March 1, 1970: Lazio - Roma 1-1
- Dag Jenkins
- 9 hours ago
- 10 min read
Theatre or football?
A hard-fought derby with chances for both sides but Roma equalise with controversial penalty
The season so far
Lazio were newly promoted after a year in the purgatory of Serie B. They had won the championship and promotion under Juan Carlos Lorenzo. He had only been allowed to sit on the bench from March 30 as foreigners were not officially eligible to be managers, so until he obtained his passport Roberto Lovati had carried out the Sunday afternoon dug out duties.
This year officially the manager was Bob Lovati and the technical director was Juan Carlos Lorenzo. The most important changes had been made to the squad. Lazio had brought in some players who would prove to change the entire club's history.
An unknown young forward called Giorgio Chinaglia was signed from third division Internapoli. Also from the Neapolitan club arrived defender Giuseppe Wilson. Both players had British connections; Chinaglia grew up in South-Wales while Wilson was born in Darlington to an English father and Neapolitan mother. These two facts would later be one of the reasons for myself becoming a lifelong Lazio fan.
Along with the two “Brits” Lazio had added other players; defender and local lad Giancarlo Oddi (Sora - back from loan), defender Giuseppe Papadopulo (Livorno), goalkeeper Michelangelo Sulfaro (Sambenedettese) plus, in the autumn session, defender Luigi Polentes (Perugia) and above all midfielder Franco Nanni (Trapani). Four of these players; Chinaglia, Wilson, Oddi and Nanni would play key roles some years later in Lazio's Scudetto winning team.
The main players leaving were defenders Pietro Fontana (Ternana) and Guido Onor (Juventus - end of loan) and above all Diego Zanetti (Vicenza - after 248 league games for Lazio), midfielder Elio Rinero (Juventus - end of loan) plus, in the autumn, forward Arrigo Dolso (Monza - on loan) and defender Pietro Adorni (Piacenza).
The season had started in August with the Coppa Italia. Lazio were eliminated after losing to Perugia 0-1 away, drawing with Ternana 0-0 away and losing the derby (Roma were awarded a 2-0 victory as there was a blackout in the 87th minute and, as the host team, it was deemed Lazio’s responsibility; to be fair Roma were winning 1-0 at the time).
In Serie A Lazio had won 7 (including Milan 1-0 and Fiorentina 5-1, both at home), drawn 3 and lost 10 (including the away derby 1-2). The previous week Lazio had lost 0-2 in Florence. Lazio had 17 points in the table and were 12th (three points above the last relegation slot-Palermo on 14).
In the Mitropa Cup they had lost in the last 16 to Hungarians Honved 2-3 on aggregate.
Roma had finished 8th the previous season under Helenio Herrera. They had won the Coppa Italia while top scorers were Fabio Capello and Joacquín Peiró with 10 total goals but just in the league it was Giuliano Taccola with 7.
This season the manager was still Herrera. The main new signings were defenders Giovanni Bertini (Ostiense) and Sergio Petrelli (Verona), midfielders Walter Franzot (Udinese) and Giacomo La Rosa (Messina) plus forwards Renato Cappellini (Varese) and Giorgio Braglia (Modena).
Leaving the Lupi were goalkeeper Pier Luigi Pizzaballa (Verona), defenders Francesco Carpenetti (Fiorentina), Giacomo Losi (retiring after fifteen seasons with Roma) and Paolo Sirena (Verona), midfielders Vito D'Amato (Cesena) and Sergio Ferrari (Verona).
Roma were currently 7th on 21 points. The Giallorossi had won 7, drawn 7 and lost 7 (including the most recent game 0-1 at home to Milan).
In the Coppa Italia the Giallorossi had reached the quarterfinals but lost 0-3 on aggregate to Cagliari.
In the Cup Winners Cup, the Lupi had knocked out Ards (N.Ireland) 3-1 and PSV Eindhoven after the toss of the coin (1-1 on aggregate). In the quarterfinals they would play Turkish club Göztepe on March 4 and 18.
Roma were slight favourites today as they were higher in the table and had won the first derby, but the Roman Stracittadine are always open to any result.
The match: Sunday, March 1, 1970, Stadio Olimpico, Rome
A sunny but fresh day saw about 60,000 spectators at the Olimpico.
Lazio were without defender Mario Facco and forward Juan Carlos Morrone while Roma had no absences.
Roma however fielded a nightmare trio for commentators: Cappelli, Cappellini and Capello…
The first chance was for Roma as a Cappellini shot shaved the post. Lazio answered with a Ferruccio Mazzola freekick, but Alberto Ginulfi was well positioned and safe.
In the 6th minute Lazio had a big chance when Nello Governato's long range effort was saved but with a dose of luck by Ginulfi, the ball then fell to Mazzola who looked to score but Aldo Bet deflected the ball behind for a corner.
Roma then had an extremely dangerous opportunity themselves. In the 14th minute Ciccio Cordova went round the keeper Michelangelo Sulfaro, but his shot came back off the post.
After attempts by Lazio's Governato and Giuliano Fortunato the game quietened down for a while.
In the 34th minute Bet seemed to trip Giorgio Chinaglia in the area but not according to the referee.
Just before halftime Renato Cappellini was a fraction late on a Cordova assist. At the break Lazio 0 Roma 0.
Lazio started the second half well. On a good Chinaglia-Ghio-Governato move, the "Professore" found himself with only the keeper to beat but he hesitated and lost the moment. Then Mazzola threatened with a long-range effort which Ginulfi managed to block at the second attempt.
In the 48th minute Lazio scored. Fortunato exchanged a one-two with Governato and sent a left-footed strike into the top hand corner, 1-0.
Roma reacted and pegged Lazio back. In the 60th minute the Giallorossi were awarded a controversial penalty. Cappellini picked up a clearance by the defence and hit the post, the rebound was pounced on by Joaquín Peiró but as he was about to shoot, he collapsed to the ground seemingly not touched by anyone. The referee however pointed to the penalty spot amid furious protests by the Lazio players. The Spaniard was accused of diving, but the referee had fallen for it and was clearly not going to change his mind. Fabio Capello took it and Sulfaro touched his mid-height shot but the ball went in anyway, 1-1.
At this point Roma made a substitution, taking off defender Luciano Spinosi and bringing on Francesco Scaratti.
Lazio were not pleased with the referee and things got worse. Chinaglia and Gian Piero Ghio were attacking two against one with only Sergio Santarini back defending when the referee blew up for a mysterious previous foul. The Curva Nord openly contested the man in black's decisions.
The last chance was for the Biancocelesti. A few minutes from the end Chinaglia anticipated Bet and shot but Ginulfi pulled off an excellent save. Full time Lazio 1 Roma 1.
Lazio had been the better team but had to settle for a draw. Not for the first time in history the Giallorossi had been awarded a dubious penalty in a derby. One of the most ridiculous would be on April 30, 2017, for a theatrical Kevin Strootman dive but then luckily Lazio managed to win anyway. Today the final verdict was a point each.
Lazio were 12th on 18 points (still three above B zone - now Bari on 15). Roma were 7th, on 22 points with Torino.
Who played for Lazio
Sulfaro, Wilson, Polentes, Governato, Papadopulo, Marchesi, Massa, F.Mazzola, Chinaglia, Ghio, Fortunato
Substitutes: Di Vincenzo, Casisa
Manager: Lorenzo
Who played for Roma
Ginulfi, Spinosi (62' Scaratti), Bet, Salvori, Cappelli, Santarini, Cappellini, Landini, Peiró, Capello, Cordova
Substitutes: Zanier
Manager: Herrera
Referee: De Marchi
Goals: 48' Fortunato, 60' Capello (pen)
What happened next
Lazio lost the next game at Vicenza but then finished the season strongly and ended 8th on 29 points and above Roma. In the following 7 games Lazio then won 4 (including Palermo 4-0, Inter 3-1 and Juventus 2-0 at home) and drew 3.
In the Anglo-Italian Cup in May they won two (Sunderland 2-1 and Wolves 2-0, both at home) and lost two (Sunderland 1-3 and Wolves 0-1, both away).
In the Alps Cup in June, they won two (Young Boys 2-0 and Zurich 3-0, both away), drew one (Lugano 3-3 away) and lost one (Basel 2-3 away).
Top scorer was Giorgio Chinaglia with 12 league goals, 2 in the Mitropa Cup and 6 in the Alps Cup.
Roma finished 10th on 28 points. In the next 8 games the Giallorossi won 1, drew 4 and lost 3. The top scorer was Joacquín Peiró with 8 goals (5 in A).
In the Cup Winners Cup, they eliminated Göztepe 2-0 but were then knocked out by Polish side Górnik Zabrze (after three draws Gornik won the toss of the coin).
The 1969-70 was amazingly won by Cagliari. The Sardinians coached by Manlio Scopigno "Il Filosofo" and led by star striker Gigi Riva won the league on 45 points, 4 ahead of Inter and 7 ahead of Juventus. It was one of the biggest surprises in Serie A history and the historic team deserves a mention; Albertosi, Niccolai, Martiradonna, Zignoli, Domenghini, Cera, Nené, Tomasini, Greatti, Riva, Gori plus Brugnera (Tomasini out injured in second half of season). Gigi Riva got 27 goals (21 in Serie A).
The teams who went down were Palermo, Bari and Brescia.
The Coppa Italia was won by Bologna and the Cup Winners Cup by Manchester City (Górnik Zabrze 2-1).
Let’s talk about Luciano Spinosi
Luciano Spinosi was born in Rome on May 9, 1950.
At ten years old he was run over by a car and broke his left leg. Before the accident he had been left-footed but after he started playing with his right foot and would do so for his whole career.
He started his youth career with local side Tevere Roma but in 1967, at 17, he joined AS Roma. Spinosi's brother was in the Lazio youth academy but his father, a Lazio fan himself, had a falling out with one of the directors and as a result took his younger son, Luciano, to play for Roma.
He stayed three years with the Giallorossi, playing 37 league games and scoring 3 goals (Pisa, Lazio, Sampdoria). In his first season he only played once under Oronzo Puglise and Roma finished 10th. In his second he played 12 league games and 5 in Coppa Italia under Helenio Herrera and Roma finished 8th but won the Coppa Italia. In his third, still under Herrera, he played 25 league games, 4 in Coppa Italia, 8 in the Cup Winners Cup and 6 in the Anglo-Italian Cup and Italo-English League and Roma finished 10th.
In 1970 he joined Juventus where he would stay for eight seasons. He played 138 league games with 1 goal (Vicenza). In his time with Juventus, he suffered several serious injuries but he won 5 league titles and a UEFA Cup ('77). His managers were initially Armando Picchi, then Čestmír Vycpálek for four seasons, Carlo Parola for two and Giovanni Trapattoni for two. The Bianconeri went close to the European Cup but lost 0-1 to Cruyff 's Ajax in 1972.
In 1978 he returned to Roma for another four seasons. In his second stint he played 67 league games with 1 goal (Milan), 8 in Coppa Italia and 4 in Europe (CWC) with 1 goal (Ballymena Utd). His managers were Gustavo Giagnoni /Ferruccio Valcareggi in the first season and then Nils Liedholm for the next three. Roma finished 10th, 6th, 2nd and 3rd. The Giallorossi won the Coppa Italia twice ('80, '81).
In 1982 Spinosi joined Verona. The Scaligeri had a good season under Osvaldo Bagnoli and finished 4th (they would be 1st in 1985) and were runners-up in the Coppa Italia (Juventus 2-3 on aggregate). Spinosi played every league game, 30 plus 6 in Coppa Italia and 4 in the Mitropa Cup with 2 goals (Galenika Zemun, Vasas).
In 1983 he joined Milan. The manager was first Ilario Castagner (1-24) and then Italo Galbiati (25-30) and the Rossoneri finished 8th. Spinosi played 18 league games and 6 in Coppa Italia.
His last club was Cesena in 1984-85. The "Cavalluccio" was in serie B and finished 9th. The manager was Adriano Buffoni and Spinosi played 22 league games and 5 in Coppa Italia.
At International level he won 19 Italy caps and played all three games in the 1974 World Cup. He also played 3 games for the U21s.
At 35 he then retired but stayed in the football world.
He went into coaching. He started with the Roma Primavera (U19s) from 1985 to 1989.
In February 1989 he was manager of Roma's first team for four matches (D2, L2). Angelo Sormani was manager with Nils Liedholm as T.D before and after.
Spinosi then returned to the U19's for another five years. The young Giallorossi won the league in 1990, the prestigious Viareggio tournament in 1991 and the Coppa Italia in 1994.
In 1994-95 he was appointed manager of Lecce in Serie B. He only lasted 11 games (W0, D6, L5) before Edy Reja took over.
In 1995-96 he had a spell with Ternana between managers Massimo Silva and then Danilo Pierini.
In 1996 he started his collaboration with Sven-Goran Eriksson. He became the Swede's assistant at Sampdoria and the Blucerchiati finished 6th.
The following year when Eriksson became Lazio manager Spinosi joined him in Rome. For three highly successful years he was Lazio’s assistant manager. Lazio won a Scudetto, the Coppa Italia twice, the Italian Supercoppa twice, a European Cup Winners Cup and a European Super Cup. In January 2001 when Eriksson left Spinosi finished as assistant manager but continued to work with Lazio until 2004.
In 2007 from March to October, he was assistant manager to Fernando Orsi at Livorno in Serie A. The Amaranto finished 11th but the following season Orsi was sacked in October.
Spinosi was a solid defender. He is 1.82 and strong physically. He was a classic man-to-man marker of the 70s and early 80s. He once told a funny anecdote about his playing days, "The man I was marking said, Luciano it's cold on this side of the field, I'm going to play in the sunny part. Will you come with me? Of course, I answered. Good, so let's go, he said."
He played 300 games in Serie A and won 5 Scudetti, 3 Italian Cups and a UEFA Cup.
At Lazio he is remembered for his work as assistant to Eriksson in the glory years. Laziali can still see the image of the two elegant managers in their immaculate grey or black coats shaking hands on the bench after a goal or victory and there was certainly plenty to celebrate.
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