October 7, 1973: Vicenza Lazio 0-3
Promising debut
Lazio make a strong start to the season on Maestrelli’s birthday, cruising to a convincing win with goals from Chinaglia, Re Cecconi and Garlaschelli.
The season so far
Lazio went close to the scudetto the previous season before finishing 3rd. Lazio had been in contention going into the last match but Roma basically let themselves be beaten by Juventus and Lazio were beaten by overly keen Napoli, among allegations of both teams being "incentivated" by the "Old Lady". Meanwhile the other contender Milan fell apart at "fatal Verona".
This season the charismatic manager Tommaso Maestrelli was still on the bench. There had been no major changes to the squad. Lazio had received plenty of offers for their best players, Luciano Re Cecconi (Torino), Franco Nanni (Fiorentina and Juventus) and Giorgio Chinaglia (Milan, Juventus, Napoli and Inter). The president Umberto Lenzini, however, managed to resist and keep them all.
There had only been some lesser deals; in came midfielders Fausto Inselvini (Brescia in the autumn) and Sergio Borgo (Pro Patria) plus forward Paolo Franzoni (Brindisi-in autumn) while out went forward Giacomo La Rosa (Palermo) and midfielder Giambattista Moschino (retired).
So basically Lazio were giving the title another go with the same squad. The idea was that they had gone so close the previous season that this year with a little more experience they stood a realistic chance.
Today was Lazio's Serie A debut.
In the Coppa Italia Lazio had qualified for the second group stage with 2 wins (Varese 1-0 and Novara 6-0 ), a draw (Roma 0-0) and a defeat (Brescia 0-2 away). They won the group on goal difference and would now play Cesena, Juventus and Palermo home and away from December to May.
In the UEFA Cup they had eliminated Sion 4-3 on aggregate and would now play Ipswich Town on October 24 and November 7.
Vicenza had finished 13th the previous season. They had started under former Lazio player, Gianni Seghedoni (1-8) and continued under Héctor Puricelli. The Biancorossi had lost against Lazio both at home 1-2 and in Rome 0-1. The top scorer was Gian Paolo Galuppi with 5 league goals (out of a total of 15 in 30 games…). The squad included future Lazio forward Walter Speggiorin (1981-82).
This season Puricelli was kept on. The main new signings were; goalkeeper Michelangelo Sulfaro (Roma), defenders Fabrizio Gorin (Maestrina) and Giuseppe Longoni (Fiorentina), midfielders Giorgio Bernardis (Catania), Mario Perego (Fiorentina) and Domenico Fontana (Napoli) plus forwards Emiliano Macchi (Fiorentina), Angelo Sormani (Fiorentina) and Oscar Damiani (Napoli).
Leaving were; goalkeeper Roberto Anzolin (Monza), defenders Paolino Stanzial (Taranto), Carlo Ripari (Napoli), Giorgio Nardello (Taranto) and Roberto De Petri (Reggina), midfielders Cesare Poli (Cagliari), Ferruccio Campagnolo (Audace SME) and Vincenzo Montefusco (Napoli-end of loan) plus forwards Walter Speggiorin (Fiorentina) and Walter Ballarin (Belluno).
In Coppa Italia the "Lane" were out despite 2 wins (Taranto 3-1 at home and Cagliari 2-1 away), a draw (Atalanta 0- at home ) and a defeat (0-3 at Brindisi).
On paper not a prohibitive game today for Lazio but after the previous seasons performance they would not be underestimated by anyone. Lazio also came from a 1-3 defeat, albeit a harmless one against Sion, and and there had been rumours of friction between various groups of players. Today was Tommaso Maestrelli's birthday so a win would be a nice present for him.
The match: Sunday, October 7, 1973, Stadio Romeo Menti, Vicenza
Torrential rain fell all day on "La Città del Palladio" and the pitch was muddy and heavy. The small Menti ground gathered about 15,000 spectators with about 1,000 from Rome. The crowd included Italy manager Ferruccio Valcareggi (this was World Cup season).
Lazio were without Pierpaolo Manservisi while Vicenza were missing defender Giorgio De Bernardis.
A tactical novelty for Lazio was playing defender Sergio Petrelli at number 11.
Vicenza started on the front foot but looked timid and did not threaten.
In the 7th minute Franco Nanni set up Giorgio Chinaglia on the counter foot, "Long John" raced forward past Fabrizio Berni and Ugo Ferrante and chipped Adriano Bardin, 0-1. An ideal start to the game and season.
Vicenza responded by attacking with more conviction but the heavy pitch did not help their efforts. The Biancorossi had a penalty appeal but Michelotti said Angelo Sormani had simulated.
In the 16th minute Angelo Sormani hit a powerful freekick which Felice Pulici did not risk trying to catch due to the wet ball so simply punched away.
In the 17th minute Renzo Garlaschelli had an insidious left footed strike parried away by Bordin.
In the 27th minute Oscar Damiani dribbled away and passed to Alessandro Vitali whose volley was saved by Pulici.
Lazio however looked better organised and sharper and controlled the game with confidence.
In the 29th minute Chinaglia tried his luck from the distance and the ball skimmed the crossbar.
Lazio defended well and the only scare before halftime was another request for a penalty by the locals. This time it was Vitali who tried it on with the referee as after slipping in the mud he claimed his marker Pino Wilson had fouled him. Michelotti was in no mood for theatrics and waved to play on. Half time: 0-1.
Vicenza came back on and attacked furiously. Lazio pulled Mario Frustalupi slightly deeper and absorbed the pressure. In the 56th minute a Damiani header went just wide.
In the 62nd minute Frustalupi passed to Luciano Re Cecconi who decided to go solo. He burst into attack, getting away from Ferrante and unleashed a powerful low strike into the right hand corner, 0-2.
In the 69th minute Petrelli went on a good run and tried to lob the keeper but couldn't lift it enough.
Vicenza had a couple of shots with Vitali but never particularly dangerous.
Lazio almost got a third in the 70th minute but Petrelli arrived tired and Bardin narrowed the angle and saved.
Vicenza had another halfhearted protest in the 75th minute when Macchi was too late for a high Oscar Damiani cross and maintained that Wilson and Mario Facco had obstructed him. Not even the fans made a fuss about this one.
Lazio definitely wrapped up the game in the 86th minute. Chinaglia blasted a freekick and Bardin could not keep hold of the slippery ball which fell to Renzo Garlaschelli who had no problem scoring, 0-3.
Lazio almost made it four but Nanni was denied by Bardin.
Final score: Vicenza 0 Lazio 3.
An authoritative win by Lazio. With basically the same team as the previous season Lazio were a well oiled machine. The players moved harmoniously and everyone seemed to know what to do and when. The experiment of Petrelli at number 11 had meant Nanni could push further forward as he had cover in midfield. Lazio still had room for improvement but it was a positive start.
Vicenza had lost to a superior team. They had their moments especially at the beginning of the second half but Pulici was rarely threatened.
First two league points for Tommaso Maestrelli as a birthday present from his "ragazzi".
Who played for Vicenza
Bardin, Berti, Longoni, Perego, Ferrante, Berni, Damiani, Sormani, Vitali, Faloppa, Macchi
Substitutes: Sulfaro, Vendrame, Galuppi
Manager: Puricelli
Who played for Lazio
Pulici, Facco, Martini, Wilson, Oddi, Nanni, Garlaschelli, Re Cecconi, Chinaglia, Frustalupi, Petrelli
Manager: Maestrelli
Referee: Michelotti
Goals: 7' Chinaglia, 62' Re Cecconi, 86' Garlaschelli
What happened next
Lazio would go on to win their first historic league title. On May 12 1974 Lazio were proclaimed Campioni d'Italia!!
Lazio won their next game 1-0 at home to Sampdoria but then slowed down with a defeat (Juventus 1-3 away) and 3 draws. They then picked up with five wins in a row (including Roma 2-1, Napoli and Milan both 1-0 at home).
In February came the crunch game at home to Juventus. It ended in a 3-1 triumph for Lazio (Garlaschelli and twice Chinaglia) and this was a first definite turning point of the season.
On March 31 Lazio also won the return derby, coming from behind to beat Roma 2-1 (Chinaglia, D'Amico).
Another key win came in a home game against Verona on April 14 when, 2-1 down at halftime, Lazio stayed on the pitch waiting eagerly for the second half and ended up 4-2 winners. With five games to go Lazio had a four-point lead on Juventus.
Lazio then earned a good away point against Milan and beat Genoa at home 1-0 with a Garlaschelli winner.
Despite losing to Torino on May 5 (only team to beat Lazio twice that season), a week later, on May 12, Lazio came into the penultimate game of the season knowing a win would give them the scudetto.
The opponents were Foggia, Maestrelli's former team, who were desperately battling against relegation. Fans started arriving at the stadium at 6 o'clock in the morning and the gates were opened at 8.45. The hills above the stadium were also packed as, before the roof was added for the Italia '90 World Cup, it was possible to follow the game up on Monte Mario near the "Madonnina". It was obviously a sell out but many fans also managed to get in for free, swelling the crowd to explosive levels.
It was a tough game with Lazio playing the last half hour with ten men (Garlaschelli sent off) and Luigi Martini out injured but Lazio got the all-important goal with a Chinaglia penalty in the 60th minute. Foggia threw everyone forward but a tired and comprehensively tense Lazio managed to resist the Satanelli's assaults. On a glorious 1974 May day in Rome the Biancocelesti, founded in 1900, were finally Italian Champions!
Maestrelli's crazy gang had done it. A team divided in clans during the week but masterfully brought together by the "Maestro" on match days. They played an entertaining brand of football based on the new Dutch philosophy and thoroughly deserved the title. Like Bologna, Fiorentina and Cagliari before them they had broken the monopoly of the big three (Juve, Milan and Inter). Top scorer had been charismatic Long John Chinaglia with 34 goals in total (24 in Serie A).
In the Coppa Italia, Lazio went out of the cup in the second group stage with 3 defeats (Palermo 0-2, Juventus 0-3, Cesena 1-2 all away), two draws (Cesena 1-1, Juventus 0-0 both at home) and one win (Palermo 1-0 at home). By that point they had other priorities and the Scudetto was more than enough.
Lazio however would never get to take part in the European Cup a year later..
In the UEFA Cup Lazio then played Ipswich Town….. in the round of 32. They lost the first leg 0-4 (all goals by Trevor Whymark). During the return leg won 4-2 there was trouble on and off the pitch and Lazio were banned from all European competitions for three years, then reduced to one.
The Lazio players lost their heads with on and off the field scuffles with the opponents and the referee and there had also been crowd trouble, things had got completely out of hand.
In Lazio and their fans defence they had witnessed one of the most scandalous refereeing performances in the history of football by a tipsy Dutchman called Van der Kraft (seeing an English defender save the ball with his hands on the goal line for an unawarded penalty was just one example of the Dutchman's exploits). The punishment was inevitable but it was a pity Lazio were not able to participate in a tournament they had so deserved to be in.
The scudetto celebrations however went on in Rome and the region for months and were enough to help forget the European disappointment. SS. Lazio were Champions of Italy!
Vicenza finished 12th (+ 8 on B). After today they won 7 (including Milan 2-1 and Inter 1-0 at home), drew 12 (including Juventus 0-0 away) and lost 10 (including Lazio 0-3 again). The top scorers were Oscar Damiani and Angelo Sormani with 5 league goals each (out of a total of 22 in 30 games).
So, Lazio were Italian Champions for the first time while saying goodbye for now were Verona, Genoa and Foggia. The Coppa Italia was won by Bologna (Palermo on penalties).
A brief history of Vicenza
Vicenza were founded in 1902 by a school headmaster Tito Buy and a P.E teacher Antonio Libero Scarpa.
Early years
They were originally named Associazione del Calcio in Vicenza and abbreviated to Acivi. They played their first game on May 18 1903 but their first official competitive game was on February 12 1911 when they beat Bologna. They went on to face Pro Vercelli for the national title but lost 1-5 on aggregate.
They spent the pre-WW1 years in the Veneto section of the top flight but in 1922 were relegated. In the same year they integrated the Unione Sportiva Studentesca Vicentina into the club.
They spent the 1920s in the 2nd and then then 3rd tier of football. In 1928 they integrated another club Circolo Cotonificio Rossi di Vicenza and became Associazione Calcio Vicenza.
The early 1930s saw them in the top flight but by 1935 they were in Serie C. In 1932 they had been forced to change their name to Associazione Fascista Calcio Vicenza.
In 1940 they were promoted to Serie B and in 1943 to Serie A before WW2 interrupted national sporting activities.
Later history
In 1948 they were relegated to Serie B and did not come back up again until 1955 when they won the second flight championship. Meanwhile in 1953 they became Associazione Calcio Lanerossi Vicenza.
The "Lane" then had 20 consecutive years in Serie A with best positions of 6th (1964, 1966), 7th (1958, 1959, 1963) and 8th (1970, 1971).
In 1974 -75 they were relegated but came up again in 1976-77 winning Serie B under Giovan Battista Fabbri and a young goalscorer called Paolo Rossi.
The following year 1977-78 was their best season in history. They finished 2nd in Serie A with Rossi scoring 24 league goals. The president in these years was Giuseppe Farina (1968-81).
The dream did not last long as a year later they were relegated and by 1981-82 they were in Serie C. The same year however they won the Serie C Coppa Italia (Campobasso 3-1).
In 1984-85 they made it back up to B and the following year to A with 3rd place but they were then penalised for their involvement in the Calcioscommesse and stayed in the 2nd tier and by 1987-88 they were back in C. In 1989 they became Vicenza Calcio.
They resurfaced to B in 1993-94 and were back in A in 1995-96. There followed a great three years. They finished 9th, 8th and 14th and in 1997 won the Coppa Italia (Napoli 3-1 on aggregate) and in 1998 reached the semifinals of the Cup Winners Cup (Chelsea 2-3 on aggregate). They also played the Italian Supercoppa but lost to Juventus 0-3. The manager in this period was Francesco Guidolin.
In 1998-99 the Biancorossi were relegated and have since only spent one more season in A (2000-01). They have been in Serie B for 19 years (2001-2013, 2014-17 and 2020-22 and 2026-27) and in C (2013-14, 2017-20 and 2022-25). In 2018 they went bust and reformed with Bassano del Grappa becoming L.R Vicenza Virtus
Round up
Vicenza have spent 30 seasons in Serie A with their best result being a 2nd place (1977-78). They have played 38 seasons in Serie B winning it 3 times (1955, 1977 and 2000) and 22 seasons in Serie C. They have won a Coppa Italia (1997).
Players
The most famous players to have played for Vicenza are undoubtedly Paolo Rossi (1976-79) and Roberto Baggio (1982-85).
The top 10 for appearances are: 336 Stefano Giacomelli (2012-23), 317 Giulio Savoini (1953-66), 314 Luigi Menti (1952-57, 1958-69), 311 Alfonso Santagiuliana (1940-44, 1946-54), 285 Giorgio Sterchele (1988-94, 2000-07), 268 Domenico Di Carlo (1990-99), 255 Gianfranco Volpato (1962-75), 253 Daniele Martinelli (2005-13), 249 Alberto Marchetti (1938-46, 1949-52) and 248 Sergio Carantini (1963-72).
The top 10 goalscorers are: 123 Pietro Spinato (1926-37), 106 Bruno Quaresma (1941-44, 1945-46, 1948-51, 1953-54), 105 Alberto Marchetti (1938-46, 1949-52), 74 Stefan Schwoch (2001-08), 68 Luís Vinicio (1962-66, 1967-68), 66 Mariano Rossi (1931-43), 60 Paolo Rossi (1976-79), 59 Antonio Rondon (1983-88) and 51 Massimo Margiotta and 46 Sergio Campana (1953-59, 1961-67).
Some of their other great players include; Romeo Menti (1934-38), Renato Faloppa (1970-79), Luciano Marangon (1975-80), Roberto Filippi (1975-78), Ernesto Galli (1975-79, 1980-81), Giuseppe Lelj (1976-78), Franco Cerilli (1976-79), Giovanni Lopez (1991-97), Roberto Murgita (1994-97), Marcelo Otero (1995-99), Gabriele Ambrosetti (1995-99, 2002), Massimo Beghetto (1996-2001), Lamberto Zauli (1997-2001), Massimo Ambrosini (1997-98), Pasquale Luiso (1999-01), Luca Toni (2000-01).
A possible top XI tactics aside could be: 1) Ernesto Galli 2) Giulio Savoni 3) Alfonso Santagiuliana 4) Domenico Di Carlo 5) Giovanni Lopez 6) Sergio Campana 7) Romeo Menti 8) Roberto Menti 9) Paolo Rossi 10) Roberto Baggio 11) Luís Vinício
Managers
The first manager was founder Antonio Libero Scarpa (1902-08) followed by Giulio Fasolo (1908-15).
Other important managers were; Wilmas Wilhelm (1923-24, 1928-31, 1949, 1949-50), Piero Spinato (1939-44, 1945-47), Manlio Scopigno (1962-65, 1975), Héctor Puricelli (1969-71, 1973-75), Giovan Battista Fabbri (1976-79), Francesco Guidolin (1994-98) and Edy Reja (1999-2001).
The most successful managers have been Giovan Battista Fabbri (2nd place in 1977-78) and Francesco Guidolin (Coppa Italia 1997).
Colours
Their colours since 1902 have always been red and white. Their classic strip is a shirt with red and white vertical stripes, white shorts and red socks. Their nicknames are "Lane", "Berici" "Nobile Provinciale" or simply "Biancorossi". Their mascot is "Gatton Gattoni", a cat in a Vicenza jersey.
Fans
The organised fan movement started in Vicenza in 1974 first with the group "Ultras" and then "Marines". In 1978 the "Vigilantes" also appeared. Other groups included "Fabio Group", "Caneva Berica", "Kopovolti" and "Ultras 1993"
In the late 1980's the D.U.C.S (Direttivo Ultrà Curva Sud) was set up and in 2004 the Curva Nord Vicenza group was formed.
In modern day the main groups are now; "Vecchia Guardia", "South Terrace", "Crew", "Banda Thiene" and "Youth", all in the Curva Sud.
Their main friendships are with Pescara (from 1977), Cremonese (1984), Reggiana (1985), Udinese and Ravenna (1993). They also have special relationships abroad with Metz (France), Roda Kekrade (Holland) and Olympique Lyonnais (France).
Their main rivals are Verona in the "derby del Veneto" clash. They also have rivalries with Napoli (with a violent history), Padova, Brescia, Triestina, SPAL, Cesena, Bologna, Atalanta and Venezia. Abroad they still have bad blood with Chelsea.
Playing fields and Stadiums
Vicenza first played at the Campo di Borgo Casale, basically a field.
In 1919 they moved to a new ground at San Felice. It was nicknamed "Stadio dea Carbonea" (Stadio della Carbonella-charcoal), as they used to fill the holes left by the football boots with charcoal from the nearby foundries.
From 1935 they played at the Stadio Romeo Menti, still in the Borgo Casale area of town. It was initially called the Campo Sportivo del Littorio. It was bombed and damaged during WW2 and subsequently repaired and called "Il Comunale" in 1946. In 1949 the name was changed to Romeo Menti, a former player who died in the Grande Torino air crash at Superga.
It has since gone through various modernisations but Vicenza still play there to this day. It now has a capacity of 12, 788.
Modern day
In 2026-27 Vicenza are in Serie B. Since 2018 they are owned by entrepreneur Stefano Rosso and the head coach is Fabio Gallo.
Head to Head with Lazio
Lazio have played Vicenza 58 times: 50 in Serie A, 6 in Serie B and twice in Coppa Italia.
First game and first Lazio home win: Lazio Vicenza 2-1 in Serie A on Sunday, December 6, 1942
First Lazio Away Win: Vicenza Lazio 1-2 in Serie A on Sunday, December 29, 1963
Latest Lazio Home Win and last match played: Lazio Vicenza 2-1 in Serie A on Sunday April 22, 2001
Latest Lazio Away Win: Vicenza Lazio 1-4 in Serie A on Sunday, December 10, 2000
Total Lazio Wins: 24 (16 home, including one in Naples, 8 away)
Total Draws: 13 (6 home, 7 away)
Total Vicenza Wins: 21 (7 home, 14 away)
Best Lazio Win: Lazio Vicenza 4-0 in Serie A on Sunday December 21, 1997
Match with greater number of goals: 7 (Lazio Vicenza 4-3 in Serie A on Sunday, October 29, 1978 and Lazio Vicenza 3-4 in Serie B on Sunday, March 9, 1986)
Worst defeat: Lazio Vicenza 1-3 (on Sunday, October 23, 1955 and Sunday, March 12, 1978) and Vicenza Lazio 3-1 (on Sunday March 4, 1979), all in Serie A.
Sources
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