January 28, 1973: Inter Lazio 1-1
- Simon Basten
- 12 hours ago
- 7 min read
Comedy of refereeing errors
Disastrous refereeing culminating in a punched goal
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. Lazio were surprisingly third in the company of Inter (who had one game in hand), just one point behind Milan and Juventus.
The match: Sunday, January 28, 1973, Stadio San Siro, Milan
Lazio began at a high tempo. Between the second and third minutes Luigi Martini and Mario Frustalupi both had shots; in the fourth minute Giacinto Facchetti deflected a very dangerous cross from Luciano Re Cecconi; by the seventh minute Lazio could already have scored. From a pass by Frustalupi and Franco Nanni, Giorgio Chinaglia—clearly in excellent form—took advantage of Mario Bellugi’s miscontrol and lifted the ball onto the crossbar, leaving Lido Vieri beaten. It was a difficult chance but one that revealed the nature of this Lazio side: quick in possession, direct, and capable of creating openings both through support play and through forward runs.
Inter were badly exposed down the left. Mario Corso was repeatedly beaten and unable to keep up with the pace. Sandro Mazzola worked tirelessly to organize and create, but the rest of the team struggled to find ideas. Roberto Boninsegna fought between Giancarlo Oddi and Pino Wilson without ever being properly supplied, while Re Cecconi controlled the game in both midfield and support roles.
Lazio continued to threaten, with two more shots saved low by Vieri from Chinaglia and Re Cecconi. After several hard fouls by Martini on Mazzola, the match entered a controversial phase. In the 24th minute, Sandrino set up Boninsegna, who was about to play a one-two with Giuseppe Massa, when he was clearly fouled by Oddi and Wilson inside the area. It was an obvious penalty, but the referee, Giunti, failed to intervene.
A minute later, Pierpaolo Manservisi was sent into the Inter penalty area by a long ball, and Gabriele Oriali handled it. This time a penalty was given, and Chinaglia scored with a powerful right-footed shot past Vieri. Lazio took the lead, forcing Inter to push forward. In the 27th minute Corso entered the Lazio area and was tripped from behind; even if the fall may have been exaggerated, it was still a foul, but once again the referee waved play on.
Lazio’s approach play remained composed and effective. Chinaglia tested Vieri again in the 35th minute with a well-struck diagonal shot. Lazio looked comfortable, while Inter appeared to be reaching the limits of their reaction built more on experience than dominance. Two late Inter free kicks caused minor concern for Felice Pulici, but they produced no real danger before the break.
After halftime, Mazzola led Inter’s response with renewed energy. In the 50th minute Lazio appeared to handle the ball in their own area; a minute later Boninsegna was pushed from behind, again inside the box. The home crowd grew increasingly frustrated by the referee’s decisions. Massa missed a clear chance in the 55th minute after a pass from Mazzola, then Mazzola himself shot instead of passing to a free Boninsegna.
Inter equalised in the 60th minute. Oriali sent a long, high ball into the area from a distance. In the confusion that followed, with several players close to offside and jostling for position, Boninsegna stretched out and punched the ball behind Pulici. The ref did not see, the linesmen neither, the score was 1–1, and the game settled.
There were few clear chances after that. Chinaglia played an excellent pass to Luigi Martini on the right in the 65th minute, but the Lazio defender failed to make the most of the opportunity. Pulici later tipped a dangerous Corso header over the bar and in the 77th minute Boninsegna struck a powerful left-footed shot from a tight angle that hit the outside of the net. Burgnich made two important clearances to stop Lazio counterattacks, and the match ended without further incident.
The Biancocelesti really showed that they deserved to be up there with the best and were certainly to be considered scudetto contenders.
Who played for Inter
Vieri L., Oriali, Facchetti G., Bedin, Bellugi, Burgnich, Massa, Mazzola, Boninsegna, Bertini M. (dal 20' Moro A.), Corso
Substitute: Bordon
Manager: Invernizzi
Who played for Lazio
Pulici, Facco, Martini, Wilson, Oddi, Nanni, Garlaschelli, Re Cecconi, Chinaglia, Frustalupi, Manservisi
Manager: Maestrelli
Referee: Giunti
Goals: 28’ Chinaglia (pen), 60’ Boninsegna
What happened next
In the second half of the season Lazio 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 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).
Let’s talk about Mario Corso
Mario Corso (25 August 1941 – 19 June 2020) was one of the most gifted and elegant footballers in Italian history. A symbol of Inter Milan’s legendary Grande Inter of the 1960s, Corso is remembered as a supremely talented left winger whose creativity, technique, and extraordinary left foot made him a unique figure in world football.
Born in San Michele Extra, Verona, Corso began playing football in local youth teams before being spotted by Inter, who signed him in 1958. He made his first-team debut at just 17 years of age, immediately showing the flair and confidence that would define his career. From the outset, it was clear that Inter had discovered a rare talent.
Corso spent the vast majority of his playing career at Inter, becoming a central figure in the team coached by Helenio Herrera. During this golden era, Inter dominated Italian and European football, and Corso played a crucial role with his vision, precise passing, and ability to decide matches with moments of brilliance. With Inter, he won four Serie A titles, two European Cups (1964 and 1965), and two Intercontinental Cups, cementing his place in the club’s history. In total, he made 520 appearances for the Nerazzurri, scoring 96 goals in all competitions.
Nicknamed “Mariolino”, “Mandrake”, and most famously “The Left Foot of God,” Corso was renowned for his extraordinary technical ability. His signature skill was the “foglia morta” free kick—literally “dead leaf”—a shot that dipped and swerved unpredictably, often leaving goalkeepers helpless. Elegant rather than explosive, Corso was not known for physical power or relentless running, but for intelligence, imagination, and an almost artistic relationship with the ball.
At international level, Corso represented the Italian national team between 1961 and 1971, earning 23 caps and scoring four goals. Although his talent was unquestionable, his style did not always align with the more rigid tactical demands of international football at the time, limiting his appearances compared to his club success.
In the later years of his playing career, Corso moved to Genoa, where he finished his time as a professional footballer in the mid-1970s. In his first year he Rossoblu were relegated. He decided to stay on but broke his leg early in the season. The fracture was not entirely healed when he had the metal plaque removed and he broke it again. That was the end of his career.
He then transitioned into coaching, and he started with the Napoli Primavera in 1978-79 winning the title. After, he worked with Lecce and Catanzaro. He led the Apulians to safety in Serie B in the 1982-83 season, but was sacked the following year with Catanzaro. He went back to Inter to coach the youth teams and took Ilario Castagner’s place as manager in November 1985. That year Inter reached a UEFA Cup qualification but he was not confirmed. In 1987-88 he joined Mantova taking them to victory of the Serie C2 league and obtaining a sixth place the year after. In 1989 he signed for Barletta in Serie B and helped them to stay in the second tier. In 1991-92 he joined Verona with Nils Liedholm. It was his last job as manager. From then on, he worked as scout for Inter.
Mario Corso passed away in Milan on 19 June 2020 at the age of 78. He remains an enduring icon of Italian football—a player who embodied creativity and elegance, and whose magical left foot helped define one of the greatest teams in football history.
Source
Comments