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Writer's pictureSimon Basten

A lot of room for improvement

Coppa Italia, Group Phase, Game 2

Wednesday, August 24, 1977


Stadio Olimpico, Rome

Lazio Monza 2-1


Not a great Lazio in the first game of the season at the Olimpico


Source Football Kit Archive

The season started with the Coppa Italia. The Biancocelesti were in Group 2 with Bologna, Monza, Varese and Ternana.


Lazio had had a false start. They lost their first Coppa Italia match against Serie B team Varese. It had been a dismal performance. Perhaps part of the problem had been the negotiations over the players' prize money for the UEFA Cup qualification. The team wanted 80 million lire, the club offered 20. But this was no excuse.


After the first two games, Monza and Varese had two points, Lazio and Ternana zero with Bologna yet to play. Lazio needed to win if they wanted to continue.


The match


Lazio started very well and after just one minute Roberto Incontri had to parry a powerful shot by Luigi Martini into corner. In the 8th minute Monza replied with a Eugenio Gamba attempt saved by Felice Pulici. The game then went quiet. The Biancocelesti had a number of problems in creating chances and Monza were too sterile up front to counter attack.


Suddenly in the 34th minute Lazio scored. Gamba fouled Francesco Cordova in the box and the referee gave the penalty. Andrea Agostinelli scored the spot kick.


Nine minutes later Monza equalised. Free kick, Franco Cerilli to Aldo Cantarutti, massive shot that Pulici could not do anything about. Lazio Monza 1-1.


The Biancocelesti were in total confusion, with the forwards Bruno Giordano and Sergio Clerici completely absent. Things did not change in the second half but in the 51st minute an innocuous cross from Roberto Badiani was mistakenly hammered into his own goal by Angelo Anquilletti in an attempt to clear. Lazio ahead with no merit.


Monza had a chance to equalise in the 56th minute with Paolo Beruatto but his shot was deflected into corner by a Lazio defender. In the 62nd minute Agostinelli had a chance to make 3-1 from a very favourable position but his shot was too high. The blond Lazio midfielder together with Antonio Lopez tried to liven his team mates up but to no avail. Monza attacked for the rest of the game but were unlucky.


Lazio won but Luis Vinicio had a lot of work to do.


Who played for Lazio


Manager: Vinicio


Who played for Monza


Incontri, G.Vincenzi, Gamba, Beruatto, Lanzi, Anquilletti, Cerilli (59' Sanseverino), Scaini, Silva, Bracchi (77' Blangero), Cantarutti

Substitutes: Conconi, Bertocchi, Zandonà

Manager: Magni


Referee: Schena


Goals: 34’ Agostinelli (pen), 43’ Cantarutti, 51’ Anquilletti (og)


Sources


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