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Writer's pictureSimon Basten

February 26, 1984: Roma Lazio 2-2

Updated: Oct 4

Miracle draw

 

The Biancocelesti were two up after 24 minutes, but Roma equalised also thanks to Manfredonia's sending off. After that, they managed to hold off the Giallorossi attacks and clinch a well-deserved and much needed point.




Source Lazio Wiki

The season so far

 

Lazio were finally back in Serie A after three difficult years in the second division, the "purgatory" of Serie B. Unjustly relegated due to the fact that four players were involved in the Totonero scandal of 1980, in the first year the Biancocelesti had just missed out on promotion due to a missed penalty in the penultimate game of the season. The 1981-82 season was rather dismal and Lazio only managed to avoid relegation thanks to a Vincenzo D’Amico hat-trick in the last home game.

 

Promotion had been made possible thanks to the return from suspension of Bruno Giordano and Lionello Manfredonia who, together with D’Amico, and a combination of both young and experienced players, had managed to get over the line despite a long crisis in which the objective seemed to be slipping away. Fortunately, two wins and two draws in the last four games were enough to reach the long-awaited objective.

 

There was great enthusiasm among the fans mainly because Long John Giorgio Chinaglia, the hero of the 1973-74 scudetto, had returned as President with the promise of lots of money to invest in the club.

 

Despite the promises, the summer signings had not been great. The big names were young Danish forward Michael Laudrup, on loan from Juventus, and Brazilian International Joao Batista. These two were the first foreign players signed after the reopening of the borders.

 

Giancarlo Morrone, who had substituted Roberto Clagluna towards the end of the previous season, was confirmed as manager.

 

1983-84 opened with the Coppa Italia. Six teams in Group 2: Juventus, Bari, Catanzaro, Perugia and Taranto. The top two qualified for the round of 16. Lazio had started reasonably well drawing at Catanzaro and beating Perugia, but then a surprise defeat at Taranto and a goalless draw at Bari meant that they had to beat Juventus at home in the last game to go through. They played well but the draw meant that they were out.

 

Anyway, Serie A was more important. The first game was a disaster. Verona hammered Lazio with four goals and only a late Laudrup brace disguised a bad defeat. The next game at home was a triumph: 3-0 against Inter. But in the next ten matches the Biancocelesti won only two (2-1 against Avellino and 3-0 Catania), drew two (both in Genoa) and lost six, including the derby. Lazio were second from last and Morrone was sacked. Former player Paolo Carosi was called up and after a controversial draw at home against Udinese, the Biancocelesti went to Ascoli on December 31. There, Antonio Bogoni with a killer tackle broke Giordano’s leg.

 

Lazio fell into despair, losing the Ascoli match as well as the next one at home against Pisa.

 

The Biancocelesti had only nine points after the first half of the season. Carosi realised that he had to do something and he put his faith in the players with greater experience. Life without probably one of the best centre forwards in Europe would not be easy and there was no backup plan. At this point D’Amico and Manfredonia took matters into their own hands and stepped up to lead the team.


Lazio started earning points. In the first five games of the second half of the season they beat Genoa and Sampdoria at home and drew against Verona at home and Inter away (thanks to a Walter Zenga howler).

 

Next game, the derby. A very, very difficult match. Roma, reigning champions, were joint second with Torino, four points behind leaders Juventus.

 

The match: Sunday, February 26, 1984, Stadio Olimpico, Rome

 

Lazio started the game really well. In the ninth minute there was a free kick for the Biancocelesti on the right, a little far out. D’Amico took it, the ball hit Agostino Di Bartolomei, last man on the left of the wall, and beat Franco Tancredi. The deflection was a minor one, but the Roma goalkeeper seemed unprepared for the shot.

 

Roma reacted and sent  a number of crosses into the box but Fernando Orsi was ready and managed to parry a Toninho Cerezo header in the 17th minute followed by another from Roberto Pruzzo three minutes later. In the 24th minute another surprise. Gabriele Podavini entered the box on the right and was tripped up by Sebino Nela. Penalty for the Biancocelesti and D’Amico made it 2-0.

 

Incredulity from fans on both sides. Never would have they imagined this score before the match. Roma put their foot on the accelerator. Three minutes after the penalty Aldo Maldera on the left managed to beat Orsi but not Gabriele Filisetti who saved Lazio, clearing very close to the goal line.

 

Pruzzo then claimed to have been fouled by Mauro Della Martira in the box but Luigi Agnolin was not convinced. An almost identical foul involving both protagonists took place in the 41st minute. Bruno Conti crossed into the middle from the left, Della Martira put his hand on the  Pruzzo's back, who had anticipated him and the Roma centre forward collapsed to the ground. The ref this time gave the Giallorossi the penalty and Di Bartolomei reduced the deficit.

 

At the beginning of the second half, Manfredonia ruthlessly hacked Conti down with a very dangerous tackle and was quite rightly sent off. Marvellous theatrics by the Roma player by the way who looked as if he would never play again, only to promptly bounce up once Lio was shown the red card.

 

Lazio already in dire straits and down to ten men could do little to prevent Roma from equalising. In the 53rd minute Massimo Piscedda slipped close to the box on the right, Ciccio Graziani crossed, Orsi tried to clear but the ball reached Cerezo who scored.

 

At this point everybody was expecting a Roma onslaught. But this never happened. Not only, nothing much else happened in the match. Lazio controlled the game and brought back a well-deserved and important point. Roma had to say goodbye to the scudetto as Juventus won the Turin derby and had now a five-point lead.

 

Who played for Roma

 

Tancredi, Nela, Oddi, Righetti, Falcao, Maldera, B. Conti, Cerezo, Pruzzo, Di Bartolomei, Graziani.

Substitutes: Malgioglio, Nappi, Strukelj, Chierico, F. Vincenzi.

Manager: Liedholm.

 

Who played for Lazio

 

Substitutes: Cacciatori, Miele, Meluso

Manager: Carosi

 

Referee: Agnolin

 

Goals: 9’ Di Bartolomei (og), 24’ D’Amico (pen), 40’ Di Bartolomei (pen), 53’ Cerezo



What happened next

 

Just when things were looking brighter, the Biancocelesti faltered again. The last four games became fundamental. Fortunately, Giordano came back in record time. The week before the unlucky defeat against Fiorentina, a rumour spread that Lazio’s star player might be on the bench and possibly play the final minutes. Ten thousand fans travelled to Florence (including us!) in the hope of seeing their captain play. He came on with 20 minutes to go and this was the best news possible for Lazio.

 

The following match against Napoli saw Giordano regain his place in the centre of the Lazio attack. It took him just 30 seconds to score and the Biancocelesti managed to win the game 3-2. There was still hope. But defeat in the next game at Udine meant that the Biancocelesti needed three points in the last two games to stay in Serie A. The table at the bottom read: Napoli and Avellino 24, Genoa and Lazio 22, Pisa 21, Catania (relegated) 11. Last games were Lazio-Ascoli, Juventus-Avellino, Milan-Pisa, Fiorentina-Genoa and Napoli-Udinese.

 

At the end of the first half Napoli were winning 1-0, Avellino were losing while Pisa, Genoa and Lazio were drawing. This meant Napoli 26 points, Avellino 24, Genoa and Lazio 23, Pisa 21. Fortunately, Angelo Cupini scored for the Biancocelesti and Pisa lost so they were relegated. Avellino managed to draw and Napoli won thus leaving the struggle. Going into the final match Lazio had 24 points and Genoa 23. Final games Pisa-Lazio, Genoa-Juve but the Bianconeri had already won the title so they had nothing to lose.

 

A mass exodus of Lazio fans accompanied the team to Tuscany. The Arena Garibaldi was almost entirely light blue and white.

 

Things seemed to be looking up when the radios announced Juventus had taken the lead with Antonio Cabrini at Marassi after 7 minutes. Only three minutes later however, Genoa equalised with a Beniamino Vignola own goal. Back to square one until, only a minute later, Bruno-Gol scored for Lazio, with a header from a D'Amico free kick. Half time Pisa 0 Lazio 1 and Genoa 1 Juventus 1; Lazio 26 points, Genoa 24. Things were looking good.

 

At the beginning of the second half however Pisa equalised with a controversial goal by Danish Klaus Berggreen who seemed to score with his arm. So, 1-1 but Lazio were still safe.

 

Pisa pushed forward looking to go down with dignity and a win. Luca Birigozzi in the 52nd minute shot over the bar from a favourable position and five minutes later he had the mother of all chances. He found himself with an open goal and only Lazio's Batista on the goal line but somehow managed to get his shot cleared by the Brazilian. One of those chances that are easier to score than miss.

 

Having seen hell's door opening Lazio turned up the pressure and were rewarded in the 67th minute. Manfredonia was fouled in the area for a clear penalty. Giordano's low spot kick was not impeccable but went under keeper Alessandro Mannini for the 2-1.

 

Lazio then got a third, but Laudrup had his goal ruled out for offside. Still, going into the last two or three minutes the situation seemed under control, Lazio were winning and Genoa drawing.

 

Then in the 89th minute Stefano Bosetti scored for Genoa against the Italian Champions, Juventus. No panic, Lazio were still a point ahead. Then in the 90th minute Pisa equalised with Ferruccio Mariani. Lazio 25 points and Genoa 25 points.

 

A very tense few minutes of injury time saw Lazio hold on for their sacred point. Lazio were safe. The decider would not be goal difference (as in UK for example) but the direct matches in the league (0-0 and 2-1 to Lazio). The win over Genoa in January turned out to be a lifesaver for Lazio.

 

The fans were ecstatic and Chinaglia went down to the pitch to celebrate with the fans. “We will never suffer like this again”, he said. Alas, this was only the beginning of the suffering.


Lazio 1983-84

Competition

Played

Won

Drawn

Lost

Goals scored

Serie A

30

8

9

13

35

Coppa Italia

5

1

3

1

3

Total

35

9

12

14

38

Top five appearances

Player

Total

Serie A

Coppa Italia

Laudrup

35

30

5

Vinazzani

33

28

5

Spinozzi

32

27

5

Manfredonia

31

26

5

Batista

30

25

5

D'Amico

30

25

5

Top five goal scorers

Player

Total

Serie A

Coppa Italia

Laudrup

8

8

-

D'Amico

8

7

1

Giordano

8

8

-

Manfredonia

4

4

-

Cupini

3

3

-


Let’s talk about Mauro Della Martira


Source Lazio Wiki

Mauro Della Martira was born in Rome on December 16, 1951. He started playing football in a local Rome team, Bettini Quadraro, and in 1969-70 left for Arezzo where he never played professionally. After a couple of seasons in minor teams, in 1972 he signed for Viareggio in Serie C. He did very well and the next year he left for Florence. He played for five years with Fiorentina, making 88 league appearances with five goals and winning a Coppa Italia in 1974-75, beating Milan 3-2 in the Rome final, and an Anglo-Italian League Cup in 1975 against West Ham United.

 

In 1978 he moved to Perugia and was part of the team that reached a historic second place under Ilario Castagner without losing a match and with the best defence of Serie A. The following season, despite having Paolo Rossi in the squad, Perugia arrived seventh. But at the end of the year there was the big Totonero match fixing scandal. Della Martira was involved for the alleged fixing of the game Avellino-Perugia which ended 2-2. He got a five-year ban, later reduced to three after the two-year grace following the Italy world cup win in 1982.

 

Della Martira stopped playing football and had a brief experience as assistant coach with New York Cosmos. When Giorgio Chinaglia became president of Lazio, he wanted Della Martira to come with him. After being in charge of marketing, Chinaglia gave him the possibility to be part of the squad and Della Martira made six unmemorable appearances with the exception of the derby. Lazio were surprisingly 2-0 up after 25 minutes but Della Martira was then responsible for the foul on Roberto Pruzzo which gave Roma the penalty that allowed them to reduce the deficit.

 

Once he definitely stopped playing, Della Martira tried something very different. He moved to London and opened a restaurant. His daughter even participated in the third edition of MasterChef Italia.

 

Not much of an impact at Lazio, but he certainly left good memories in Florence and Perugia.


Lazio Career

Season

Serie A appearances

1983-84

6

Sources



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