A lucky draw
Referee does not see a clearly valid goal and Lazio are able to clinch a point
Also on this day: January 22, 1950, Juventus Lazio 1-2. A Flamini double in eight minutes was enough for Lazio to beat Juventus. Player of the day: Vittorio Sentimenti III
The season so far
The previous season Lazio arrived 12th. It had been a disappointing season even if there had been a win in the derby and one in Milan. However once relegation had been avoided, the Biancocelesti stopped playing, only earning one point in the last four games.
Manager Umberto Mannocci had been confirmed and new entries had been Sergio Casteletti, Rino Marchesi and the return of Giancarlo Morrone, all from Fiorentina, Arrigo Dolso (Udinese), Giuseppe Massa (Internapoli), Romano Bagatti (Varese) and Enrico Burlando (Massese). Leaving the Biancocelesti were Vincenzo Gasperi (Varese), Gianpiero Vitali (Fiorentina), Nicola Ciccolo (Vicenza), Antonio Renna (Varese), Orlando Rozzoni (Spal) and the loan of Nello Governato to Inter. In the autumn Pietro Adorni arrived from Napoli and Governato, who had not fitted in at Inter, was loaned to Vicenza.
In Coppa Italia Lazio had been eliminated by Lecco in the second round. In the Mitropa Cup the Biancocelesti had eliminated Red Star Belgrade 4-2 on aggregate.
In Serie A, the Biancocelesti had been even more disappointing than last year. They were 14th, in the relegation zone (four would go down to Serie B due to the decision to reduce the Serie A teams to 16 following the 1966 World Cup debacle against North Korea) and had a long way to go to get out of troubled waters. They had won three times (1-0 at Lecco, 1-0 at home against the mighty Inter and 2-1 vs Bologna), drawn six and lost seven, including the derby. Mannocci had been sacked in November and replaced by Maino Neri.
Today’s game was against another Serie A big team: Juventus. The Bianconeri were second, one point from Inter. A difficult match to say the least.
The Match: Sunday, January 22, 1967 Stadio Olimpico, Rome
Juventus were without Gian Carlo Bercellino and Gianfranco Leoncini and Lazio without suspended Vito D’Amato. Manager Maino Neri placed a lot of midfield players in the team in the hope of reducing potential threats. The Biancocelesti desperately needed points.
In the 5th minute Adolfo Gori hit the woodwork and four minutes later, after having saved a dangerous Paolo Carosi cross, Roberto Anzolin kicked Alberto Mari. He should have been sent off and a penalty given to Lazio but the referee closed both eyes. Gianfranco Zigoni had a chance in the 15th minute but missed the target with a header. Wonderful cross from Mari for Romano Bagatti but any chance of scoring was stopped by Ernesto Castano. Just before half time, Arrigo Dolso back heeled to Giancarlo Morrone whose shot was fortuitously deflected by Luis Del Sol.
After Morrone had shaved the crossbar in the beginning of the second half, in the 52nd minute came a huge goal appeal by the Juventus players. A free kick taken by Gian Paolo Menichelli went into the goal just under the crossbar and then the ball came out again. Goal for the Bianconeri but not for the referee. The Juve players were furious and attacked the Lazio fort in mass but Idilio Cei managed to save a Gian Paolo Menichelli shot and in the 65th minute De Sol missed a chance off a Sidney Cinesinho assist.
After this Juventus lost heart and energy and Lazio comfortably controlled the rest of the game. A well-deserved but somewhat lucky draw for the Biancocelesti.
Who played for Lazio
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Manager: Neri
Who played for Juventus
Anzolin, Gori, Rinero, Salvadore, Castano, Cinesinho, Zigoni, Del Sol, De Paoli, Sacco, Menichelli.
Manager: Heriberto Herrera.
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Referee: De Marchi
What happened next
At the end of the first half of the season Lazio were 14th but the battle to avoid relegation was going to be a long one. With four games to the end of the season the Biancocelesti were 12th together with Spal and Brescia and one point ahead of Vicenza. Foggia, Venezia and Lecco were already doomed. Lazio played at home to Brescia knowing that a victory would probably lift them out of the relegation battle. They lost, as the next game at Bologna too. With two games to go, Brescia 28 points, Vicenza 27, Spal 26, Lazio 25.
In the last match at home the Biancocelesti managed to beat Foggia, while Vicenza and Brescia lost and Spal drew. With one game to go, Spal, Vicenza and Lazio had 27 points and Brescia 28. Final games: Juventus-Lazio, Brescia-Cagliari, Vicenza-Bologna and Spal-Venezia.
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At the end of the first half Vicenza and Lazio were 0-0, Spal and Brescia were losing. There was still hope, but in the second half Lazio collapsed and Spal turned the game around. The Biancocelesti were relegated by one point.
The worst thing about this season were the 10 goalless draws. Which really showed that as far as the attack was concerned, the team was hugely under par.
The players with most appearances were Carosi and Morrone (38), top scorer was Bagatti with 7 goals.
Lazio 1966-67
Competition | Played | Won | Drawn | Lost | Goals scored |
Serie A | 34 | 6 | 15 | 13 | 20 |
Coppa Italia | 2 | 1 | - | 1 | 1 |
Mitropa Cup | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 5 |
Total | 40 | 8 | 16 | 16 | 26 |
Top Five Appearances
Player | Total | Serie A | Coppa Italia | Mitropa Cup |
Morrone | 38 | 33 | 2 | 3 |
Carosi | 38 | 33 | 2 | 3 |
Cei | 37 | 31 | 2 | 4 |
D'Amato | 37 | 32 | 2 | 3 |
Pagni | 36 | 30 | 2 | 4 |
Top Five Goal Scorers
Player | Total | Serie A | Coppa Italia | Mitropa Cup |
Bagatti | 7 | 4 | - | 3 |
D'Amato | 5 | 3 | 1 | 1 |
Morrone | 4 | 4 | - | - |
Marchesi | 2 | 2 | - | - |
Sassaroli | 2 | 2 | - | - |
Let's talk about Pietro Dotti
Pier Luigi Dotti, sometimes called Piero and other times Pietro, was born in Castelfranco Emilia on May 6 1939. He started his footballing career with Mirandolese where he stayed from 1957 to 1959. He then signed for Messina and stayed until 1964. Here he won the Serie B championship in 1962-63.
In 1964 he moved to the capital to play with Lazio. He stayed three years with the Biancocelesti in seasons which cannot exactly be remembered as exciting. As a matter of fact, his last season in Rome coincided with Lazio getting relegated.
He was an excellent defender, agile and fast, always trying to anticipate the opposition forwards' moves. He impressed at Lazio, so in 1967 he had a big chance when he moved to Milan to play for Inter. But the Neroazzurri were at the end of the Grande Inter cycle and he only made 13 appearances. In 1968 he signed for Atalanta, then he moved to Pro Patria and finished his career in 1970-71 with Venezia.
At Lazio he played 96 games, 87 in Serie A, 7 in Coppa Italia and two in Mitropa Cup.
Lazio Career
Season | Total appearances | Serie A | Coppa Italia | Mitropa Cup |
1964-65 | 31 | 29 | 2 | - |
1965-66 | 35 | 32 | 3 | - |
1966-67 | 30 | 26 | 2 | 2 |
Total | 96 | 87 | 7 | 2 |
Sources