Goals, Rain and Brawls

Dag Jenkins
Jan 21, 2024
4 min read

Season 1972-73

Game 15, Serie A

Sunday, January 21, 1973

Stadio Olimpico, Rome

Lazio Napoli 3-0

Lazio bury Napoli with three second half goals before game turns ugly

After 14 games Lazio had 19 points and were joint 2nd with Inter, one point behind leaders Milan and Juventus. The Biancocelesti had won 6 (including the first derby 1-0), drawn 7 (including Inter 0-0 and Juventus 1-1 at home) and lost 1 (Milan 1-3 away). The Biancocelesti however had not won for five matches (D4, L1). Time to start winning again.

Despite recent results Lazio were still in a good position, the table read Milan 20, Juventus 20, Inter 19, Lazio 19, Fiorentina 17.

Napoli were currently 9th, on 12 points with Verona, Cagliari and Atalanta. They had won 3, drawn 6 (including Juventus 1-1 and Milan 0-0 at home) and lost 5. They had not won a game since November 5 (Fiorentina 3-0 at home).

Lazio were favourites today. The Biancocelesti had more points and despite the fact they had not won for a while, Napoli were worse off not having won in the last 9 games and not scoring a single goal in the last 5.

The match: Sunday, January 21, 1973, Stadio Olimpico, Rome

A grim day with constant rain saw about 45,000 turn up at the Olimpico. The pitch was heavy due to the meteorological conditions.

Lazio were only without long-term injury Vincenzo D'Amico while the visitors were missing defender Giuseppe Bruscolotti.

Lazio came out strongly and scored in the first minute with a spectacular Renzo Garlaschelli bicycle kick but the referee disallowed it due to a previous foul by Franco Nanni in the build-up.

Napoli's defensive approach and the slow pitch then stifled Lazio's attacks for the whole first half. Napoli's midfield led by an excellent Antonio Juliano managed to limit the threats to the Neapolitan area. Halftime Lazio 0 Napoli 0.

Tommaso Maestrelli had some wise words in the changing rooms and Lazio came back on transformed. They were suddenly sharper, quicker and above all convinced they could score.

They pinned Napoli back and immediately had chances, the keeper saved on Garlaschelli, Pino Wilson was stopped for an offside and then Garlaschelli and Pierpaolo Manservisi got in each other's way just two metres from the goal line.

They scored in the 50th minute. The ball was hovering near the goal after a Nanni cross and "Uccellino" Manservisi was the fastest to react and pounced giving Lazio the lead, 1-0.

The crowd was on fire and Lazio were on a high. They continued to charge forward and Napoli were on the ropes.

Lazio's second goal came in the 69th minute. Giorgio Chinaglia fed Nanni and "Bombardino" showed off his speciality, a cracking long range, left-footed shot which gave Pietro Carmignani no chance, 2-0.

At this point the game turned a bit nasty with several arguments and fouls, especially between "Long John" Chinaglia and his marker Giovanni Vavassori.

In the 87th minute Giorgione put an end to the contest, to the sporting one at least. Mario Frustalupi put a perfectly dosed long ball forward which the Carrara-born striker ran onto and hammered it past Carmignani, 3-0. Chinaglia continued his run under the Curva to celebrate with the fans while the Neapolitans protested furiously with the referee for an offside position (highly unlikely from TV footage).

The game ended with continuous spats between the opposing players. These continued in the tunnel after the final whistle as Angelo Rimbano and Vavassori surrounded Chinaglia menacingly. Chinaglia predictably defended himself, helped by captain Wilson, and apparently the two Neapolitans came out the worse for wear in the scuffle. The Napoli captain Juliano then managed to bring some order back but the visitors shuffled off insulting and threatening the Lazio players. Apparently, some of the "nicest" shouts were, "in the return game in Naples we are going to break your legs"... In the end they would not break their legs but their hearts.

For now, Lazio kept up with the front-runners who had all won, only Fiorentina had lost (1-2 to Inter at home) and dropped back. Juventus and Milan 22, Lazio and Inter 21, Fiorentina 17.

Meanwhile Napoli were joint 11th, on 12 points with Verona. The Azzurri were only one point above the drop zone (Palermo, Ternana and Sampdoria on 11). Maybe this could explain their reaction in Rome today rather than an improbable offside in the 87th minute with the score already on 2-0.

Who played for Lazio

Pulici, Facco, Martini, Wilson, Oddi, Nanni, Garlaschelli, Re Cecconi, Chinaglia, Frustalupi, Manservisi