Game 25, Serie A
Sunday, March 28, 1980
Stadio Olimpico, Rome
Lazio Catanzaro 2-0
In one of the most dramatic games in Lazio’s history, D’Amico takes a team full of young players and guides them to a miracle win.
On March 23 1980, the Italian police arrested a number of players of Lazio, Milan, Bologna, Avellino, Genoa and Perugia. The totonero scandal had exploded and Lazio were right in the middle of it. Among those arrested were Bruno Giordano, Lionello Manfredonia, Massimo Cacciatori and Pino Wilson.
Bob Lovati had the difficult task of deciding which players would be substituting the four “rogues”. He chose two young players from the Primavera team: Riccardo Budoni in goal and Carlo Perrone as sweeper. Perrone had already played a few games in Serie A for the first team over the last couple of years, but for Budoni it was a first.
Lazio started the game really well and in the first 15 minutes had several chances, but then a comprehensible fear set in and they started to retreat to defence. Catanzaro, perhaps feeling sorry for Lazio and distracted by the fact that they themselves would stay up anyway since a number of teams were going to be punished with relegation, should have exploited the great opportunity but instead only had a couple of chances in the first half. In the 23rd minute Carlo Bresciani, after having dribbled Budoni too, incredibly missed a golden chance by shooting wide and later missed another opportunity.
In the second half Lazio doubled their efforts and attacked constantly. The Biancocelesti finally scored in the 72nd minute when Captain Vincenzo D’Amico went into the box on the right, dribbled past a defender, and then from an almost impossible angle put the ball in the back of the net.
Ten minutes later Mauro Tassotti crossed a ball high in the box and Giuliano Groppi, frightened by the presence of Renzo Garlaschelli behind him, lobbed the ball over Antonio Trapani for Lazio’s second goal.
Lazio were almost safe thanks to a bunch of kids captained by D’Amico. One could always count on Vincenzo when the going got tough.
Who played for Lazio
Budoni, Tassotti, Citterio, Perrone, Pighin, Zucchini, Garlaschelli, Manzoni, D’Amico, Cenci (70’ Ferretti), Viola
Manager: Lovati (Giancarlo Morrone was on the bench for this game since Lovati was suspended)
Who played for Catanzaro
Trapani, Sabadini, Ranieri, Menichini, Groppi, Zanini, Borelli (63' Chimenti II), Orazi, Bresciani, Nicolini, Palanca
Substitutes: Mattolini, Mauro
Manager: Mazzone
Referee: D’Elia
Goals: 72’ D’Amico, 82’ Groppi (og)
Sources
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