UEFA qualification within reach

Dag Jenkins
May 15, 2024
3 min read

Season 1976-77

Game 29, Serie A

Sunday, May 15, 1977

Stadio Olimpico, Rome

Lazio-Cesena 3-0

Lazio beat Cesena 3-0 and join Napoli in 5th and last European slot

In Serie A, Lazio lost the opener (Juventus 2-3 at home) but were having a decent season. After losing their debut the Biancocelesti had won 8 (including first derby 1-0), drawn 11 (including Cesena 0-0) and lost 9 (including second derby 0-1). Lazio were currently 6th on 27 points, only two from a UEFA qualification.

Lazio had to win today in their final push for Europe against a team who had nothing to play for.

The match: Sunday, May 15, 1977, Stadio Olimpico, Rome

A sunny spring day saw about 45,000 spectators at the Olimpico for Lazio's last home game.

Lazio were missing defender Lionello Manfredonia and winger Renzo Garlaschelli while Cesena were without defender Pierluigi Cera, midfielder Giorgio Rognoni and forward Gianluca De Ponti.

The Lazio fans welcomed Scudetto heroes Giancarlo Oddi and Mario Frustalupi back warmly.

The first half an hour was a dull affair. Lazio stubbornly tried to attack centrally but were constantly blocked by the tight Cesena defence. Luís Vinicio on the side-lines unsuccessfully gesticulated to the players to use the width of the pitch but to no avail. In midfield Frustalupi worsened nostalgia for his performances by dominating Ciccio Cordova.

Ironically however, it was then Cordova who gave Lazio the lead. In the 33rd minute he intercepted a bad pass by the defence and seeing Lamberto Boranga slightly off his line, floated the ball over the keeper and into the net. Lazio 1 Cesena 0.

Lazio then controlled Cesena's weak reaction without any difficulty and went to the break a goal up.

For second half Lazio replaced Fernando Viola with Vincenzo D'Amico. The Biancocelesti improved with Luigi Martini and Roberto Badiani particularly lively.

On the hour mark the visitors substituted forward Fabrizio Lucchi with defender Corrado Benedetti.

Lazio attacked but it was not until the fans started to gather menacingly around the field, for the traditional end of season pitch invasion, that Lazio got a second goal. In the 75th minute Bruno Giordano, set up by D'Amico, went around Boranga and from a difficult angle shot towards goal, the ball was going in but was helped on its way by a desperate attempt to clear by Bruno Beatrice. Lazio 2 Cesena 0.

Only two minutes later Lazio scored again. In the 77th minute. Andrea Agostinelli crossed from the right, several players went for the header but they all missed and the ball fell to Renzo Rossi, lurking in the area, who scored with his right foot. Lazio 3 Cesena 0.

Not much happened in the last ten minutes and the last couple were played as near as the dugout as possible so as to escape as quickly as possible to avoid being mobbed at the final whistle. The tactic worked for everyone except for the unlucky Boranga who, having more distance to cover, was soon surrounded by fans after his red shirt. He had no intention of giving it away so after some moments of friction he was rescued by some Lazio directors and escorted to safety.

A routine win for Lazio who had not exerted themselves particularly but did enough to defeat a team who had come to Rome without any motivation to battle for a positive result.

Lazio were now joint 5th on 29 points, with Napoli who had lost 2-4 in Perugia. For the fifth and last UEFA place the table read: 5) Lazio and Napoli 29, 6) Perugia 28, 7) Bologna and Genoa 27. The last matches were Catanzaro v Lazio (the Calabresi were already relegated), Napoli v Fiorentina (the Viola were 3rd) and Inter v Perugia (the Nerazzurri were 4th). A European qualification was within Lazio’s grasp.

Who played for Lazio

Pulici, Ammoniaci, L. Martini, Wilson, Pighin, Cordova, R. Rossi, Agostinelli, Giordano, Viola (46' D'Amico), Badiani