Lazio and Sampdoria Share the points in Tense Relegation Clash
- Simon Basten
- Feb 8, 2024
- 2 min read
Game 16, Serie A
Sunday, February 8, 1976
Stadio Olimpico, Rome
Lazio Sampdoria 1-1
Late first-half goals cancel each other out as fear of defeat outweighs ambition at the Olimpico
Lazio were currently 12th on 11 points together with Verona and today’s opponents Sampdoria, four points ahead of Como and five more than Cagliari, last. The previous Sunday they had won at home against Como, another win would be fundamental.
The match
Fresh from their win over Como, Lazio were thrown straight back into relegation trouble, facing Sampdoria in a tense survival clash between sides level on eleven points, alongside Verona. Giorgio Chinaglia, back from New York and only in training since Friday, was clearly short of fitness but still named in the starting line-up.
Sampdoria set up deep from the outset, while Lazio played with visible anxiety and little attacking edge. The contest quickly drifted into a dull, lifeless affair. Vincenzo D’Amico tried to inject some urgency, but Lazio were slow and predictable, offering him little support. Sampdoria were then forced into an early change when goalkeeper Massimo Cacciatori was injured, with former Lazio man Rosario Di Vincenzo coming on. The decisive moments arrived just before the break — twice in the space of two minutes.
In the 40th minute, a cleverly worked free kick from the edge of the box caught Lazio’s defense out. A cross from the left wasn’t dealt with by Pino Wilson, allowing Nello Saltutti to nip in ahead of Roberto Badiani and score, despite a desperate goal-line attempt by Sergio Petrelli. The goal once again exposed Lazio’s long-standing defensive frailties, leaving Felice Pulici and Wilson isolated — problems that had surfaced under Giulio Corsini and only partially addressed by Tommaso Maestrelli.
Lazio responded immediately. From Badiani’s cross, Chinaglia miscontrolled the ball, but it fell kindly for Renzo Garlaschelli, who steadied himself and finished clinically, wrong-footing Domenico Arnuzzo and Marco Rossinelli to restore parity.
The second half offered little to remember. Maestrelli withdrew an ineffective D’Amico, but the pattern remained unchanged. Fear of losing ultimately outweighed any desire to win, and the match drifted to a draw that barely improved Lazio’s situation — though it was enough to lift them one place clear of the deepest relegation danger.
Calls to inject youth into the side by handing opportunities to Bruno Giordano and Lionello Manfredonia were brushed aside by Maestrelli, who told reporters after the match: “Not yet. When the time is right, I’ll be the first to make room for the two capable youngsters.”
Who played for Lazio
F.Pulici, Petrelli, Martini, Wilson, Ghedin, Badiani, Garlaschelli, Re Cecconi, Chinaglia, D'Amico (79' Ferrari G.C.), Lopez
Substitutes: Moriggi, Ammoniaci Manager: Maestrelli
Who played for Sampdoria
Cacciatori (10' Di Vincenzo), Arnuzzo, Lelj, Bedin, Zecchini, Rossinelli, Tuttino, Nicolini E., Maraschi, Orlandi, Saltutti Substitutes: Ferroni, Salvi G. Manager: Bersellini
Referee: Mascali
Goals: 40' Saltutti, 41' Garlaschelli
Sources
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