April 24, 1977: Milan Lazio 2-2
- Simon Basten
- Apr 24
- 7 min read
Milan in trouble, Lazio see UEFA Cup
A Giordano brace gives Lazio a precious draw and allows the Biancocelesti to continue to dream of a UEFA Cup qualification.
The season so far
The previous season Lazio had avoided relegation by the skin of their teeth. Needing at least a draw in the last match of the season at Como, the Biancocelesti fell behind 2-0 after just 15 minutes. But then two goals, by Bruno Giordano and Roberto Badiani, gave them the vital point.
Lazio had started with Giulio Corsini as manager but following problems with the team, and Giorgio Chinaglia in particular, he was sacked and replaced by Tommaso Maestrelli. The maestro had been diagnosed with cancer in 1975, but apparently a new treatment had helped and he was able to go back to his job. He however got worse towards the end of the season so President Umberto Lenzini was forced to make a change for the following season. Maestrelli stayed as technical director.
Brazilian Luis Vinicio was chosen. Vinicio had been manager at Napoli and he was the first in Italy to play the Dutch "Zona" (new deal) style of football, thus breaking away from the traditional man to man marking. Especially from his second year, with the arrival of defender Tarcisio Burgnich, Vinicio played the "total football" way. A revolution in Italy.
Lenzini, Maestrelli and Vinicio decided to avoid risks and to choose players that could adapt to the new style of play. In came second goalkeeper Claudio Garella (Novara), defender Dario Pighin (Palermo) and forward Renzo Rossi (Como). Also returning was midfielder Fernando Viola from his loan to Cagliari.
Lazio also scored a coup and signed the Roma captain Ciccio Cordova. Cordova in 1972 became Roma captain and was one of the more popular players, but he was linked to the past president Alvaro Marchini (he had married Marchini’s daughter Simona) and never got on with the new one, Gaetano Anzalone. After a disappointing 1975-76 season, Anzalone decided to get rid of the old players and start from scratch with a new, younger and more motivated team. Cordova was up for sale after 285 games for the Giallorossi in nine years. Anzalone sold him to Verona without saying anything to the player during the negotiations. Ciccio, heartbroken, felt betrayed by the club he supported and broke his contract with Rome thus becoming a free agent.
Nobody was interested in signing him and he risked having to quit football at 32. He really wanted to stay in Rome, so when Lazio knocked at his door, he took the opportunity and signed for the Biancocelesti. With this move he continued to play football, in the city he loved, and could be a thorn in Anzalone’s side. Perfect. Lazio had been looking for a playmaker ever since they disastrously sold Mario Frustalupi and Cordova was their ideal player. Not everybody at Lazio was happy, especially Luciano Re Cecconi, but the fans accepted him immediately.
Vinicio had introduced a few young players in the squad: Giordano, who had played well the previous year in Serie A both with and in place of Chinaglia, Lionello Manfredonia and Andrea Agostinelli.
The season was however marred by tragedy. On December 4 Maestrelli died. The Biancoceleste derby win was the last present his boys were able to give him. Furthermore, on January 18, Luciano Re Cecconi was shot to death by a jeweller as he walked into his shop. He was only 28 years of age.
On the pitch Lazio had started well and beating Roma at the end of November they were third. But then they had stopped winning and finished the first half of the season in 6th place. It took them nine games to win again (4-1 vs Fiorentina) and by now they were 8th but not too far off a possible UEFA Cup qualification, just a point away.
Milan on the other hand were in trouble. Just two points ahead of the relegation zone.
The match: Sunday, April 24, 1977, Stadio San Siro, Milan
Lazio started well and Andrea Agostinelli had a chance in the 4th minute with a shot that was well saved by Enrico Albertosi. Milan reacted and, in the 13th minute scored. Egidio Calloni took a corner, the ball reached the far post and Alberto Bigon headed it in. Perhaps Felice Pulici could have done better here.
The Biancocelesti stirred and in the 20th minute a Renzo Rossi header was saved on the line by Angelo Anquilletti with Albertosi beaten. Milan scored again with Bigon four minutes later but Agnolin saw the Rossonero forward foul Luigi Polentes in the build-up. The goal did come anyway on the half hour. Bigon was fouled just outside the box and while the Biancocelesti were organising the wall, Fabio Capello passed to Gianni Rivera alone in the box who easily beat Pulici.
At this point Lazio decided to push forward and Milan retreated. In the 44th minute, Fernando Viola passed to Roberto Badiani who once in the box crossed low and Bruno Giordano reduced the deficit.
At the beginning of the second half splendid pass from Rivera to Calloni who in front of Pulici decided to go for power rather than precision and the ball ended up in the stands. In the 55th minute Aldo Bet fell asleep on the left, Agostinelli dispossessed him, ran towards the middle and crossed for Giordano who with a splendid volley beat Albertosi for the second time.
Bruno-gol almost made it three in the 71st minute when from the right he dribbled past Fulvio Collovati, moved towards the box watched by Anquiletti at a distance and tried a shot which Albertosi managed to parry into corner.
Milan had the final match point. Simone Boldini to Calloni who turned and tried a shot, well saved by Pulici, the ball reached Bigon who tried a volley deflected by Luigi Martini but the Lazio keeper was ready again.
Excellent point for the Biancocelesti who had now caught up with Roma and were only one point away from a UEFA Cup qualification with four games to go. Milan still in trouble.
Who played for Milan
Albertosi, Collovati (75' Boldini S.), Maldera III, Anquilletti, Bet, Biasiolo, Morini G., Capello, Bigon, Rivera, Calloni
Substitutes: Rigamonti, Silva
TD: Rocco
Who played for Lazio
Pulici, Ammoniaci (55' Ghedin), Martini, Polentes, Manfredonia, Cordova, Rossi R, Agostinelli, Giordano, Viola, Badiani
Manager: Vinicio
Referee: Agnolin
Goals: 14’ Bigon, 30’ Rivera, 44’ Giordano, 55’ Giordano
What happened next
With five matches to the end of the season Lazio were seventh in the company of Roma, one point behind Perugia and two from Napoli and Fiorentina. Fifth position guaranteed a UEFA Cup qualification. The Biancocelesti drew level with Perugia in the next game after a goalless draw against Torino at the Olimpico but were still three points away from Napoli in fifth.
By the way, that draw de facto handed Juventus the title since the two teams from Turin were on equal points at the top of the table, but that day Juve beat Napoli and gained a one-point lead which they kept to the end.
With three to go, Napoli had lost at home, Perugia away and Lazio had drawn at Verona. So, Napoli 29 points, Lazio 27, Perugia, Foggia, Roma, Verona 26. In the last home game, the Biancocelesti beat Cesena 3-0 and Perugia beat Napoli. Lazio and Napoli had 29 points, Perugia 28.
In the last game of the season the Biancocelesti won at Catanzaro and Napoli lost at home to Fiorentina. Lazio qualified for the UEFA Cup.
A big surprise, but Vinicio was able to mix experienced players with young ones and this was the positive result.
Three players had the most appearances this season: Badiani, Cordova and Pulici (34). Top scorer was Giordano with 13 goals overall.
Let’s talk about Massimo Silva
Massimo Silva was born in Pinarolo Po near Pavia, on August 24, 1951.
A forward, he started playing football in the youth teams of Inter but never debuted in the first team. In 1969 he stayed a year on loan to Monza and the following season he was with Rovereto in Serie C where he made 23 league appearances with 7 goals.
In 1971 he was again on loan, this time at Cremonese where in the third tier he played 22 matches with 9 goals. In 1972 he was sold to Lazio in the Giuseppe Massa deal with the Neapolitan forward going to Milan and Mario Frustalupi and Silva moving to Rome. He did not stay long and after two appearances in Coppa Italia he was sold to Ascoli who were playing their first ever season in Serie B. In four years in the Marche he made 102 league appearances with 25 goals contributing to the promotion to Serie A in 1973-74.
In 1976-77 he signed for Milan. It was probably one of the worst years in their history up to that moment (worse would follow), with the Rossoneri involved in the relegation battle. He made 20 league appearances with 4 goals. Milan did win the Coppa Italia and he played six times in the competition, with one goal, but not the final.
In 1977 he joined Monza in Serie B scoring 15 goals a season in the two he stayed there. Monza almost made it to Serie A in 1978-79 but lost in the playoff to Pescara. He is very much hated there after he missed a decisive penalty against Lecce and in the 1979-80 season signed for their playoff rivals.
He stayed three years in Abruzzo. Pescara were immediately relegated and in the next two seasons failed to get back to the first tier. He made 87 league appearances with 19 goals.
Silva’s last years of active football were with Sambenedettese in Serie B followed by Messina in Serie C1 and two years at Monopoli also in the third tier.
Following his retirement in 1986, Silva moved into football management. Over the years he coached many clubs in Italy’s professional and semi-professional leagues. His coaching career included spells with teams such as Ascoli, Ternana, Taranto, Frosinone and Grosseto.
One notable period came at Ascoli, where Silva worked closely with coach Marco Giampaolo. At the time Giampaolo did not yet hold the required UEFA coaching license, so Silva was officially listed as the club’s head coach while Giampaolo handled much of the tactical work.
Although he never became one of Italy’s most famous players, Massimo Silva built a long and respected career in football both on and off the pitch. His contribution to Ascoli’s historic promotion and his decades of work as a coach have made him a well-known figure in Italian lower-league football.
For Lazio he will always be remembered as part of the deal that welcomed Frustalupi to Rome, one of the smartest moves ever made in the summer transfer window.
Lazio Career
Season | Coppa Italia Appearances |
1972-73 | 2 |
Sources
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