D’Amico Force
A D’Amico hat trick gives a vital victory to the Biancocelesti
Also on this day: October 4, 2023: Celtic Lazio 1-2. A last second Pedro goal allows the Biancocelesti to win their first away game in Champions League for twenty years. Player of the day: Daichi Kamada
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 played well. After three games they only had a single point. A win against Foggia would be fundamental.
The match: Sunday, October 4, 1981, Stadio Olimpico, Rome
A must win for Lazio but in the first 15 minutes it was all Foggia. The Biancocelesti, in complete confusion, seemed to be lacking ideas especially from their key players Nando Viola and Alberto Bigon. Then suddenly, quite out of the blue, in the 21st minute Lazio scored. Cross from Claudio Vagheggi, the Foggia defence were looking up at the birds flying over the Olimpico and Vincenzo D’Amico dribbled past Federico Frigerio and Vincenzo Laveneziana and scored.
All OK? No. A minute later Frigerio whacked a ball from outside the box and Foggia equalised. The Biancocelesti went into a panic and only Dario Pighin seemed to know what he was doing.
In the second half the situation completely changed. Bigon, Viola and Vagheggi found the key not only to unlock their own team but also the Foggia defence. Giorgio Mastropasqua and Dario Sanguin started to be more aggressive and Lazio repeatedly went very close to a second goal. This arrived in the 66th minute shortly after Sanguin had hit the post. Viola to Stefano Ferretti, great shot, Lazio 2 Foggia 1.
In the 72nd minute, penalty for the Biancocelesti. Handball by Paolo De Giovanni and Mario Facchin pointed to the spot kick. D’Amico made it 3-1 for Lazio.
In the 83rd minute the referee gave a second penalty when Vagheggi was fouled in the box by Andrea Stimpfl. D’Amico had the chance for a hat trick and made no mistake.
Perhaps there is some light at the end of the Biancoceleste tunnel after all.
Who played for Lazio
Marigo, Chiarenza, De Nadai (60’ Badiani), Mastropasqua, Pighin (87’ Spinozzi), Sanguin, Vagheggi, Bigon, D’Amico, Ferretti, Viola
Substitutes: Di Benedetto, Manzoni, Marronaro
Manager: Castagner
Who played for Foggia
Laveneziana, Stimpfl, Bianco, Frigerio, Petruzzelli, De Giovanni, Gustinetti (68' Sciannimanico), A.Rocca, Bozzi, Pozzato, Paradiso.
Substitutes: Nardin, Caravella, Cassano, Conca.
Manager: Tagliavini
Referee: Facchin
Goals: 21’ D’Amico, 22’ Frigerio, 67’ Ferretti, 72’ D’Amico (pen), 83’ 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 an A team.
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.
Lazio 1981-82
Competition | Played | Won | Drawn | Lost | Goals scored |
Serie B | 38 | 11 | 15 | 12 | 38 |
Coppa Italia | 4 | - | 1 | 3 | 3 |
Total | 42 | 11 | 16 | 15 | 41 |
Top five apperances
Player | Total | Serie A | Coppa Italia |
Chiarenza | 41 | 37 | 4 |
Vagheggi | 38 | 34 | 4 |
De Nadai | 37 | 33 | 4 |
Mastropasqua | 37 | 33 | 4 |
Badiani | 33 | 31 | 2 |
D'Amico | 33 | 30 | 3 |
Top five goal scorers
Player | Total | Serie A | Coppa Italia |
D'Amico | 10 | 10 | - |
Vagheggi | 9 | 9 | - |
De Nadai | 5 | 4 | 1 |
Ferretti | 4 | 3 | 1 |
Bigon | 3 | 3 | - |
Viola | 3 | 3 | - |
Let's talk about Stefano Ferretti
Stefano Ferretti was born on March 2 1960 in Rome. A product of the Lazio youth sector, he debuted in Serie A on October 29 1978, in Lazio Vicenza 4-3. The previous year he had made one appearance in the Intertoto Cup (Lazio -Sparta Rotterdam 3-2, May 21, 1978)
In 1980 Bruno Giordano, Lionello Manfredonia, Pino Wilson and Massimo Cacciatori were arrested at Pescara for the TotoNero scandal. Lazio were in deep trouble and not very far off the relegation zone. Led by Vincenzo D’Amico, the Biancocelesti full of youngsters, managed to beat Catanzaro in a dramatic match and move to safer waters. Ferretti played the last twenty minutes of that match and the subsequent four games.
In the summer of 1980 he was loaned to Empoli in C1 and appeared 31 times with 3 goals. In 1981 he returned to Lazio, who had been relegated to Serie B the previous season and gave a good contribution even if it was not a good year for the Biancocelesti.
In 1982, after Italy won the world cup, there was an amnesty for the players that had been banned in 1980 and Bruno Giordano and Lionello Manfredoni were allowed to play. Lazio were hot favourites for a return to Serie A, but in the autumn transfer window, Ferretti signed for Spal in Serie C1. He stayed four years in Emilia Romagna and in 1986 left for Ancona again in Serie C1.
In 1987 he moved to Pescara. He stayed for seven years (three of which in Serie A) and became one of the leaders of the Biancazzurri. His two last two years of active football were played with Novara in Serie C2 and Chieti in C1. At the end of the 1995-96 season he retired.
Once he stopped active football he became a manager and was head coach for a number of minor teams.
He was a good midfield player, had a cracking shot, and it was a pity he missed out on Lazio’s 1983 promotion to Serie A. He appeared in 40 games (6 in Serie A, 26 in Serie B, 7 in Coppa Italia and one in Intertoto) with 4 goals (3 in Serie B and one in Coppa Italia).
Lazio Career
Season | Total apperances (goals) | Serie A | Serie B | Coppa Italia | Intertoto Cup |
1977-78 | 1 | - | - | - | 1 |
1978-79 | 1 | 1 | - | - | - |
1979-80 | 5 | 5 | - | - | - |
1981-82 | 30 (4) | - | 26 (3) | 4 (1) | - |
1982-83 | 3 | - | - | 3 | - |
Total | 40 (4) | 6 | 26 (3) | 7 (1) | 1 |
Sources
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