October 11, 1970: Torino-Lazio 1-1
- Dag Jenkins
- Oct 11
- 8 min read
Decent point but should have been two
Lazio play well but fail to consolidate lead and Toro fight back to draw despite ten men.
Also on this day:
The season so far
Lazio the previous year had finished 8th in Serie A, under Roberto Lovati and Juan Carlos Lorenzo as technical director.
This year Lorenzo was officially manager and Lovati his assistant. There had been no major movements on the transfer market. The main players coming in were midfielders Pierpaolo Manservisi (Napoli) and Arrigo Dolso (Monza-end of loan). In the autumn, midfielder Giudo Magherini had also been added on loan from Milan. Leaving were defenders Carlo Soldo (Monza), Giancarlo Oddi (Massese-on loan), midfielder Bruno Gioia (Parma) and forward Gian Piero Ghio (Napoli).
In Coppa Italia Lazio were out despite winning two out of three games. They beat Palermo 2-1 away and Catanzaro 3-0 at home but lost 0-2 to Roma.
In the Fairs Cup the Biancocelesti had been knocked out by Arsenal 2-4 on aggregate.
In Serie A things had not started too well either. Lazio had drawn 1-1 away to Milan but then lost 2-4 at home to reigning champions Cagliari. Lazio were 15th on 1 point (with Varese, Catania, Roma and Inter). Only Sampdoria had still not got off the mark. Today was a difficult away game to Torino.
Torino had finished 7th in Serie A the previous season under Giancarlo Cadè. In the Coppa Italia the Granata arrived 2nd in the final group, one point behind winners Bologna. The top scorer was Giorgio Ferrini with 7 goals (4 in A).
This season the manager was still Cadè. The main new signings were: goalkeeper Luciano Castellini (Monza), defender Luciano Zecchini (Brescia), midfielders Sandro Crivelli (Pisa), Sergio Maddè (Verona), Rosario Rampanti (Pisa - end of loan) plus former Lazio forward Gianni Bui (Verona) and Livio Luppi (Messina).
Leaving Torino were: goalkeeper Gian Nicola Pinotti (Monza), defender Umberto Depetrini (Bari - on loan), midfielders Bruno Bolchi (Pro Patria), Gianni Facchinello (Monza), Giambattista Moschino (Verona) plus forwards Alberto Carelli (Varese) and Emiliano Mondonico (Monza).
In Serie A, Torino had so far drawn both matches (Foggia 1-1 at home and Varese 0-0 away). The Granata were 8th on 2 points (with Milan and Foggia).
In the Coppa Italia Toro had got through the group stage with 2 wins (Ternana 1-0 away and Perugia 4-1 at home) and 1 draw (Sampdoria 3-3 away). In the quarter-finals they then defeated Roma 2-0 on aggregate (two one-zero wins). They would now play in the four-team group final but not until May-June 1971.
The match: Sunday, December 27, 1970, Stadio Comunale, Florence
A sunny day in Turin brought just over 25,000 spectators to the Comunale which the Granata shared with Juventus.
Torino were without forward Gianni Bui while Lazio had goalkeeper Rosario Di Vincenzo on the bench.
Lazio took the lead almost immediately. In the 3rd minute a powerful Giuseppe Massa shot was not held by Luciano Castellini, Arrigo Dolso got to the rebound and volleyed it in off the post, 0-1.
Torino seemed under shock and Giorgio Chinaglia had two efforts in quick succession saved with some difficulty.
Lazio controlled the midfield and went close again in the 25th minute with a Chinaglia strike that shaved the post and then Ferruccio Mazzola who was just off target too. Mazzolino's father Valentino had died in the 1949 air disaster that had killed all the Grande Torino team.
The hosts finally stirred towards the end of the half but debutant Avelino Moriggi was safe on Paolo Pulici and Claudio Sala. At half time Torino 0 Lazio 1. A more than deserved lead for the Romans.
During the break Cadè must have had some harsh words with his team because the Granata came back with a much better attitude.
Puia was dangerous but his poked shot was walled by Rino Marchesi. The home fans now got behind their team and pushed them forward.
Lazio however were ready to strike on the counterattack. In the 52nd minute Chinaglia surged forward and had only the keeper to beat but his shot was weak and Castellini saved.
In the 56th minute came a potential game changer when Poletti hacked down Dolso and was shown a direct red. Two minutes later Cadė decided to replace disappointing forward Carlo Petrini with midfielder Rosario Rampanti.
It proved to be a good call as five minutes later as in the 63rd minute the substitute put in an inviting cross which Giorgio Puia headed past Moriggi, 1-1.
The game became tense but it was Lazio who had the best chances with Chinaglia, Mazzola and especially Bruno Chinellato whose brilliant volley was saved superbly by Castellini. The midfielder from Mestre had replaced Juan Carlos Morrone in the 75th minute.
Torino only had one goal scoring opportunity with Pulici whose header touched the top of the crossbar and went high. Final score Torino 1 Lazio 1.
The Biancocelesti would have deserved the two points for their technical and tactical superiority but they missed too many chances.
Torino had done well to equalise in ten men but mainly had goalkeeper Castellini to thank for remaining undefeated. The local fans were not happy and took it out on the referee who could only leave the stadium several hours later and under a police escort.
Lazio were now 15th on 2 points (same as Varese, Catania and Inter) while Torino 9th on 3 points (with Roma and Foggia).
Who played for Torino
Castellini, Poletti, Fossati, Puia, Cereser, Agroppi, Sala, Ferrini, Petrini (58' Rampanti), Maddè, Pulici
Substitutes: Sattolo
Manager: Cadè
Who played for Lazio
Moriggi, Wilson, Legnaro, Governato, Polentes, Marchesi, Massa, Morrone (75' Chinellato), Chinaglia, Mazzola II, Dolso
Substitutes: Di Vincenzo
Manager: Lorenzo
Referee: Michelotti
Goals: 3' Dolso, 63' Puia
Red Card: 56' Poletti
What happened next
Lazio finished 15th and relegated on 22 points. The Biancocelesti went down with Foggia and bottom placed Catania. In the next 23 games they only won 4 (including Torino 1-0), drew 9 (including both derbies) and lost 10. In the final rush of 4 games, they drew 2 (Juventus 2-2 at home and Inter 1-1 away) and lost 2 (crunch game against Varese 1-2 away and nail in the coffin 0-1 at home to Vicenza) and slumped down to Serie B.
Little did Lazio fans know however was that, with the arrival of Tommaso Maestrelli, their history was about to change for the better. Meanwhile, they found some consolation in winning the Alps Cup on June 25, beating Basel 3-1 at St. Jakob Stadium. By this time Lorenzo had left (May 30) and was replaced by Bob Lovati. Top scorer was Giorgio Chinaglia with 21 goals (9 in A).
Torino finished 8th. In the next 27 matches they won 6 (including Juventus 2-1, Roma 4-0), drew 11 (including 2nd derby 3-3) and lost 10. Top scorer was Paolo Pulici with 8 goals (6 in A as Gianni Bui).
Torino, however, found glory in the Coppa Italia. In the final group stage, the Granata won 3 (Milan 1-0, Napoli 2-0 at home and Napoli 3-1 away), drew 1 (Fiorentina 1-1 at home) and lost 2 (Fiorentina 0-4 and Milan 2-3 away). They ended up joint top with Milan and had to go to a playoff against the Rossoneri. The game was played in Genoa on June 27 and finished 0-0 a.e.t. Torino then won 5-3 on penalties (5 on 5 by Maddè and 3 on 5 by Gianni Rivera). It was Toro's 4th domestic cup win. The manager for the final was Beniamino Cancian who had replaced Cadè on June 17.
In the Mitropa Cup they went out in the last 16 to MTK Budapest 2-3 on aggregate a.e.t.
The Scudetto was won by Inter for their 11th title. As mentioned, Lazio were relegated with Foggia and Catania (Lazio would be the only ones to bounce straight back up again).
Let’s talk about Paolo Pulici
Paolino Pulici known as Paolo was born in Roncello (Monza), on April 27, 1950.
At 15 he joined the Legnano (Milan) youth set up and even played one game for the first team in Serie C.
In 1967 he moved to Torino and in the first season played for the youth team. He won the Primavera Scudetto twice (1968, 1970).
In 1968 he joined the first team squad (while still playing for the U19s too) and would stay 14 years becoming a legend at the club.
He went on to play 437 games with 172 goals (134 in A). He won a Scudetto in 1976 and the Coppa Italia twice (1968, 1971). He was top Serie A goal scorer three times, 1973 (with Savoldi and Rivera), 1975 and 1976.
Torino's masterpiece came in 1976 when they won their 7th league title, twenty-seven years since the Grande Torino air disaster and last triumph. A great team coached by Gigi Radice and which included players such as goalkeeper Luciano Castellini, defenders Roberto Salvadori and Roberto Mozzini, midfielders Eraldo Pecci, Renato Zaccarelli and captain Claudio Sala. In attack Pulici formed a formidable partnership with Francesco "Ciccio" Graziani, the "gemelli del gol" (the goal twins).
At Toro his other managers included: Edmondo Fabbri, Giancarlo Cadè, Gustavo Giagnoni and Massimo Giacomini. In his years with Toro the Granata finished 7th, 6th, 7th, 8th, 2nd, 6th, 5th, 6th, 1st, 2nd, 2nd, 2nd, 4th, 3rd and 9th twice.
In 1982, at 32, he left Torino and joined Udinese for a season. He played 31 games (26 in A) and scored 5 goals (all in A, Fiorentina x2, Samp, Ascoli, Catanzaro). The Zebrette finished 6th under Enzo Ferrari.
In 1983 he signed for Fiorentina and stayed two seasons. He played another 31 games (20 in A) and scored 6 goals (3 in A, Genoa, Ascoli, Como). The Viola finished 3rd (UEFA) and 9th. His managers were Giancarlo De Sisti for a season and a bit and then Ferruccio Valcareggi.
At 35 he then retired.
He has since had experiences in coaching (assistant at Piacenza 1986-89) and from 1990 has run his own football academy connected with Tritium (Trezzo sull'Adda, Milan-5th tier).
He won 19 caps for Italy with 5 goals (Greece x2, Portugal, USA League XI, Denmark). He was unlucky that his peak coincided with the presence of other great players such as Giorgio Chinaglia, Gigi Riva, Beppe Savoldi, Roberto Boninsegna, Gianni Rivera and Sandro Mazzola.
He is possibly one of the best Italian forwards to be relatively unknown outside Italy. He was certainly a formidable club player and is an absolute legend at Torino. He holds various records: top scorer in all competitions (172), most Serie A goals (134), most domestic cup goals (29). In 2014 he was the first forward to be placed in Torino's Hall of Fame. He has had songs written about him (by ska band Statuto and musician Flavio Oreglio) and is considered one of Toro's all-time greats.
Pulici was a striker. At 1.77 and 74 kilos he was not imposing but he was strong, had a great right foot (he could play with both feet), was particularly good in the air and often scored acrobatic goals. He was also a reliable penalty taker. He was known as Puliciclone or Pupi.
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