May 30, 1965: Lazio Atalanta 0-0
- Simon Basten
- 3 days ago
- 10 min read
The last point
Lazio get the final point needed to avoid relegation
Also on this day:
The season so far
The previous season Lazio had done rather well. Coming back from the hell of two years in Serie B they had arrived eighth under manager Juan Carlos Lorenzo. The Argentinian was offered a contract renewal despite the club not having much money. He had agreed and given his word, but in a typical coup de theatre, he signed for Roma instead who offered him a large advance. Umberto Mannocci was the new head coach.
The terrible financial situation did not allow much as far as summer transfers were concerned. The club had to say goodbye to Massimo Giacomini (Genoa), Juan Carlo Morrone (Fiorentina), Egidio Fumagalli (Frosinone), Graziano Landoni (Atalanta), Mario Maraschi (Bologna) and Orlando Rozzoni (loan to Catania). The newcomers were midfielders Giampiero Vitali (Triestina), Can Bartu (Fiorentina), Eugenio Fascetti (Messina) and Kurt Christensen (Atalanta) and forwards Gianfranco Petris (Fiorentina), Giampaolo Piaceri (Genoa) and Antonio Renna (Bologna).
The season had opened with the first round of the Coppa Italia in early September and Lazio had won at Trani 3-0. In the second round later on in the month they faced Napoli. The match ended 0-0 and was also goalless after extra time. In those days there was no penalty shootout but a flip of the coin and the Biancocelesti lost the toss.
The first half of the season had not been exceptional. Lazio were 15th with a four-point cushion over the relegation zone. They had won four (Varese, Cagliari, Mantova and Messina) all at home. They drew the derby and got a good point in Turin against Juventus.
In the first 11 matches of the second half of the season, Lazio had won just once, at Varese. They were third from last and would be relegated if the campionato had ended then. But then three consecutive wins against Sampdoria, Foggia and Mantova pushed them up the table. All they needed now was one point to secure safety in today’s game, the penultimate fixture of the 1954-65 season.
The match: Sunday, May 30, 1965, Stadio Flaminio, Rome
Despite the bad weather and continuous rain, a good crowd flocked to the Flaminio. The three consecutive victories, the possibility of celebrating survival with a game to spare and also the low prices that the club had wisely applied meant that the team was welcomed upon its entrance with loud explosions of firecrackers and the frenetic waving of blue and white flags.
The guests started well with a shot by Luciano Magistrelli off target. The Atalanta captain Umberto Colombo got hurt but stayed on the pitch even if he could no longer contribute much. After a dangerous shot by Enrico Nova that whistled just wide of the post, Lazio came forward with Nello Governato who dribbled past Graziano Landoni, entered the box, but lost the right moment to shoot. After half an hour Pierluigi Pizzaballa saved an Antonio Renna shot with his fists, something he did shortly after on a free kick taken by the specialist Giampietro Vitali.
At the start of the second half the first significant save was by Idilio Cei blocking a shot by Bruno Bolchi. Then there were two chances for the Romans. Paolo Carosi shot too high and then Vitali worried Pizzaballa again on a set piece. Atalanta responded with a Bruno Petroni-Magistrelli-Landoni combination that was not finished off well. In the 70th minute Diego Zanetti tried from the medium distance, but Pizzaballa was alert. Pietro Gardoni then saved his goal with a skillful tackle on Vito D'Amato. In the last ten minutes of the game the teams did not threaten each other anymore, contenting themselves with sharing the points. In the locker rooms the radio reported the news of the goalless draw at Marassi between Genoa and Milan and this result, welcomed in an atmosphere of general joy, confirmed the mathematical survival of both Lazio and Atalanta.
Who played for Lazio
Manager: Mannocci
Who played for Atalanta
Pizzaballa, Anquilletti, Nodari, Pesenti, Gardoni, Colombo, Magistrelli, Bolchi, Petroni, Landoni, Nova
Manager: Valcareggi
Referee: Lo Bello
What happened next
Lazio finished 14th, one point clear of the relegation zone. The player with the most appearances was Pierluigi Pagni (35), top scorers were Nello Governato and Renna with a meagre 5 goals.
What happened in Serie A 1964-65
The previous season had been the first and only time a playoff was needed to determine who won the scudetto. This all happened in controversial circumstances. On March 1 Bologna had won against Milan but five players had been found positive for amphetamines at the antidoping. Bologna were punished with a defeat and one-point penalisation. This meant that Inter went top. With three games left, and with Bologna at -3 from the Nerazzurri, big surprise. A second analysis found no trace of amphetamines. Bologna hence got the three points back and there was a tie which lasted until the last game. In the playoff Bologna beat Inter at the Stadio Olimpico 2-0. Inter got the consolation prize of winning the European Cup beating Real Madrid 3-1 in the final.
This year Inter were the hot favourites to win the scudetto since it was very likely that Bologna would not repeat the previous year’s exploit.
September
Bologna lost their first game, Juventus drew two and lost at Catania so Milan raced ahead accompanied by Atalanta. Inter though had a game in hand.
In the European Cup preliminary round Bologna lost 1-0 to Anderlecht. Inter, having won last year’s trophy, went directly to the first round. In the Cup Winners Cup first round, Atalanta beat Sporting Lisbon in the first leg at home 2-0.
Inter won the Intercontinental Cup against Independiente. They lost the first leg at Avellaneda 1-0, won the second in Milan 2-0 so there was the need for a playoff which was played in Madrid. The Nerazzurri won 1-0 in extra time.
The Coppa Italia also started in September with surprise exits: Milan were eliminated by Monza and Fiorentina by Spal.
Atalanta 5, Milan 5, Sampdoria 4, Roma 4, Catania 4, Fiorentina 4, Inter 3*, Messina 3*, Bologna 3, Genoa 3, Torino 3, Varese 3, Cagliari 2, Juventus 2, Foggia 2, Lazio 1, Vicenza 1, Mantova 0
* one game in hand
October
Atalanta fell behind and after five games there was a trio of teams on top of the table: Milan, Inter and Sampdoria. The Rossoneri continued to win, Inter were stopped at home by Roma and Samp lost away to Varese. So, Milan went top alone by the end of the month.
In the European Cup Bologna managed to overturn the result and were winning 2-0 against Anderlecht but a last-minute goal from the Belgians meant that there was a need for a playoff (no away goal rule or extra time in those years). The playoff ended goalless and hence it was up to the flip of a coin which went Anderlecht’s way.
In the Cup Winners Cup Atalanta lost 3-1 to Sporting Lisbon and even here a playoff was needed. The Bergamaschi lost 3-1 after extra time.
In the Fairs Cup, Juventus beat OFK Beograd at home and Roma won away to Hertha BSC in the first leg. Roma also won the second leg but Juventus lost 2-1 hence a playoff was needed.
Milan 12, Inter 11, Sampdoria 10, Juventus 9, Torino 8, Roma 8, Catania 8, Fiorentina 8, Bologna 7, Atalanta 7, Foggia 7, Varese 6, Vicenza 6, Cagliari 5, Messina 5, Lazio 4, Genoa 4, Mantova 1
November
Milan thrashed Inter 3-0 in the derby and raced ahead. Sampdoria faded and also lost their derby so Juventus, who beat Torino 3-0, and Fiorentina crept up to third place. The Rome derby ended goalless.
In the first round of the European Cup, Inter thrashed Dinamo Bucuresti 6-0 at home in the first leg, hence securing the quarter finals unless they all decided to commit suicide.
Juventus won the playoff against OFK Beograd in the Fairs Cup and proceeded to the second round.
Milan 20, Inter 16, Juventus 14, Fiorentina 14, Torino 13, Roma 12, Catania 12, Bologna 11, Atalanta 11, Varese 11, Sampdoria 11, Vicenza 10, Foggia 10, Lazio 8, Genoa 8, Messina 8, Cagliari 6, Mantova 3
December
Juventus drew with Milan and Inter. The Rossoneri went +5 and Torino overtook their city rivals in third place. Very tight down the bottom with many teams involved in the battle to avoid relegation, but Cagliari were probably more in trouble.
In the Fairs Cup second round, Roma eliminated Belenenses 3-1 on aggregate, winning both games. Juventus played their first leg, beating Atletico Madrid 1-0 at home.
Inter also won the away leg of the European Cup’s first round and proceeded to the quarter finals.
Milan 25, Inter 20, Torino 18, Juventus 17, Fiorentina 16*, Bologna 15, Roma 15, Catania 15, Atalanta 14, Foggia 14, Varese 13, Sampdoria 12, Vicenza 11*, Genoa 11, Lazio 10, Messina 9, Mantova 8, Cagliari 7
* one game in hand
January
In the last game of the month, Inter lost at Foggia and Milan went +7 as they beat Mantova. Juventus went back into third place. Below, Cagliari started to improve and it was Mantova who were now last.
In the Fairs Cup, Juventus beat Atletico Madrid away and proceeded to the quarter finals against Zaragoza where they lost 3-2 in the first leg. Roma instead beat Koln 3-1.
Juventus, Lecco, Atalanta, Genoa, Monza, Napoli, Palermo and Cagliari proceeded to the third round of Coppa Italia.
Milan 33, Inter 26, Juventus 25, Torino 24, Fiorentina 23, Bologna 22, Foggia 19, Roma 18, Vicenza 18, Catania 18, Sampdoria 18, Varese 17, Atalanta 17, Lazio 16, Genoa 15, Cagliari 13, Messina 11, Mantova 9
February
Inter reduced the deficit to -4 as Milan drew with Lazio away. Three teams in third place: Fiorentina, Juventus and Torino. Mantova improved and overtook Messina. Lazio and Genoa fully involved in the relegation battle.
Inter beat Rangers 3-1 in the quarter finals of the European Cup. Juventus were unable to score against Zaragoza in the second leg and were eliminated from the Fairs Cup.
Milan 38, Inter 34, Juventus 29, Torino 29, Fiorentina 29, Bologna 27, Atalanta 23, Vicenza 22, Roma 21, Catania 21, Sampdoria 21, Varese 20, Foggia 20, Lazio 19, Genoa 18, Cagliari 17, Mantova 14, Messina 12
March
Inter crushed Milan 5-2 in the derby and now the gap was reduced to just one point with the Turin based clubs third. The Rome derby ended goalless yet again. Below, Lazio had now moved up as had Cagliari. Messina and Mantova had a foot in Serie B, and Genoa were third last and with a slight gap from possible survival. Eight games left.
The Nerazzurri reached the semi-final of the European Cup despite losing 1-0 in Glasgow to Rangers. In the second leg of the Fairs Cup quarter final, Roma collapsed to Koln 4-0 and were eliminated.
Milan 41, Inter 40, Juventus 33, Torino 33, Fiorentina 31, Bologna 30, Catania 25, Foggia 25, Atalanta 25, Vicenza 25, Roma 24, Sampdoria 24, Lazio 22, Varese 22, Cagliari 21, Genoa 18, Mantova 16, Messina 13
April
Inter beat Bologna and Milan drew away with Fiorentina so the two Milanese teams were tied. But this only lasted for one game since, in the next, Inter were stopped at Vicenza and Milan beat Foggia. The Rossoneri then beat Juve and kept the single point lead. The Turin derby ended in a draw while behind Lazio lost all three games in the month and were now third last.
Genoa, Juventus, Napoli and Cagliari proceeded to the quarter finals of the Coppa Italia where they would meet Torino, Bologna, Inter and Roma who had been exempted from the previous rounds due to their participation in the European trophies. Two games were played: Torino and Inter beat Genoa and Cagliari respectively.
Milan 46, Inter 45, Juventus 36, Torino 36, Fiorentina 35, Bologna 33, Foggia 28, Catania 27, Roma 26, Cagliari 26, Varese 26, Vicenza 26, Sampdoria 26, Atalanta 25, Genoa 23, Lazio 22, Mantova 19, Messina 17
May
With three games to the end of the campionato, Milan lost at home against Roma and Inter by winning away to Juventus overtook them. This was the situation with two games left. Then Milan drew at Genoa and Inter thrashed Catania 5-1 and the lead went to +2.
Below, Lazio beat Sampdoria and Genoa lost at home with Varese so now Genoa would be in Serie B with four games left. The Biancocelesti got out of the relegation zone by winning at home against Foggia and away at Mantova. With one game left Genoa needed a miracle to stay in Serie A as they were two points from city rivals Samp.
In the first leg of the European Cup semi-finals, Inter lost 3-1 to Liverpool away but then managed to overturn the result winning 3-0 at home. They faced Benfica in the final in Milan and won 1-0 with a Jair goal. Back to back European Cup wins for Inter.
In the last two games of the Coppa Italia quarter finals, Juventus won at Bologna on penalties and Roma won in Naples.
Inter 53, Milan 51, Torino 43, Fiorentina 41, Juventus 39, Bologna 34, Cagliari 32, Foggia 31, Catania 30, Varese 30, Vicenza 30, Roma 29, Lazio 29, Atalanta 29, Sampdoria 28, Genoa 26, Messina 20, Mantova 19
June
Milan gave up in the last game and lost at Cagliari and Inter drew at home with Torino winning the scudetto. Torino came third. Genoa beat Fiorentina but Sampdoria, by drawing with Atalanta, secured safety. Hence, the Rossoblù joined Messina and Mantova in Serie B.
Brescia, Napoli and Spal won promotion.
Top scorers were Sandro Mazzola (Inter) and Alberto Orlando (Fiorentina) with 17 goals.
Inter and Juventus qualified for the Coppa Italia final after beating Roma on penalties and Torino. The final was played at the end of August at the Stadio Olimpico and Juve beat Inter 1-0 to win their fifth title.
Hence Inter would play the European Cup, Juve the Cup Winners Cup, Milan, Torino, Fiorentina and Roma the Fairs Cup.
Final table: Inter 54, Milan 51, Torino 44, Juventus 41, Fiorentina 41, Bologna 34, Cagliari 34, Catania 32, Foggia 31, Roma 31, Varese 30, Vicenza 30, Atalanta 30, Lazio 29, Sampdoria 29, Genoa 28, Messina 22, Mantova 21
Sources
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