Lazio 2. About fifty fans again ran onto the pitch but this time they came in peace to congratulate their fellow emigrant (Chinaglia had lived in South Wales as a youngster).
Five minutes later Lazio sealed the victory. Manservisi jiggled into the box and was hacked down by Mundschin. Not even Weyland could ignore that one and he immediately pointed to the penalty spot. "Giorgione" Chinaglia stepped up and sent the keeper the wrong way, Basel 1 Lazio 3.
A great satisfaction for Lazio after a difficult season. It was certainly not the European Cup or UEFA Cup but it held some prestige at the time. Lazio had performed well and the win was given great emphasis in the local and national media.
Serie B awaited but with today's triumph, new manager Tommaso Maestrelli (in the stands today) and President Lenzini's promise not to sell Chinaglia to Juventus the future looked brighter. And it certainly was.
Who played for Basel
Laufenburger, Kiefer, Mundschin, Ramseier, Siegenthaler, Sundermann, Balmer, Odermatt, Riner, Reisch (46' Rahmen), Wenger
Substitutes: Kunz, Pales
Manager: Benthaus
Who played for Lazio
Di Vincenzo, Facco, Legnaro, Governato, Polentes, Marchesi, Manservisi, Mazzola II (89' Chinellato), Chinaglia, Fava (46' Massa), Fortunato
Substitutes: Sulfaro
Manager: Lovati
Referee: Weyland (West Germany)
Goals: 20' Manservisi, 40' Wenger, 76' Chinaglia, 85' Chinaglia (pen)
Sources
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