Lazio U19 Champions!!!
- Dag Jenkins
- Jun 17, 2024
- 4 min read
Final Scudetto Primavera, Second Leg
Thursday, June 17, 1976
Stadio Comunale, Turin
Juventus - Lazio 1-1
With a solid defensive display Lazio preserve first leg lead to win first historic Primavera Scudetto
In the regular season the Lazio Primavera had won 10, drawn 6 and lost 4. They thus qualified for the next phase which was a 4-team group with Roma, Bari and Sorrento. The Biancocelesti won the group by winning 4 (Sorrento home and away, Bari and Roma at home) and drawing 2 (Bari and Roma away).
This meant they qualified for the Scudetto final against Juventus who had won the northern section. The final was to be played over two legs. The first took place at the Stadio Olimpico on June 11 and in front of 15,000 fans Lazio had thumped the Bianconeri 4-1 with braces by Bruno Giordano and Ernesto Apuzzo.
Juventus had won the Scudetto twice before, in 1963 (the first edition) and 1972 while Lazio had never won it.
Today was the return game in Turin and Lazio took a healthy lead up to Piedmont.
The match
A fresh day in Turin brought about 3,000 spectators to the Comunale. The Juventus hierarchy was present with president Giampiero Boniperti, former player John Charles and manager Čestmír Vycpálek all in the stands.
Lazio were without star forward Bruno Giordano but today was more about defending their three-goal lead.
The first half was unspectacular and Lazio controlled Juventus' attacks without any particular problems. The Bianconeri attacked continuously but rarely threatened more than a few scrambles at the edge of the area.
The hosts only shot at goal came in the 44th minute when a Luigi Capuzzo freekick forced keeper Marco Cari into a difficult save. Halftime 0-0 and Lazio in control.
The second half followed the same pattern. Juventus pushing forward but contained well by Lazio’s midfield and then defence.
It was Lazio in the 55th minute who went closest with an Alberto Ferrari effort.
In the 64th minute the few remaining doubts over who would lift the title disappeared as Lazio scored. On a good Andrea Agostinelli cross from the right, full-back Massimo Colaprete timed his run perfectly and headed past Renato Carraro. 0-1 and 1-5 on aggregate to the Biancocelesti.
Juventus replaced Capuzzo with Gian Piero Gasperini in the 65th minute and four minutes later they recovered a slither of hope as they equalised.
In the 68th minute Dario Tosetti acrobatically turned in a low Vinicio Verza cross to beat Cari and levelled the score, 1-1.
The mountain to climb was however too high for the young zebras with only twenty minutes to go. Lazio continued to defend well but the game became tenser and more physical.
In the 74th minute Lazio were reduced to ten men when Roberto Sesena got a second yellow card and was off. The numerical equilibrium was re-established only six minutes later when Daniele Baroncini was sent off for a dirty foul on Giancarlo Ceccarelli.
As the game came to a close, tempers calmed and Lazio clinched the away draw without excessive difficulties.
The prestigious Primavera Scudetto was finally Lazio's.
Who played for Juventus
Carraro, Baroncini, Colombo, Pavanello, Busato, Serena, Dotto, Verza, Tosetti, Capuzzo (65' Gasperini), Marocchino
Manager: Grosso
Who played for Lazio
Cari, Tarallo, Colaprete, Ferrari, Sesena, Manfredonia, Montesi, Agostinelli, Apuzzo, Ceccarelli, De Stefanis (76' Marchetti)
Manager: Carosi
Referee: Allegrezza
Goals: 64' Colaprete, 68' Tosetti
Red Cards: 74' Sesena (L), 80' Baroncini
What happened next
Lazio have since won the U19s Scudetto four more times, in 1987, 1995, 2001 and 2013.
Several of the Lazio players went on to play for Lazio and have professional careers.
Bruno Giordano had already played for the first team that year but went on to play 254 games for Lazio, scoring 108 goals and would later win a Scudetto with Napoli playing with Diego Maradona.
Lionello Manfredonia played 234 games for Lazio, then Juventus and controversially Roma.
Maurizio Montesi played 30 league games for Lazio before a serious injury prematurely ended his career.
Andrea Agostinelli played 91 games for Lazio and then clubs such as Atalanta and Napoli. He then became a coach.
Massimo De Stefanis only played 4 league games for Lazio but had a decent career at Palermo, Perugia, Arezzo and Ancona.
Ernesto Apuzzo only played one league game for Lazio and then spent most of his career in 3rd tier football. He then became a coach.
Giancarlo Ceccarelli played one game in Coppa Italia for Lazio before leaving for Avellino where he won a historic promotion to Serie A.
The manager, former Lazio player Paolo Carosi, would have a spell in charge of Lazio's first team in 1983-84.
Juventus have since won the Scudetto twice, in 1994 and 2006.
Of today's squad a few players went on to make it at top level.
Domenico Marocchino played 99 league games for Juventus and won the Scudetto twice.
Gian Piero Gasperini played 9 cup games for Juventus before leaving for Palermo. He then became a coach and has been very successful with teams including Genoa, Inter, Palermo and especially Atalanta with whom he regularly played in the Champions League and in 2024 won the Europa League. He is now the new Roma manager.
Vinicio Verza played 41 league games for Juventus and won the Scudetto twice. He then played in A with Cesena, Milan, Verona and Como.
Sources
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