Promotion hopes fading
A poor performance by the Biancocelesti who look far from Serie A material
Also on this day: January 25 1989, Lazio Atalanta 3-2 Coppa Italia. Lazio give everything they have got but ultimately it's not enough after the away result. Lazio Hero of the day: Gabriele Pin
The season so far
The previous season Lazio had been relegated to Serie B, not on the field but in the Sports Justice Courts. Lazio paid for four of their players' alleged involvement in the Totonero match fixing scandal. Lazio were therefore in Serie B without Bruno Giordano, Lionello Manfredonia, Pino Wilson and Massimo Cacciatori.
The new manager was Ilario Castagner who had done well at Perugia. The Biancocelesti also had several new players to try and bounce straight back up to the top flight. Arriving were goalkeeper Maurizio Moscatelli (Pistoiese), defenders Giorgio Mastropasqua (Bologna), Arcadio Spinozzi (Bologna), midfielders Alberto Bigon (Milan), Giuseppe Greco (Torino), Dario Sanguin (Vicenza) and forward Stefano Chiodi (Milan).
Leaving were defender Mauro Tassotti (Milan), midfielders Vincenzo D'Amico (Torino-luckily he would be back), Antonio Lopez (Palermo), Vincenzo Zucchini (Vicenza) and forward Enrico Todesco (Genoa).
So far Lazio had played 18 league games and won 7, drawn 9 and lost 2. Lazio had started well with 6 wins and 4 draws in the first 10 games but then slowed down. In the last 4 the Biancocelesti had drawn 2 and lost 2. They were on 23 points and needed a win today to get back on track.
In Coppa Italia, Lazio had qualified for the quarter finals to be played in March. In August /September, Lazio had won 3 (Pescara 2-0 away, Varese 2-1 and Verona 3-0, both at home) and drawn 1 (Ascoli 0-0 away). They would now play Bologna home and away.
Today's opposition Taranto had finished 16th in Serie B the previous season. The manager was first Adelmo Capelli (1-14) and then former Lazio player Gianni Seghedoni (15-38). Seghedoni was famous for his disallowed goal for Lazio against Napoli in March 1962 which the referee claimed had gone in through a hole in the net. Lazio then missed out on promotion, to Napoli, by one point.
Anyway, this season he was still manager and the Ionici's main players were future Lazio defender Vincenzo Chiarenza, midfielders Bruno Beatrice, Giuseppe Pavone and Graziano Gori plus forwards Bortolo Mutti and former Lazio, Renzo Rossi.
So far in Serie B the Rossoblu had won 7 (including Milan 3-0), drawn 5 and lost 6, so on 19 points.
In Coppa Italia, in August/September, Taranto had won 1 (Brescia 2-0 at home), drawn 1 (Genoa 0-0 at home) and lost 2 (Juventus and Udinese, both 0-2 away) and were out.
So, Lazio on 23 and Taranto on 19. Lazio were favourites but Taranto were no pushovers and had already beaten Milan.
The match: Sunday, January 25, Stadio Olimpico, Rome
A crowd of 30,000 turned up hoping to see Lazio get back to winning ways on a cloudy Roman afternoon.
Lazio had two worrying absences, the midfield leader Alberto Bigon and the defensive leader Paolo Pochesci who was suspended. They were replaced by Dario Sanguin and Dario Pighin. Unfortunately, it was not San Dario today.
Lazio started better than the visitors. In the 9th minute Filippo Citterio surged down the left and crossed but Giorgio Mastropasqua's low effort went just out. Mastropasqua had another crack a few minutes later but the keeper parried up into the air and Citterio's subsequent header in the crowded area was hoofed up in the air again from near the goal line and then finally cleared.
In the 15th minute the Biancocelesti took the lead. Stefano Chiodi was fouled just outside the area for a clear free kick. Giuseppe Greco took a run up and blasted a left foot into the top hand corner. Great strike and Lazio 1 Taranto 0.
Taranto did not react immediately and only had a Rossi header, from a Nicola Cassano cross, comfortably saved by Aldo Nardin.
In the 32nd minute another Citterio initiative down the flank saw him set up Chiodi who volleyed towards goal but Walter Ciappi was alert and saved. Half time Lazio 1 Taranto 0.
Lazio were not playing particularly well, slow, distracted and clumsy but it seemed enough against a timid opposition, so far lacking in compactness.
Right at the beginning of the half came a controversial episode. In the 48th minute a Giuseppe Pavone cross was missed by Pighin and Renzo Rossi got a header in, the ball hit the keeper, spun up, hit the crossbar, came down and bounced near the goal line. On the line, over the line? It did not look over, the linesman and referee said play on and there was no technology to contradict them.
The episode however should have been a warning sign for Lazio as Taranto were more determined this half and pushed forward.
Lazio were suddenly all over the place, especially in defence, missing the ball, too many fouls and passes straight to their opponents.
Taranto equalised in the 60th minute. Rossi beat Pighin for speed and teed up Pavone who watched but not challenged by two defenders struck a low, trickling, left footed shot which sneaked past an immobile Nardin. Lazio 1 Taranto 1. It was hardly a surprise, Lazio were in clear physical and psychological difficulty.
Lazio tried to change things in the 70th minute, taking off a tired Fernando Viola and putting on local lad Mauro Manzoni.
If anyone expected Lazio to change gear they were disappointed. Neither team had the strength to create any real further chances and anyway Taranto were more than pleased with their away point. Lazio did have a penalty appeal for a possible foul on Chiodi but the referee saw nothing in it. Fulltime Lazio 1 Taranto 1.
A negative result but more worryingly a negative performance. Lazio looked tired, disorganised and lacked fighting spirit. The team was whistled off by many of the fans and the optimism for a speedy return to the big time was fading fast.
Who played for Lazio
Nardin, Spinozzi, Citterio, Perrone, Pighin, Sanguin, Garlaschelli, Viola (70' Manzoni), Chiodi, Mastropasqua, Greco
Substitutes: Marigo, Ghedin, Cenci, Albani
Manager: Castagner
Who played for Taranto
Ciappi, Chiarenza, Beatrice, G. Ferrante, Falcetta, Picano, Gori, Cannata, Rossi, Pavone, Cassano
Substitutes: Degli Schiavi, Scoppa, Mucci, Arzeni, M. Fabbri
Manager: Seghedoni
Referee: Patrussi
Goals: 15' Greco, 60' Gori
What happened next
Lazio went very close to promotion but just fell short and finished 4th. Between today and June 14, the penultimate game of the season, Lazio won 6, drew 8 and lost 3. Not great but maybe just about good enough to get promoted. Then came the June 14 home game against Vicenza. The table read Milan 48, Genoa 44, Cesena 44, Lazio 44 for three places in A.
With the score on 1-1, Lazio were awarded a penalty in the 87th minute. Stefano Chiodi, the specialist who had never missed a penalty, stepped up and missed obviously...hitting the post. Cesena and Genoa won and a demoralised Lazio then only drew the last away game at Taranto and so came 4th. A huge disappointment. Top scorer was Alberto Bigon with 10 goals (9 in B).
In Coppa Italia, in the quarter finals, Lazio lost 0-2 both home and away to Bologna.
Taranto did not win a match until March 29 and were relegated. Seghedoni was sacked on March 8 and replaced by Umberto Pinardi. The Rossoblu went down after 10 wins, 15 draws (including Lazio 1-1 again) and 13 defeats. Top scorer was Bortolo Mutti with 9 league goals.
Lazio 1980-81
Competition | Played | Won | Drawn | Lost | Goals scored |
Serie A | 38 | 13 | 20 | 5 | 32 |
Coppa italia | 6 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 5 |
Total | 44 | 16 | 21 | 7 | 37 |
Top five appearances
Player | Total | Serie A | Coppa Italia |
Citterio | 43 | 38 | 5 |
Viola | 43 | 37 | 6 |
Mastropasqua | 41 | 36 | 5 |
Perrone | 40 | 34 | 6 |
Greco | 39 | 34 | 5 |
Top five goal scorers
Player | Total | Serie A | Coppa Italia |
Bigon | 10 | 9 | 1 |
Greco | 8 | 7 | 1 |
Citterio | 7 | 6 | 1 |
Viola | 7 | 7 | - |
Chiodi | 6 | 6 | - |
Lets talk about Giuseppe Greco
Giuseppe Greco was born in Galatina (Lecce), on March 19, 1958.
He started in the Lecce youth sector but at 15 joined Torino's academy.
In 1976 he was loaned to Turris (Torre del Greco-Naples) in Serie C. Under Ezio Volpi the Torresi finished 6th. Greco played 35 league games and scored 9 goals.
In 1977 he had his first stint, on loan, at Ascoli in Serie B. It was a triumphant season under Antonio Renna. The Bianconeri won Serie B, seventeen points ahead of joint second placed Catanzaro and Avellino. Greco played 26 league games with 2 goals (Varese, Catanzaro) and 4 games in Coppa Italia. His teammates included former Lazio defender Gaetano Legnaro and future forward Claudio Ambu.
In 1978 Greco went back to his parent club Torino. Greco made his Serie A debut and over two seasons played 34 league games with 6 goals (Avellino, Lazio, Bologna, Atalanta, Avellino again and Ascoli), 8 games in Coppa Italia with 1 goal (Lecce) and 1 game in the UEFA Cup. The manager was Gigi Radice and the Granata finished 4th (UC) and 3rd (UC). In his second year Toro reached the final of Coppa Italia but lost to Roma on penalties. In his first year he played alongside future Lazio keeper Giuliano Terraneo ('86-'87).
In 1980 Greco joined Lazio. The Biancocelesti had been punished with relegation to Serie B for some of their players (Giordano, Manfredonia, Wilson and Cacciatori) alleged involvement in the Totonero match fixing scandal. The manager was highly rated Ilario Castager and Lazio hoped to get straight back up to Serie A. Things did not go to plan and partly due to a missed penalty in the penultimate game, Lazio finished 4th. Greco played 34 league games with 7 goals (Verona, Varese, Taranto, Palermo, Varese again, Genoa x2) and 5 games in Coppa Italia with 1 goal (Verona).
In 1981-82 he returned to Ascoli in Serie A. The "Picchio" (The Woodpecker) had three good seasons under Carlo Mazzone finishing 6th, 13th and 10th. Greco played 79 league games with 16 goals (including twice against Roma and winner against Milan) and 15 games in Coppa Italia with 9 goals. His 9 goals in the domestic cup all came in 1982-83 and he was the tournament's top scorer. His teammates included Lazio scudetto keeper Felice Pulici, former Lazio defenders Filippo Citterio, Paolo Pochesci, Carlo Perrone and future Lazio, Paolo Monelli and Fortunato Torrisi.
In 1984 Greco joined Bologna on loan. The Felsinei were in Serie B and finished 9th, under first Pietro Santin and then Bruno Pace. Greco played 34 league games with 4 goals (Triestina, Varese, Padova, Catania). He played alongside former Lazio, Lorenzo Marronaro.
In 1985 he returned to Ascoli for the third time but did not stay and instead joined Matino on loan near Lecce and played 27 games with 12 goals at regional level.
In 1986 he returned to Ascoli and stayed two seasons. Ascoli were newly promoted and finished 12th, first under Aldo Sensibile (1-9) and then Ilario Castagner (10-30). Greco played 11 league games with 1 goal (Torino). The following year Ascoli finished 12th again and Greco played 15 league games with 1 goal (Torino) and 6 games in Coppa Italia. In Coppa Italia, Ascoli beat both Inter and Milan on penalty shootouts (Greco scored both his) but lost to Sampdoria 3-5 on aggregate in the quarter finals.
In 1988 he joined Potenza for a season in C2. The Leoni Rossoblu finished 14th and Greco played 25 league games with 3 goals.
His last club was Brindisi in 1989-90. The Adriatici were in C1 but were relegated after a playoff. Greco played 21 league games with 6 goals.
At 32 he then retired.
In his youth Greco played 3 games for Italy U20's and 3 games for the U21's.
After retiring he became a sports director.
Greco was an attacking midfielder. At 1.73 and 70 kilos he was an agile and skilful left-footed player. His main task was to set up the strikers but he scored a fair amount of goals too, 78 in his career (24 in A, 13 in B and 11 in Coppa Italia). His peak was at Ascoli where he won Serie B in 1978, played five seasons in Serie A and a total of 183 games.
At Lazio he had a decent season with 34 appearances and 7 goals but his timing was unlucky with the Biancocelesti narrowly missing out on promotion.
Lazio Career
Season | Total appearances (goals) | Serie B | Coppa Italia |
1980-81 | 38 (8) | 34 (7) | 5 (1) |
Sources
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