Game 1, Cup of the Alps
Saturday, June 6, 1970
Stadio Cornaredo, Lugano
Lugano Lazio 3-3
Lazio draw in their first Cup of the Alps game with Lugano but they should have won
To end the season Lazio had to play the Cup of the Alps. This was a tournament that was jointly organised by the Italian and Swiss football federations and ran from 1960 to 1987. Italian and Swiss teams only played until 1966, but from 1967 until 1969 they were joined also by West German clubs (and in 1969 also by a Belgian team). Back to the original formula in 1970, from 1972 to 1987 only French and Swiss teams played.
The formula was a little bit complicated. Four Italian clubs (Lazio, Bari, Sampdoria and Fiorentina), four Swiss (Lugano, Young Boys, Zurich and FC Basel), each team played against the other clubs once but did not play against their compatriots. The best Italian and the best Swiss then played in the final.
Today’s game was the first one of the competition.
The match
Lazio started strongly and after two minutes they were already ahead. Giuseppe Massa took a corner and Mario Facco volleyed the ball into the goal. But in the 17th minute the Swiss team equalised thanks to a marvellous Otto Luttrop curling shot on a free kick.
The Biancocelesti went back into attacking mode and after a Massa shot had shaved the post in the 20th minute, 60 seconds later Giorgio Chinaglia got hold of the ball and went off, dribbling past a few defenders and once close to the box put Lazio back in the lead with a powerful, left footed shot. It did not last long. In the 33rd minute corner for Lugano, Henning Hansen, son of former Lazio John Hansen, jumped higher than anybody and headed the ball past Rosario Di Vincenzo.
In the second half, Nello Governato and Gian Piero Ghio had some colossal chances and then the referee closed both eyes in the 67th minute when Pier Angelo Boffi stopped a Chinaglia shot with his hands in the box. Three minutes later Lugano scored their third. Ernst Tippelt from outside the box tried a shot that Di Vincenzo was unable to stop.
In the 78th minute Chinaglia was unlucky with a shot but a minute later the Biancocelesti equalised. A wonderful play by Lazio started by Pino Wilson who passed to Franco Nanni. Ball to Ghio who left it to Chinaglia, low cross from the left and Massa volleyed it in.
Lazio did have one last chance to win the match, but the game ended in a draw.
Who played for Lugano
Prosperi (46' Malnati), Boffi, Indemini, Berset, Pullica, Coduri, Bernasconi (17' Gottardi), Hansen, Blattler, Luttrop, Tippelt
Manager: Sing
Who played for Lazio
Di Vincenzo, Papadopulo, Facco, Wilson, Marchesi, Mazzola II, Governato, Massa, Chinaglia, Ghio, Nanni
Manager: Lorenzo
Referee: Michelotti
Goals: 2’ Facco, 17’ Luttrop, 21’ Chinaglia, 33’ Hansen, 70 Tippelt, 79’ Massa
Sources
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