Nanni missile decides the derby
Lazio win thanks to a fantastic goal from Franco Nanni
Also on this day: November 12, 2006: Lazio Udinese 5-0. The Biancocelesti demolish Udinese thanks to Mauri, Rocchi and Oddo. Player of the day: Cristian Ledesma
The season so far
The previous season Lazio managed to secure promotion to Serie A under new manager Tommaso Maestrelli.
The objective for this season was to not be relegated again and to live a comfortable year, without too many problems. In the summer transfer window, a few new players had arrived and some had left. The most important of the latter was the sale of Giuseppe Massa to Inter in exchange for Mario Frustalupi, Massimo Silva and cash. With the money, President Umberto Lenzini bought goalkeeper Felice Pulici (Novara), midfielder Luciano Re Cecconi (Foggia) and forward Renzo Garlaschelli (Como) plus defender Sergio Petrelli in a rare deal with Roma. Leaving Lazio were Claudio Bandoni (Catanzaro), Rosario Di Vincenzo and Giuseppe Papadopulo (both to Brindisi), Arrigo Dolso (Alessandria) and Giuliano Fortunato (Lecce). Rino Gritti and Alessandro Abbondanza had finished their year loans and went back to Lecco and Napoli respectively. In the autumn window forward Giacomo La Rosa arrived from Varese and Gaetano Legnaro and Silva were sold to Ascoli.
The Biancocelesti started badly in Coppa Italia losing three games out of four and were eliminated. But in Serie A it was another story. After five games they were leading Serie A together with Milan, Inter and Roma.
The derby finally was going to be a massive game. 85,000 spectators, completely sold out and a new record in ticket sales.
The match: Sunday, November 12, 1972, Stadio Olimpico, Rome
Lazio were immediately in danger when in the 5th minute Felice Pulici went to catch a Walter Franzot cross but fumbled. Fortunately, Franco Nanni managed to save on the line.
The Biancocelesti slowly took control of the game but Roma went close to scoring in the 22nd minute when Ciccio Cordova took a free kick, pass to Valerio Spadoni who gave the ball a big whack that shaved the post to Pulici's left.
In the 34th minute Nanni received the ball in the Roma half, he dribbled past Cordova and Elvio Salvori and then from outside the box let go a missile of a shot which ended in the top right-hand corner. A fantastic goal and one that has since stayed in the history of the club.
The Giallorossi disappeared from the game and the Biancocelesti could have scored again immediately, but Luciano Re Cecconi fumbled the final ball control. This was followed by a Giorgio Chinaglia shot parried by the keeper, a Mario Frustalupi free kick and a Renzo Garlaschelli whack that ended on the wrong side of the net.
The second half opened with Alberto Ginulfi having to stop a Chinaglia shot and three attempts from Pierpaolo Manservisi in the first seven minutes. Nanni almost doubled in the 60th minute, Manservisi continued to shoot whenever possible and Re Cecconi again missed a chance towards the end. One minute from time Franco Peccenini saved an almost certain goal on a Garlaschelli shot.
A great win. Lazio dominated and could have scored two or three more goals. They were now top with Inter.
Who played for Roma
Ginulfi, Scaratti, Peccenini, Salvori, Bet, Santarini, Orazi, Spadoni, Mujesan (58' Morini G.), Cordova, Franzot
Substitute: Sulfaro
Manager: Helenio Herrera
Who played for Lazio
Pulici, Facco, Martini, Wilson, Oddi, Nanni, Garlaschelli, Re Cecconi (87’ Petrelli), Chinaglia, Frustalupi, Manservisi
Substitute: Moriggi
Manager: Maestrelli
Referee: Gonella
Goal: 34’ Nanni
What happened next
At the end of the first half of the season they were joint third with Inter but just one point behind leaders Milan and Juventus. In the second half they won eight consecutive games between mid-February and mid-April. With four games to the end Lazio were joint first with Milan (who they had just beaten). Then two away draws had left them one point behind the Rossoneri and they had been caught up by Juve. In the penultimate match all three teams had won, so the situation was Milan 44 points, Juventus and Lazio 43.
The final three games were Verona-Milan, Napoli-Lazio and Roma Juventus. At the end of the first half the results were Verona-Milan 3-1, Roma-Juventus 1-0, Napoli-Lazio still goalless. As a consequence, the table read Milan and Lazio 44, Juventus 43. But everything changed in the second half as Juve overcame the deficit and won while Lazio lost in the final minutes of the game. Juventus won the scudetto.
A big blow for the club. The scudetto was there for the taking, but probably the inexperience of fighting at such high levels and the excessive eagerness of Napoli and Roma to appease the Bianconeri meant that it was not to be.
Giorgio Chinaglia had the most appearances this season (37) as well as the most goals (13).
Lazio 1972-73
Competition | Played | Won | Drawn | Lost | Goals Scored |
Serie A | 30 | 16 | 11 | 3 | 33 |
Coppa Italia | 4 | - | 1 | 3 | 1 |
Anglo-Italian Cup | 4 | - | 2 | 2 | 4 |
Total | 38 | 16 | 14 | 8 | 38 |
Top five appearances
Player | Total | Serie A | Coppa Italia | Anglo-Italian Cup |
Chinaglia | 37 | 30 | 4 | 3 |
Oddi | 36 | 30 | 4 | 2 |
Frustalupi | 36 | 30 | 4 | 2 |
Pulici | 36 | 30 | 4 | 2 |
Wilson | 36 | 30 | 4 | 2 |
Top goal scorers
Player | Total | Serie A | Coppa Italia | Anglo-Italian Cup |
Chinaglia | 13 | 10 | 1 | 2 |
Nanni | 7 | 7 | - | - |
Garlaschelli | 7 | 7 | - | - |
La Rosa | 3 | 2 | - | 1 |
What happened in Serie A 1972-73
The previous 1971-72 season had been won by Juventus with a one-point lead over Milan.
With five games to the end of the season Juventus and Torino were leading with 35 points, Cagliari were second on 34, Milan on 33 and Fiorentina on 32. In the following round, Torino were the only team to win as all the others drew. Everything changed in the 27th round with Torino losing away to Milan, Fiorentina at home to Mantova and Juve beating Inter 3-0 while Cagliari drew at home with last placed Varese.
With three games to go Juve had 38 points, Cagliari and Torino 37, Milan 36. In the next round, Juve beat Caligari and extended their lead to two points, reduced to one in the following round after they drew in Florence while Torino and Milan won.
Now, with just one match to go, they had a one-point lead over the Granata and Rossoneri. Final games: Juventus-Vicenza, Bologna-Torino and Milan-Catanzaro. Juve closed the game in 45 minutes, won 2-0 and the scudetto.
Summer Transfers
The big coup of the summer mercato was Dino Zoff, one of the best keepers in Italy, who signed for Juventus from Napoli. Milan also secured a great signing with Luciano Chiarugi from Fiorentina. Inter got Giuseppe Massa from Lazio in exchange for Mario Frustalupi, considered past his prime. Huge mistake as was Napoli's who let go of Jose Altafini who signed for Juve on a free transfer.
Juventus and Milan were clear favourites with Torino as a possible outsider.
August, September & October
The season kicked off in August with the first group phase of the Coppa Italia. Juventus, Reggiana, Cagliari, Inter, Bologna, Atalanta and Napoli joined past winner Milan for the second group phase to be played in May after the end of Serie A.
In the first games of Serie A Lazio drew with Inter and won in Florence. They then drew at home with Juventus who also drew with Milan. For the moment Roma were ahead. To note is the spectacular 9-3 between Milan and Atalanta, to this day the record number of goals in a single match in Serie A.
In the first round of the European Cup Juventus defeated Marseille 3-1 on aggregate. In the first leg of the second round, they beat Magdeburg 1-0. Would not be an easy return game.
Milan crushed Red Boys Differdange 7-1 on aggregate in the first round of the Cup Winners Cup. In the first leg of the second round, they drew 1-1 away to Legia Warsaw.
In the first round of the UEFA Cup, Inter and Fiorentina qualified by beating Valletta and Eskisehirspor respectively. Torino were eliminated by Las Palmas and Cagliari by Olympiacos. In the first leg of the second round Inter drew at home 2-2 with Norrköping and Fiorentina lost away to Vitoria de Setubal 1-0. Tough draws for both teams.
Roma 7, Milan 6, Lazio 6, Inter 6, Torino 5, Juventus 5, Napoli 5, Fiorentina 5, Verona 4, Cagliari 3, Ternana 3, Palermo 3, Vicenza 2, Atalanta 2, Sampdoria 1, Bologna 1
November
Big surprise in Serie A as Lazio went top alone after winning the derby and beating Palermo. It was only the second time in their history. Torino won their derby, Fiorentina beat Milan who in turn won the Milanese clash against Inter.
In the second round of the European Cup Juventus also won the second leg and proceeded to the quarter finals which would take place in March. They would meet Ujpest Dozsa.
Milan too qualified for the quarter finals but in the Cup Winners Cup. They managed to overcome Legia Warsaw 2-1 in extra time. They would now play Spartak Moscow in the quarters in March.
In the UEFA Cup Inter managed to win away at Norrköping 2-0 and qualified. Fiorentina won at home 2-1 against Vitoria de Setubal at home but were out of the tournament due to the away goal rule. In the first leg of the second round Inter lost 2-0 against the Portuguese and had one foot out of the competition.
Lazio 13, Inter 12, Milan 11, Fiorentina 10, Torino 9, Juventus 9, Roma 9, Napoli 8, Ternana 7, Cagliari 6, Verona 6, Bologna 6, Atalanta 6, Palermo 6, Sampdoria 5, Vicenza 5
December
Lazio lost their lead due to the game with Milan being stopped for fog. Inter took advantage and were now leading with Milan, Juve and the Biancocelesti close behind but all with a game in hand apart from the Bianconeri. Below Palermo, Sampdoria, Ternana and Vicenza were in a spot of trouble.
Inter were unable to overcome the 2-0 deficit in the UEFA Cup third round against Vitoria de Setubal and were eliminated.
Inter 19*, Milan 18*, Juventus 18, Lazio 18*, Fiorentina 16, Roma 14, Torino 13, Bologna 12, Napoli 11, Cagliari 11, Verona 11, Atalanta 11, Palermo 9, Sampdoria 8, Ternana 8, Vicenza 7*
* one game in hand
January
Lazio slowed down after losing the game against Milan which had been suspended. Juventus beat Inter away and Roma at home. The Neroazzurri drew at home with the Biancocelesti and surprisingly lost at home with Vicenza. This translated into Milan and Juve taking the lead.
Milan 24, Juventus 24, Inter 22, Lazio 22, Fiorentina 19, Roma 15, Cagliari 15, Torino 14, Verona 14, Bologna 14, Atalanta 14, Napoli 13, Ternana 12, Sampdoria 11, Palermo 11, Vicenza 10
February
Milan and Juventus continued to lead as the Bianconeri beat Lazio at home. The big clash between Milan and Juve ended 2-2. Lazio and Inter by winning against Vicenza and Cagliari reduced their deficits to three points.
Milan 28, Juventus 28, Inter 25, Lazio 25, Fiorentina 22, Bologna 20, Torino 19, Cagliari 19, Napoli 17, Roma 16, Verona 16, Atalanta 16, Sampdoria 14, Vicenza 14, Ternana 13, Palermo 12
March
Juve lost the derby and now Milan were solitary leaders. Lazio beat Roma and joined the Bianconeri in second place as Inter fell behind after losing in Naples and with Milan. The Biancocelesti had now won 5 games in a row.
Despite drawing 0-0 in the first leg of the European Cup quarter finals at home with Ujpest Dozsa, Juventus managed to draw 2-2 in the second leg coming from behind. They qualified for the semifinals where they would meet Derby County.
Milan qualified for the semis in the Cup Winners Cup by beating Spartak Moscow 2-1 on aggregate. They would now play Sparta Prague.
Milan 36, Juventus 33, Lazio 33, Inter 27, Fiorentina 26, Torino 25, Bologna 24, Cagliari 22, Napoli 21, Verona 20, Roma 19, Sampdoria 19, Atalanta 18, Vicenza 17, Palermo 15, Ternana 13
April
Lazio beat Milan and joined them at the top for one game but they then drew against Torino and were back in second place. The scudetto was now between the Rossoneri, Biancocelesti and Juventus. Down the bottom Ternana and Palermo were doomed, with Vicenza and Sampdoria fighting to avoid relegation.
Juventus qualified for the European Cup final after beating Derby County 3-1 on aggregate. They would meet Ajax, who beat Real Madrid also 3-1 on aggregate, at the Marakana Stadium in Belgrade at the end of May.
Milan also qualified for the final by beating Sparta Prague 2-0 on aggregate. They would face Leeds United in the final in Thessaloniki.
Milan 41, Lazio 40, Juventus 39, Fiorentina 33, Inter 33, Torino 30, Bologna 28, Cagliari 26, Napoli 24, Atalanta 24, Verona 23, Roma 22, Sampdoria 20, Vicenza 19, Ternana 15, Palermo 15
May, June and July
Game 28 saw Juventus win and Milan and Lazio draw away. Milan on 42 points, Biancocelesti and Juve one point behind. In the penultimate game all three teams won. Final matches of the season: Verona-Milan, Napoli-Lazio and Roma-Juve. Behind Roma, Verona and Atalanta were on 24 points, Sampdoria and Vicenza on 22. Atalanta now had to face Vicenza at home, Samp was away to Torino.
Since Milan had to play the Cup Winners Cup final during the week, the club asked the Federation to postpone their game to the Monday. The request was refused.
After the first 45 minutes of the final game Juve were losing in Rome, a very tired Milan in Verona and Lazio were drawing. The Rossoneri and Biancocelesti were leading with Juve one point behind.
Below, Roma and Verona were on 26 points, Atalanta 25, Samp and Vicenza 23. Sampdoria were safe as they had a better goal difference than Vicenza (Ternana and Palermo were already down).
Everything was still possible.
But in the second 45 minutes it all changed. Juve overturned the result as Roma, scared of the possibility that Lazio could win the scudetto and certain of staying in Serie A since they had a much better goal difference, simply turned off. Milan lost 5-3 and the Biancocelesti were overcome by an overzealous Napoli in the final minutes. Juve first, Milan second, Lazio third.
Below Vicenza won in Bergamo sending Atalanta down to Serie B since Samp won in Turin.
Juventus lost the final of the European Cup. They were beaten 1-0 by Ajax who scored early with Johnny Rep. Milan won the Cup Winners Cup after beating Leeds United in the final with a goal by Luciano Chiarugi. It was their second win in the competition.
In the Coppa Italia semi-final group stage, Juventus topped group A ahead of Inter and Milan that of Group B with a three point advantage over Atalanta.
In the final played at the Stadio Olimpico on July 1, Milan beat Juve on penalties after the 120 minutes had ended 1-1. It was their third Coppa Italia win.
Juventus would hence be playing the European Cup next season, Milan the Cup Winners Cup, Lazio, Fiorentina, Inter and Torino the UEFA Cup.
Atalanta, Palermo and Ternana were relegated, Genoa, Cesena and Foggia promoted.
Top scorers were Pierino Pulici (Torino), Gianni Rivera (Milan) and Beppe Savoldi (Bologna) with 17 goals.
Final table: Juventus 45, Milan 44, Lazio 43, Fiorentina 37, Inter 37, Torino 31, Bologna 31, Cagliari 29, Napoli 28, Verona 26, Roma 24, Sampdoria 24, Vicenza 24, Atalanta 24, Palermo 17, Ternana 17
Sources
Commentaires