October 10, 1965: Roma Lazio 0-1
- Simon Basten
- Oct 10
- 10 min read
Lazio Outclass Roma in Season’s First Derby
Biancocelesti soak up early pressure, strike through D’Amato, and hold firm for a well-earned victory.
Also on this day:
The season so far
The previous season had been rather dismal. Lazio struggled all year and were involved in the relegation battle. With five games to the end of the campionato they were 16th, one point below safety. Three consecutive wins then took them out of trouble. They finished 14th just one point above relegated Genoa.
The summer transfer window saw more goodbyes than welcomes. Eugenio Fascetti was sold to Messina and Gianni Sassaroli to Avellino. In came midfielder Giovanni Sacco (on loan from Juventus) and forward Nicola Ciccolo. Orlando Rozzoni returned from his loan to Catania. In the autumn session Kurt Christiansen (Catania), Gianfranco Petris and Giampaolo Piaceri (both to Trani) also left. Carlo Galli had retired.
Lazio had started the season with a 1-0 win in Coppa Italia at Alessandria.
In the first five games of Serie A the Biancocelesti had drawn four and beaten Varese at home. They were seventh and today were playing the first derby of the season.
The match: Sunday, October 10, 1965, Stadio Olimpico, Rome
There was great anticipation on the eve of the match, with the Biancocelesti still unbeaten in the league and Roma riding high after three consecutive victories. The Giallorossi, however, had fought a gruelling battle the previous Wednesday at the Stadio Flaminio against Chelsea, going out in the first round of the Inter-Cities Fairs Cup. That match had been marred by serious incidents: illegal challenges on the pitch, a pitch invasion by some spectators, and stones thrown at the English team’s coach after the final whistle.
The opening exchanges favoured Oronzo Pugliese’s eleven. In the 2nd minute Paolo Barison forced Idillio Cei into a two-stage save, and in the 11th Victor Benitez unleashed a fierce shot that had the crowd shouting for a goal. Once their opponents had burned off their early energy, Lazio emerged with great authority—compact in defence, mobile in midfield, and their forwards ready to strike on the counter.
Vito D’Amato and Nicola Ciccolo caused chaos with their runs, keeping the Roma defence constantly on edge. The pair combined brilliantly, and Lazio supporters sang from the stands in a steady rhythm: “Ciccolo-Vito, Ciccolo-Vito.” Ciccolo unleashed a powerful effort in the 33rd minute but missed the target, then a superb Can Bartu free-kick forced Fabio Cudicini into a fine save. The ball looped high into the air, and Fulvio Francesconi cleared off the line just ahead of D’Amato’s decisive touch. After a diagonal shot from Barison was stylishly saved by Cei, Ciccolo again threatened with a quick turn, but Cudicini was equal to it.
Roma were on the ropes, and in the 39th minute they had to yield. Nello Governato advanced down the left, meeting little resistance, then cut inside and slid an excellent cross-field ball to D’Amato, who drove a low, skimming shot past Cudicini.
Roma threw themselves forward immediately and nearly equalised before the break during a furious goalmouth scramble—first Cei saved on the line from Renato Benaglia, then Governato blocked Giuseppe Tamborini’s follow-up in the nick of time.
After the interval, Roma continued to press, but Lazio remained composed, their defence—helped by the midfield—closing every gap. Roma’s territorial dominance was sterile, while Lazio’s forward forays always carried menace. As fatigue from their midweek exertions set in, the Giallorossi faded minute by minute.
D’Amato was rampant, giving his markers a torrid time. In the 56th minute, Sergio Carpanesi, trying to stop Ciccolo’s surging run, almost put through his own goal; only an acrobatic save from Cudicini prevented the ball from crossing the line. In the 75th minute, on yet another counterattack, Ciccolo stumbled at the moment of shooting when the Roma goalkeeper already seemed resigned to the worst.
No further chances arrived before the final whistle, and Lazio could celebrate—with justifiable pride—a fully deserved derby victory.
Who played for Roma
Cudicini, Carpenetti, Tomasin, Carpanesi, Losi, Benaglia, Tamborini, Leonardi, Francesconi, Benitez, Barison
Manager: Pugliese
Who played for Lazio
Manager: Mannocci
Referee: Campanati
Goal: 39’ D’Amato
What happened next
At the end of the first half of the season Lazio were 12th, three points clear of the relegation zone. They maintained that position even at the end of the campionato just two points ahead of Sampdoria who were relegated. The season could have finished better but in the last five games the Biancocelesti only earned one point. A better season than the previous one but not exactly eye opening.
Giampiero Vitali was the player with most appearances (37) and D’Amato the top scorer with 7 goals.
What happened in Serie A 1965-66
The scudetto the previous season had been won by Inter over Milan and Torino. At the end of the first half of the season the Nerazzurri were five points behind their Rossoneri cousins but in the 22nd fixture they had managed to reduce the gap to four and two games later to three. In the 26th game of the season Inter won the derby and were just one point behind. This was the situation with four games left then Milan lost at home with Roma and Inter won in Turin against Juventus and de facto the scudetto was theirs.
The summer transfers were rather flat with only Napoli investing heavily signing Omar Sivori and Jose Altafini. This made them a possible outsider for the title alongside favourites Inter and Milan.
August & September
Milan, Fiorentina and Napoli started well and took advantage of Inter’s loss against Roma. The Nerazzurri were probably distracted by their Intercontinental Cup clash with Independiente. Inter won the first leg in Milan 3-0 and drew 0-0 away hence winning the cup for the second consecutive year against the same opposition.
In the first round of the Cup Winners Cup, Juventus beat Liverpool 1-0 in Turin. In the first round of the Fairs Cup, Roma were crushed 4-1 away to Chelsea, Milan beat Strasbourg 1-0 at home, Fiorentina won 4-0 away against Red Star and Torino lost 2-1 away to Leeds.
The first round of Coppa Italia took place at the end of August. The formula was based on single matches with the top four of the previous year’s Serie A directly into the quarter finals. The teams that qualified for the second round were Lazio, Brescia, Catanzaro, Fiorentina, Vicenza, Livorno (vs Roma), Atalanta, Varese, Modena, Pro Patria, Cagliari, Potenza, Spal, Palermo, Catania, Napoli and Venezia.
Milan 7, Fiorentina 7, Napoli 7, Vicenza 6, Juventus 5, Inter 5, Roma 5, Lazio 5, Bologna 4, Brescia 4, Torino 4, Foggia 3, Spal 3, Sampdoria 2, Cagliari 2, Atalanta 2, Varese 1, Catania 0
October
Milan lost the seventh fixture in Florence, Inter and Napoli drew the next game and were joined at the top by Fiorentina who smashed Sampdoria 5-0. Lazio won the Roman derby.
Juventus were unable to hold the lead they had in the Cup Winners Cup as they were beaten in Liverpool 2-0 and eliminated. In the Fairs Cup, Roma were eliminated by Chelsea after the goalless draw in Rome, Fiorentina also won the second leg against Red Star, Torino were eliminated by Leeds United after the 0-0 in Turin and Milan were forced to a playoff after losing 2-1 in Strasbourg. At the time there was no extra time or penalties in the second leg in case of tie and no away goal rule either. In the decider, it was 1-1 after extra time. Milan won on the coin toss.
In Coppa Italia there was a qualification match between Potenza and Pro Patria which ended 2-2 after extra time. Potenza then won the coin toss and qualified for the second round.
Fiorentina 12, Napoli 12, Inter 12, Milan 11, Lazio 11, Juventus 10, Vicenza 10, Roma 9, Spal 9, Torino 9, Cagliari 8, Bologna 8, Brescia 7, Foggia 5, Sampdoria 4, Atalanta 4, Catania 2, Varese 1
November
Fiorentina soon abandoned the top as they lost against Juventus 3-0 and Inter took the solitary lead since Napoli were stopped at home by Torino. But then the Nerazzurri drew the derby and the Azzurri by winning at Foggia joined them at the top. The Bianconeri won the Turin derby. Below, Catania and especially Varese with just one point were in deep trouble already.
In the first leg of the second round of the Fairs Cup, Fiorentina beat Spartak Brno 2-0 and Milan lost by the same result away to GD CUF.
The following qualified for the Coppa Italia third round: Varese, Atalanta, Catania, Fiorentina, Vicenza, Lazio, Catanzaro and Spal.
Napoli 17, Inter 17, Juventus 16, Milan 16, Fiorentina 13, Vicenza 13, Lazio 12, Bologna 12, Torino 12, Cagliari 10, Spal 10, Roma 10, Brescia 9, Atalanta 9, Foggia 8, Sampdoria 8, Catania 5, Varese 1
December
In the 13th fixture, Napoli were blocked in Florence and Inter by thrashing Sampdoria 5-0 away took the lead. On Boxing Day Napoli lost in Rome to Lazio and Milan overtook them for second place. Sampdoria joined Catania and Varese in troubled waters. The Lombards in 13 games had only managed two draws and had already a foot in Serie B despite there being still many games to the end of the season.
Inter played the first round of the European Cup beating Dinamo Bucharest 3-2 on aggregate. Fiorentina was eliminated in the second round of the Fairs cup after being demolished 4-0 by Spartak Brno in the second leg. Milan managed to beat GD CUF 2-0 at home and force a playoff which they won 1-0.
Spal, Catanzaro, Fiorentina and Vicenza beat Spal, Lazio, Catania and Varese and qualified for the quarter finals of the Coppa Italia where they would meet Milan, Torino, Inter and Juventus.
Inter 21, Milan 20, Napoli 19, Juventus 17, Bologna 17, Cagliari 15, Fiorentina 15, Roma 15, Lazio 15, Brescia 14, Vicenza 14, Spal 13, Atalanta 13, Foggia 12, Torino 12, Sampdoria 9, Catania 8, Varese 3
January
In the first game of 1966 Inter drew with Juventus and Milan joined them at the top after beating Atalanta. The Nerazzurri retained the lead the next game as they won in Rome against Lazio and the Rossoneri drew at home with Vicenza. They ended the month on a +4 on Milan who however had a game in hand, and +3 on Napoli. Below, while Varese were still struggling, Sampdoria managed to catch up with Atalanta with Catania not too far behind anymore.
In the Coppa Italia quarter finals, Fiorentina and Catanzaro surprisingly beat Milan (away) and Torino (on penalties). They would play Inter and Juventus who won against Vicenza and Spal.
Inter 29, Napoli 26, Milan 25*, Bologna 24, Fiorentina 23, Juventus 23, Roma 20, Cagliari 19, Torino 19, Brescia 18, Lazio 18*, Foggia 17, Vicenza 17, Spal 16, Atalanta 14, Sampdoria 14, Catania 12, Varese 6
* one game in hand
February
Inter surprisingly lost the 22nd fixture in Catania but Milan and Napoli did not take advantage drawing away to Brescia and at home to Spal. The Neapolitans then beat the Rossoneri sending them to -4 from their cousins. The Rome derby ended in a goalless draw.
In the first leg of the European Cup quarter finals, Inter crushed Ferencvaros 4-0 in Milan. In the Fairs Cup Third Round Milan beat Chelsea 2-1 in the first leg and lost 2-1 in the second. Hence a playoff was needed.
Big surprises in the Coppa Italia semi-finals. Fiorentina beat Inter with a last-minute Kurt Hamrin goal and even more surprisingly Catanzaro won in Turin against Juventus. The final would take place in Rome in May.
Inter 34, Napoli 32, Milan 30*, Bologna 30, Juventus 28, Fiorentina 27, Roma 26, Torino 23, Cagliari 22, Brescia 22, Vicenza 22, Lazio 22*, Foggia 20, Spal 18, Atalanta 17, Catania 15, Sampdoria 14, Varese 10
* one game in hand
March
Milan and Napoli lost the 24th fixture away in Bergamo and at home with Fiorentina so Inter, who won in Turin against the Granata, went to +4 and +6 respectively. The Rossoneri then collapsed at home against Lazio in the game that had been suspended twice for fog and fell further back. By the end of the month Inter’s lead had gone to +5 over Napoli after the latter were stopped by Torino. With eight games left in the season, Sampdoria, Catania and Varese had now more than a foot in Serie B.
In the second leg of the quarter finals of the European Cup, Inter drew away with Ferencvaros and qualified for the semis. Milan were eliminated by Chelsea in the third round of the Fairs Cup. After drawing 1-1, the Londoners won thanks to the coin toss.
Inter 40, Napoli 35, Bologna 34, Juventus 33, Milan 33, Fiorentina 31, Roma 29, Vicenza 27, Brescia 25, Torino 25, Lazio 24, Cagliari 23, Atalanta 22, Foggia 22, Spal 21, Sampdoria 16, Catania 16, Varese 12
April
In the first game of April Inter won “away” against Milan eliminating any residual hope the Rossoneri had to come back into the race. Napoli lost their second place in the 28th fixture when they were beaten at Vicenza and Bologna thrashed Atalanta 3-0 and overtook them. Inter at this point were +6 but lost one point when they drew at home with Sampdoria in the 30th match. At the bottom Varese were in Serie B, Catania and Sampdoria had a mountain to climb - three and two points behind last survival placed Spal – if they wanted to avoid Serie B.
Inter were eliminated by Reral Madrid in the semi-finals of the European Cup 2-1 on aggregate.
Inter 46, Bologna 41, Napoli 39, Juventus 37, Fiorentina 35, Milan 34, Vicenza 33, Roma 32, Brescia 31, Lazio 28, Cagliari 27, Torino 27, Atalanta 26, Spal 25, Foggia 24, Sampdoria 22, Catania 21, Varese 12
May
Inter put their title in danger in the 31st fixture when they lost to Bologna who were now only three points behind. But the Nerazzurri then beat Juventus and Lazio and secured the scudetto with one game to spare.
With three games left, the bottom of the table read: Cagliari, Torino and Lazio on 28 points, Atalanta 27, Spal and Foggia 25, Sampdoria 24, Catania 22. After the next round of games Lazio got out of trouble drawing at home with Sampdoria who were now two points away from Spal and Foggia. Catania beaten thoroughly by Spal were in Serie B. After the penultimate games the table read: Cagliari and Atalanta 28, Spal and Sampdoria 27. But the Blucerchiati had to play away to Juventus wile Spal were away to Brescia. At the end of the first halves, Cagliari were winning at home, Atalanta were drawing, Samp and Spal losing. The Genoese had a glimmer of hope with 30 minutes to the end of the games since they had managed to equalise and Spal were down 2-0. But Juve managed to score again and Spal got two vital goals for their safety. Samp joined Catania and Varese in Serie B.
Inter would go on to play the European Cup the following season, Fiorentina the Cup Winners Cup, Bologna, Napoli and Juventus the Intercities Fairs Cup. Venezia, Lecco and Mantova were promoted to Serie A. Luis Vinicio (Vicenza) was top scorer with 25 goals.
In the Coppa Italia final Fiorentina beat Catanzaro 2-1 at the Stadio Olimpico thanks to a penalty in the last minute of extra time. Very unlucky for the Calabrians.
Inter 50, Bologna 46, Napoli 45, Fiorentina 43, Juventus 42, Vicenza 40, Milan 38, Roma 36, Brescia 32, Torino 31, Cagliari 30, Foggia 29, Lazio 29, Atalanta 29, Spal 28, Sampdoria 27, Catania 22, Varese 15
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