October 2, 1966: Lecco Lazio 0-1
Marchesi’s cool finish gives Lazio their first away win
Lazio survive a difficult afternoon in Lecco before Marchesi’s penalty settles a physical, rain-soaked contest
The season so far
The previous season Lazio arrived 12th. It had been a disappointing season even if there had been a derby win and one in Milan. However, once relegation had been avoided the Biancocelesti stopped playing, getting one point in the last four games.
Manager Umberto Mannocci had been confirmed and new entries had been Sergio Castelletti, Rino Marchesi and the return of Giancarlo Morrone, all from Fiorentina, Arrigo Dolso (Udinese), Giuseppe Massa (Internapoli), Romano Bagatti (Varese) and Enrico Burlando (Massese). Leaving the Biancocelesti were Vincenzo Gasperi (Varese), Giampiero Vitali (Fiorentina), Nicola Ciccolo (Vicenza), Antonio Renna (Varese), Orlando Rozzoni (Spal) plus the loan of Nello Governato to Inter. In the autumn Pietro Adorni arrived from Napoli and Governato, who had not fitted in at Inter, was loaned to Vicenza.
Today was game three of Serie A. In the first fixture Lazio had been hammered 5-1 by Fiorentina and in the second they had drawn at home 0-0 with Torino. In Coppa Italia they had reached the second round after wining at Catania.
The match: Sunday, October 2, 1966, Stadio Mario Rigamonti, Lecco
The fight for survival had already begun.
Only three games into the 1966-67 Serie A season, both Lecco and Lazio were already looking anxiously at the bottom of the table. Lecco had lost their opening two matches and remained pointless, while Lazio too were still searching for their first victory.
At the Stadio Mario Rigamonti on October 2, the two sides met on a treacherous pitch after three days of heavy rain. The conditions made fluid football difficult, but they also produced a fiercely contested match in which the defences ultimately dominated.
Lazio emerged with a precious 1-0 victory, and although a penalty decided the contest, there was little doubt that the visitors deserved their two points.
Lecco began the afternoon with the greater urgency. They knew this was an opportunity to get their season moving after defeats against Cagliari and Juventus, and for the opening half-hour they played with considerable energy.
Idilio Cei was forced into action as early as the third minute, although Sergio Clerici's effort was comfortably saved. Much more difficult was the goalkeeper's intervention in the 21st minute, when Aquilino Bonfanti's powerful free-kick appeared destined for the corner of the net. Cei produced an excellent save to turn it behind for a corner.
Lecco continued to threaten, but their finishing let them down. Antonio Angelillo was unable to make proper contact on a Bonfanti cross, while Clerici shot high from close range. Angelillo and Clerici were the home side's most dangerous players, but neither was able to reproduce his best form.
Lazio, meanwhile, were beginning to find their structure.
Umberto Mannocci had given Giancarlo Morrone a slightly deeper role, allowing him to influence the game from behind the forward line, while Rino Marchesi was pushed further forward. Alberto Mari was given a less glamorous but highly effective task, effectively operating as an additional midfielder.
The tactical arrangement gradually began to frustrate Lecco coach Angelo Piccioli, whose players were increasingly being drawn out of their positions.
Morrone was particularly effective in his new role. Shortly before the decisive goal, he helped create an excellent opportunity for Romano Bagatti after combining with Vito D'Amato, but with the goal at his mercy, Bagatti sent his shot narrowly wide.
Then, in the 37th minute, the game changed.
A cross from Can Bartù was headed away by Lecco defender Antonio Pasinato, but his clearance fell straight towards Morrone, who at that moment was operating almost as a centre-forward. The Argentine controlled the ball superbly, left the Lecco libero behind him and surged towards goal.
Three defenders converged on him.
Morrone managed to escape the first challenges and entered the penalty area before Ezio Tettamanti caught him from behind and brought him down.
Penalty.
There were protests, but they were limited. Even the home side seemed to recognise that the decision was difficult to dispute.
Marchesi took responsibility.
Luigi Balzarini moved several metres off his line as Francescon prepared to signal for the kick, but Marchesi remained completely composed. He waited until the goalkeeper had committed himself and placed a low shot to Balzarini's left.
Lazio led 1-0.
The goal was a significant blow to Lecco, who had enjoyed the better of the opening exchanges. Yet it also reflected the difference between the two teams. Lazio had not created much, but when their opportunity arrived, they had possessed the quality and composure to exploit it.
Lecco came out strongly after half-time, partly because Lazio made the mistake of retreating too deeply to protect their lead.
Cei was immediately called upon, making a difficult save to concede a corner in the third minute. The home side maintained the initiative until around the 60th minute, but their pressure rarely translated into clear chances.
The Lazio defence was now looking increasingly secure.
There were still moments of danger. Bonfanti missed badly when presented with a promising chance in the 59th minute, while Cei produced another excellent intervention late in the game after Sergio Castelletti inadvertently headed towards his own goal from a Giuseppe Bacher cross.
Lazio gradually realised that sitting back was becoming unnecessarily dangerous. Bagatti and D'Amato were joined by the advancing Bartù, giving the visitors a greater presence further forward.
They also became increasingly adept at slowing the match down.
Bartù, Marchesi and Mari circulated possession intelligently, taking the pace out of the game and frustrating Lecco's attempts to build another sustained attack. Bagatti was struggling after being hit by Tettamanti, but Lazio's collective organisation compensated for his reduced mobility.
It was not a great football match.
The heavy pitch — muddy in places, slippery in others and even waterlogged where the drainage system could not cope with the rain — made football particularly difficult. Both attacks struggled, and the defenders generally came out on top.
But there was much more to Lazio's performance than simply surviving.
The visitors were better organised, tactically more intelligent and physically strong enough to withstand Lecco's aggressive approach. Marchesi was the outstanding player on the pitch, while Paolo Carosi, Cei, D'Amato, Mari and Castelletti all played important roles in a disciplined team performance.
For Lecco, Angelillo provided occasional flashes of quality, but the team's lack of attacking ideas and technical ability was increasingly apparent. Their third consecutive defeat left them without a point after three matches and offered little encouragement for the weeks ahead.
The victory was Lazio's first of the season away from home. It had taken a difficult pitch, a fiercely contested battle and a single penalty to produce it, but the Biancocelesti had earned their reward.
Two precious points were coming back to Rome.
Who played for Lecco
Balzarini, Facca, Tettamanti, Bacher, Pasinato, Sacchi, Azzimonti, Ferrari, Clerici, Angelillo, Bonfanti
Manager: Piccioli
Who played for Lazio
Manager: Mannocci
Referee: Francescon
Goal: 37’ Marchesi (pen)
What happened next
At the end of the first half of the season Lazio were 14th but the battle to avoid relegation was going to be a long one. With four games to the end, the Biancocelesti were 12th together with Spal and Brescia and one point ahead of Vicenza. Foggia, Venezia and Lecco were already doomed. Lazio played at home to Brescia knowing that a victory would probably get them out of the relegation battle. They lost as they did the next game at Bologna too. With two games to go, Brescia 28 points, Vicenza 27, Spal 26, Lazio 25.
In the last match at home the Biancocelesti managed to beat Foggia while Vicenza and Brescia lost and Spal drew. With one game to go, Spal, Vicenza and Lazio had 27 points and Brescia 28. Final games: Juventus-Lazio, Brescia-Cagliari, Vicenza-Bologna and Spal-Venezia.
At the end of the first half Vicenza and Lazio were 0-0, Spal and Brescia were losing. There was still hope, but in the second half Lazio collapsed and Spal turned the game around. The Biancocelesti were relegated by one point.
The worst thing about this season were the 10 goalless draws. Which really showed that the attack in particular was greatly under par.
The players with most appearances were Carosi and Morrone (38), top scorer was Bagatti with 7 goals.
Lazio Jersey 1966-67
Image sources: first and fourth Football Kit Archive, middle two re-created using AI
There was nothing extravagant about Lazio's shirt in 1966-67.
At a time when football jerseys were still defined more by tradition than by branding or elaborate design, the Biancocelesti returned to one of their most recognisable looks: a simple, understated shirt in pale celeste, finished with a crew neck and white cuffs.
It was a shirt that belonged unmistakably to Lazio.
The pale shade of celeste gave the jersey its distinctive identity, while the white detailing around the neck and wrists provided a clean contrast. There were no sponsors, no manufacturer logos and none of the increasingly elaborate designs that would begin to appear in football in later decades. The shirt was, above all, about the colours.
It was also a return to tradition after the previous season, when Lazio had occasionally experimented with another striking design.
During 1965-66, the club had revived the so-called River Plate-style shirt: white, crossed diagonally by a celeste sash. The design had first appeared in selected matches during the previous campaign, including games against SPAL and Napoli, and it continued to be used occasionally in 1965-66.
For 1966-67, however, the traditional celeste shirt once again became the principal choice.
There was still room for the sash.
On November 13, 1966, when Lazio faced SPAL at the Stadio Olimpico, the team again took to the field wearing the white shirt crossed by the diagonal celeste band.
There were also a couple of versions, long sleeved and short sleeved, of a V neck shirt was was also worn occasionally.
The principal jersey nevertheless remained the pale celeste shirt — a design that perfectly reflected the simplicity of the era.
And it was worn through a season that would become one of the more painful chapters in Lazio's history.
A traditional Lazio shirt worn through a season of struggle, disappointment and, ultimately, relegation.
Sources
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