February 8, 1976: Lazio Sampdoria 1-1
- Simon Basten
- 15 hours ago
- 8 min read
Lazio and Sampdoria Share the points in Tense Relegation Clash
Late first-half goals cancel each other out as fear of defeat outweighs ambition at the Olimpico
The season so far
The previous season Lazio had arrived fourth. The team was deeply affected by their manager’s illness. Tommaso Maestrelli had cancer so he could not lead the Biancocelesti for the 1975-76 season. President Umberto Lenzini had waited until the last possible moment, and then he was forced to look elsewhere. The new manager was Giulio Corsini, a young trainer who had done well with Atalanta.
Corsini’s idea was to get rid of some of the players that had been the backbone of the scudetto team. So goodbye Mario Frustalupi and Giancarlo Oddi, who were sold to Cesena in exchange for Paolo Ammoniaci and Francesco Brignani, plus Franco Nanni, sold to Bologna. The other signing of any significance was Antonio Lopez from Pescara.
Giorgio Chinaglia was a problem.
Long John’s family had been forced to return to the US following threats by Roma supporters. Chinaglia really missed his family so in the summer he went to the States. While he was there he was invited to play a game for the Hartford Bicentennials against Poland. His participation was a media event and Chinaglia felt very important.
Pele joined the New York Cosmos and Chinaglia was invited to see the Brazilian champion’s first game with the club. While he was there he asked if Cosmos would want to sign him too. He really missed his family and he felt that life without them, the current difficult situation in Italy, plus Maestrelli’s illness were a sign that his Lazio adventure was over. Lenzini refused any negotiations and threatened Chinaglia with fines and suspension. Long John was forced to come back to Rome but when he arrived he saw that some of his teammates had been sold and that the new manager wanted to rule. Chinaglia demanded to play in Coppa Italia as soon as he returned, the manager said no. War had begun.
In Coppa Italia Lazio did rather well, qualifying for the second phase, which would be played at the end of the campionato. They won their two matches at home and drew the two away games.
In the UEFA Cup Lazio faced Chernomorets Odessa in the first round. After losing 1-0 away in the first leg, Lazio managed to take the tie to extra time thanks to a Chinaglia penalty with one minute to go. Long John then scored another two goals and the Biancocelesti went through. In the next round, Lazio were drawn against Johan Cruijff’s Barcelona. A few weeks before the first leg, General Francisco Franco had ordered a few dissidents shot and this had created great indignation in Italy. There was strong pressure from Italian politicians on Lazio to refuse to play against the Spanish team. Lenzini did what he could to get the game played, but in the end gave up. As a consequence, UEFA gave the victory to the Spaniards 3-0. The return game was pointless and the Biancocelesti, packed with reserves, lost 4-0. The stupidity of the decision was blatant: Barcelona had always been against Franco.
Lenzini had then granted Chinaglia the possibility of going to the US once a month to see his family. Corsini did not agree and told the Lazio centre forward that “until I am the Lazio manager you will never be going to the States”. The situation reached its pinnacle in the interval of the first derby of the season. Chinaglia and Corsini clashed, the old Lazio guard was with their leader and all hell broke loose. Long John scored Lazio’s equaliser and that night flew to the US. The following Sunday Lazio lost and Corsini was sacked. Lazio were 13th, in the relegation zone with just 5 points.
Tommaso Maestrelli was feeling much better and had returned almost to a normal life. Lenzini offered him his job back and the Maestro accepted. But there were problems. Lazio did not have a playmaker since Frustalupi had been sold. Lots of runners, but nobody to feed the ball to the forwards. They were currently 12th on 11 points together with Verona and today’s opponents Sampdoria, four points ahead of Como and five more than Cagliari, last. The previous Sunday they had won at home against Como, another win would be fundamental.
The match: Sunday, February 8, 1976, Stadio Olimpico, Rome
Fresh from their win over Como, Lazio were thrown straight back into relegation trouble, facing Sampdoria in a tense survival clash between sides level on eleven points, alongside Verona. Giorgio Chinaglia, back from New York and only in training since Friday, was clearly short of fitness but still named in the starting line-up.
Sampdoria set up deep from the outset, while Lazio played with visible anxiety and little attacking edge. The contest quickly drifted into a dull, lifeless affair. Vincenzo D’Amico tried to inject some urgency, but Lazio were slow and predictable, offering him little support. Sampdoria were then forced into an early change when goalkeeper Massimo Cacciatori was injured, with former Lazio man Rosario Di Vincenzo coming on. The decisive moments arrived just before the break — twice in the space of two minutes.
In the 40th minute, a cleverly worked free kick from the edge of the box caught Lazio’s defense out. A cross from the left wasn’t dealt with by Pino Wilson, allowing Nello Saltutti to nip in ahead of Roberto Badiani and score, despite a desperate goal-line attempt by Sergio Petrelli. The goal once again exposed Lazio’s long-standing defensive frailties, leaving Felice Pulici and Wilson isolated — problems that had surfaced under Giulio Corsini and only partially addressed by Tommaso Maestrelli.
Lazio responded immediately. From Badiani’s cross, Chinaglia miscontrolled the ball, but it fell kindly for Renzo Garlaschelli, who steadied himself and finished clinically, wrong-footing Domenico Arnuzzo and Marco Rossinelli to restore parity.
The second half offered little to remember. Maestrelli withdrew an ineffective D’Amico, but the pattern remained unchanged. Fear of losing ultimately outweighed any desire to win, and the match drifted to a draw that barely improved Lazio’s situation — though it was enough to lift them one place clear of the deepest relegation danger.
Calls to inject youth into the side by handing opportunities to Bruno Giordano and Lionello Manfredonia were brushed aside by Maestrelli, who told reporters after the match: “Not yet. When the time is right, I’ll be the first to make room for the two capable youngsters.”
Who played for Lazio
F.Pulici, Petrelli, Martini, Wilson, Ghedin, Badiani, Garlaschelli, Re Cecconi, Chinaglia, D'Amico (79' Ferrari G.C.), Lopez
Substitutes: Moriggi, Ammoniaci Manager: Maestrelli
Who played for Sampdoria
Cacciatori (10' Di Vincenzo), Arnuzzo, Lelj, Bedin, Zecchini, Rossinelli, Tuttino, Nicolini E., Maraschi, Orlandi, Saltutti Substitutes: Ferroni, Salvi G. Manager: Bersellini
Referee: Mascali
Goals: 40' Saltutti, 41' Garlaschelli
What happened next
With four games to the end of the season Lazio were third from bottom, one point behind Sampdoria and Ascoli. Three teams went down (two points for victory). The Biancocelesti had to play against Torino who were Serie A leaders. Lazio scored in the second half but an unfortunate own goal with 60 seconds to go gave Torino the equaliser. With three games left, Cagliari were doomed on 15 points, Como had 18, Lazio and Sampdoria 20, Ascoli 21 and Verona 22.
The Torino game was Chinaglia’s last ever for Lazio. He left that evening to join New York Cosmos. His last goal had been against Ascoli on March 21.
Lazio lost the next match 4-3 in Florence. So now Como and Lazio were on 20, Ascoli 21, Verona and Sampdoria 22. Lazio needed to beat AC Milan in the last game at home and they did. Not only, they literally destroyed them, scored four goals and could have scored many more.
Como had 20 points, Lazio, Sampdoria and Ascoli 22, Verona 23. Last match at Como. After 17 minutes the Biancocelesti were 2-0 down but then Giordano managed to pull one back. At the end of the first half the situation was Lazio and Como on 22 points, Ascoli, who were winning against Roma, on 24, Sampdoria, who were 1-0 up against Napoli, also on 24, as were Verona who were losing in Florence.
In the second half, Roberto Badiani equalised and the Biancocelesti managed to bring back the necessary point that allowed them to reach safety. Lazio and Ascoli were on 23 points but the Biancocelesti had a better goal difference so it was Ascoli who joined Como and Cagliari in Serie B.
The Biancocelesti were then involved in the second group phase of the Coppa Italia. They were paired with Verona, Inter and Genoa. The team that topped the group would play the final. They came third.
We mentioned that Frustalupi and Oddi had been sold to Cesena in the summer of 1975. Lazio, however, still owed them some money. Furthermore, in the home match, the Cesena goalkeeper Lamberto Boranga had had his car damaged by some Lazio fans (in 1971 Boranga had feigned being hit by Chinaglia during a game and Long John had been sent off) and Lazio had promised to reimburse him. So, when Lazio went to Cesena in April 1976, the club took the opportunity to pay off their debts.
CORRUPTION!!!! Lazio have bribed the Cesena players!!! There was an enquiry and nothing happened but the club and tifosi had to wait until the end of July to be certain.
Let’s talk about Eugenio Bersellini
Eugenio Bersellini (June 10, 1936 – September 2, 2017) was an Italian footballer and coach, best remembered as one of the key architects of Italian football in the late 1970s and early 1980s.
Born in Borgo a Buggiano, Tuscany, Bersellini enjoyed a solid playing career as a midfielder, spanning the late 1950s and 1960s. He was not a flashy player but was valued for his work rate, tactical intelligence, and physical robustness—traits that later defined his coaching philosophy. After starting his career with Fidenza in the fourth tier, he signed for Brescia in Serie B in 1954 where he stayed for five years with 98 appearances and 19 goals. In 1956-57 they went close to promotion, losing out in the playoff. He then played another five years at Monza, with a season break at Pro Patria, all again in the second tier. In his last year they were relegated to Serie C and he moved south to Lecce for his last two years of active football.
After retiring, he quickly made his mark as a coach, earning a reputation for tactical discipline, physical preparation, and man-management.
He first started at Lecce in 1969 the spent a couple of years each at Como, Cesena and Sampdoria before being called up to Inter whom he led to the Serie A title in 1979–80. He also won two Coppa Italia titles with Inter (1977–78 and 1981–82).
He left and coached Torino for two years before going back to Sampdoria guiding them to their first major trophy, the Coppa Italia in 1984–85, laying the foundations for the club’s golden era that followed under Vujadin Boškov.
This was followed by further seasons in Serie A with Fiorentina (1986–1987), Avellino (1987–1988), and Ascoli. He then returned to Como (1990–1991) in Serie C1, before taking charge of Modena (1991–1992), Bologna (1992–1993), and Pisa (from February to June 1994) in Serie B. He later coached Saronno in Serie C1 from 1995 to 1997. He then left for Libya. His North African experience began in 1999, when he was appointed head coach of the Libyan national team. In 2001 he was hired by Al-Ahly Tripoli, and in 2002, after moving to the bench of Al-Ittihad Tripoli, he won the Libyan championship, coaching — among others — Al-Sa'adi Gaddafi.
After returning to Italy, in 2006 he was entrusted with the task of rescuing Lavagnese, who were struggling near the bottom of Serie D. Under his guidance the team climbed the table and secured survival after winning the relegation play-outs against Narnese. His final role was as sporting director of Sestri Levante in the 2006–2007 season, a Ligurian Serie D club.
Eugenio Bersellini was a great manager. He was nicknamed the Iron Sergeant for his harsh training methods and an inflexible working ethic. He believed that the foundation of the manager was to thoroughly know the players and then adapt the team based on those characteristics.
Eugenio Bersellini passed away on September 17 2017 in Prato at the age of 81, leaving behind a legacy as one of the most influential Italian coaches of his generation.
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