Chinaglia Strikes as Lazio Edge Napoli in a Fierce Contest

Simon Basten
Dec 16, 2022
3 min read

Season 1973-74

Game 14, Serie A

Sunday, December 16, 1973

Stadio Olimpico, Rome

Lazio Napoli 1-0

A hard-fought 1–0 win at the Olimpico sends the Biancocelesti joint-top alongside Napoli and Juventus.

In campionato, the Biancocelesti started well winning the first two games (Vicenza and Sampdoria) but then lost to Juve away and drew the next three (Fiorentina, Cesena and Inter). With two points per win, they were fifth but only two points behind leaders Napoli and one behind Inter, Juventus and Fiorentina. Then they started to climb up the table. They won at Cagliari, beat Roma and were now third, one point behind Juventus, second, and two from today’s opponents Napoli. A chance to get to the top of the table.

The match: Sunday, December 16, 1973, Stadio Olimpico, Rome

Lazio claimed a crucial 1–0 victory over Napoli in a tense, combative afternoon at the Stadio Olimpico, with Giorgio Chinaglia delivering the decisive blow midway through the second half. The win lifts Tommaso Maestrelli’s side to the top of the table on 13 points, level with both Napoli and Juventus.

The match opened at a fast pace, with Lazio taking early control. Luciano Re Cecconi and Sergio Petrelli each carved out promising runs, only to be halted by the visitors’ compact defense. The visitors' first real threat came through Antonio Juliano, who drove a rising effort over the bar around the 20-minute mark.

Lazio soon responded with the game’s first major chance. Chinaglia muscled his way into the box, dragging Giusppe Bruscolotti with him, but Pietro Carmignani reacted sharply, saving in two attempts as the forward angled his shot towards the far post. Minutes later, Vincenzo D’Amico forced the goalkeeper into further action with a deft header from a Re Cecconi cross.

The Biancocelesti came closest before the break when Re Cecconi unleashed a powerful strike from a distance that crashed off the crossbar, with Mario Zurlini scrambling to clear. Napoli nearly punished Lazio on the counter, Giorgio Braglia testing Felice Pulici with a dangerous drive that the home keeper palmed away at full stretch. A lively but goalless first half drew to a close.

The second half opened in chaotic fashion. Sergio Clerici briefly believed he had given Napoli the lead, only for his finish to be disallowed—correctly—for being struck directly from an indirect free kick. The decision sparked protests, and coach Luis Vinicio earned a scolding from the referee after storming onto the pitch to embrace the would-be scorer.

Pulici, already in excellent form, produced another two decisive interventions: first tipping a Juliano shot over the bar, then making a superb double effort to deny Braglia’s thunderous long-range strike in the 70th minute.

Lazio’s breakthrough came six minutes later. Mario Frustalupi lofted a clever ball into the area, D’Amico flicked it on with a glancing header, and Chinaglia arrived at full speed to force it home off his knee. The striker sprinted toward the Monte Mario Nord stand, celebrating wildly as the Olimpico erupted.

Emboldened by the goal, Lazio pushed for a second, with Carmignani forced into an acrobatic save to stop a ferocious Chinaglia free kick. Napoli’s late attempts to salvage a result were disjointed and ultimately fruitless.

As the final whistle sounded, celebrations swept across the Olimpico—while tempers briefly flared in the Curva Nord between rival supporters. On the pitch, however, Lazio’s players embraced a vital victory that sent them to the summit of the league and reinforced their growing reputation as genuine title contenders.

Who played for Lazio

Pulici, Petrelli, Martini, Wilson, Oddi, Nanni, Garlaschelli (72’ Franzoni), Re Cecconi, Chinaglia, Frustalupi, D’Amico