October 18, 1981: Lazio Lecce 4-0
- Simon Basten
- Oct 18
- 4 min read
Third consecutive win
Lazio demolish Lecce thanks to Bigon, Ferretti and a D'Amico brace
Also on this day:
The season so far
The previous season Lazio had gone agonisingly close to an immediate promotion to Serie A. A missed penalty in the penultimate match had condemned the Biancocelesti to another year of Serie B.
Lazio had changed ownership and Gian Casoni was the new president. There was not a lot of money so the club was forced to sell a few of their best players, Filippo Citterio and Giuseppe Greco. The transfer window saw the return of scudetto heroes Felice Pulici and Vincenzo D’Amico plus Roberto Badiani. Also signed were Walter Speggiorin, Vincenzo Chiarenza and Claudio Vagheggi. There was a surprise deal with Roma which saw Michele De Nadai and Carlo Perrone swap sides of the Tiber. Manager Ilario Castagner had been confirmed.
Lazio had ambition but the team was not helped by the internal dualism between Luciano Moggi, who had been confirmed as sporting director, and Antonio Sbardella, newly appointed general director. The players were under constant pressure and that did not help.
Lazio, after having been immediately eliminated in Coppa Italia, had not started well and in the first three games they earned just a point. But they had won the last two matches. Time to make it three in a row.
The match: Sunday, October 18, 1981, Stadio Olimpico, Rome
The tense equilibrium of the opening half-hour was finally broken in the 29th minute: Alberto Bigon rose above the defence and nodded home a pinpoint cross from Vincenzo Chiarenza, giving Lazio the lead. Barely a minute later, Sergio Magistrelli was tripped in the box by Dario Pighin, but referee Paolo Casarin — returning to the pitch after a six-month “punitive” suspension — waved away the Lecce protests for a penalty. Perhaps a goal then might have momentarily revived the Apulians’ hopes, yet it would not have altered the destiny of the match.
In the 37th minute, following a neat exchange with Nando Viola, Stefano Ferretti smashed a shot against the crossbar as the goalkeeper came rushing out. He would make amends in the 63rd minute, unleashing a thunderbolt from outside the area that screamed into the top corner of the Lecce net. With Lecce now visibly fading, Lazio seized total command of the contest, marching forward without further resistance.
Vincenzo D’Amico put on a display of pure class, capping his fine performance in the 78th minute: deftly weaving past defenders on the right edge of the Lecce penalty area, he fired a low diagonal shot that left goalkeeper Graziano De Luca rooted to the spot. Two minutes later, Ferretti — the revelation of the day — struck the post again, before D’Amico rounded off the rout in the 84th minute from the penalty spot, after Ferretti was brought down by Domenico Progna.
Who played for Lazio
Marigo, Spinozzi, Chiarenza, Mastropasqua, Pighin, Badiani, Viola, Bigon, D’Amico, Ferretti, Speggiorin (73’ Marronaro)
Substitutes: Di Benedetto, De Nadai, Sanguin, Manzoni
Manager: Castagner
Who played for Lecce
De Luca, G.Mancini, Lo Russo (58' Bruno), L.Ferrante, Imborgia, Progna, Cannito, Improta, Magistrelli (70' Biagetti), Merlo, Tacchi
Substitutes: Vergallo, Mileti, Maragliulo
Manager: Di Marzio
Referee: Casarin
Goals: 29’ Bigon, 63’ Ferretti, 78’ D’Amico, 84’ D’Amico (pen)
What happened next
Lazio were very inconsistent in the first half of the season but after 18 games they were just a couple of points off the promotion zone. But in the next game Lazio crumbled against Palermo and Castagner was sacked. He was replaced by the head coach of the Primavera team Renato Clagluna, his first experience with a first team squad.
The situation did not improve. In the next 17 games Lazio drew 9 times (including 4 consecutive goalless draws) and only won three matches. With two games left to the end of the season, Lazio were just three points clear of relegation. Varese, on the other hand, had had a splendid season and were just one point away from promotion. A very difficult match for Lazio.
The Biancocelesti went 2-0 down but then D’Amico came to the rescue and scored a hat trick to avoid any possible danger of relegation.
In conclusion, a dismal season for Lazio who had started the campionato with high hopes. Chiarenza was the player with most appearances (41) and D’Amico with the most goals (10), with two hat tricks.
Let’s talk about Fiorenzo Di Benedetto
Fiorenzo Di Benedetto was born on August 9, 1961 in Capistrello near L’Aquila.
He arrived at Lazio in 1980 from Avezzano to play goalkeeper for the Primavera team.
He stayed two years playing with the U19s and also appearing on the bench in Serie B four times in the 1980-81 season and eight in the following season.
He later went on to play for Angizia Luco in Serie C2. He retired in 1987.
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