Top 30 Winning Upsets (1980-2026) - Part One
- Dag Jenkins
- Jul 1
- 3 min read
Starting from today we will look at the top 30 games in which Lazio upset the odds to clinch surprise victories.
These are some of the most unexpected wins over the last 45 years or so. Not necessarily the best wins (although some are included) but ones where Lazio were the underdogs.
From these 30 we have selected a top five which we will publish at the end of the series. In the meantime, here are the first ones in chronological order.
Lazio played Varese on June 6, 1982. Lazio were struggling in Serie B and were joint 9th on 35 points but only three from relegation to Serie C. Varese on the other hand were flying in 4th on 44 points and had promotion ambitions as they were only one point behind 3rd placed Pisa and two from the top.
Varese came from winning a promotion clash against Bari 3-1 at home while Lazio had lost 0-1 at home to 15th placed Cremonese.
Varese's manager was future Lazio legend Eugenio Fascetti. Their main players were Michelangelo Rampulla, Giuliano Vincenzi, Aldo Cerantola. Maurizio Braghin, Bruno Limido, Massimo Mauti, Ennio Mastalli, Giampiero Scaglia, Gabriele Bongiorni, Vincenzo Di Giovanni, Gaetano Auteri and Franco Turchetta,
Lazio won 3-2. They were 0-2 down within fifteen minutes (Turchetta, Bongiorni) but a Vincenzo D'Amico hat-trick saved the day and the season.
A remarkable comeback.
Lazio played Inter on September 18, 1983. Lazio were newly promoted and had lost 2-4 at Verona on their debut. This was their first home game but they played one of the so called "Big Three" Inter.
Inter had won the league in 1980 and then finished 4th, 3rd and 5th, with a Coppa Italia win in 1982. They had players such as Walter Zenga, Beppe Bergomi, Salvatore Bagni, Alessandro Altobelli, Evaristo Beccalossi and Aldo Serena.
Lazio crushed Inter 3-0 with goals by Bruno Giordano, Angelo Cupini and Michael Laudrup. A big and unpredictable win.
Lazio played Napoli on April 21, 1984. Napoli were 11th while Lazio were 13th (out of 16) on 20 points and in deep trouble, only one point above the relegation slots. Napoli came from three consecutive wins (including Milan 2-0 away). Lazio had beaten Torino but then drawn against bottom of the table Catania (on 10 points...) and lost 2-3 in Florence. In the away fixture in Naples on December 11, Napoli had won 3-0. Napoli were no world beaters but the main problem was Lazio themselves. The only hope was the return of striker Bruno Giordano who had broken his leg in December but had played 20 minutes a week earlier against Fiorentina.
Napoli had Rino Marchesi as manager and some good players: Luciano Castellini, Giuseppe Bruscolotti, Moreno Ferrario, Ruud Krol, Paolo Dal Fiume, Costanzo Celestini, Dirceu, Antonio De Vitis and Massimo Palanca.
Lazio won 3-2. Giordano scored in the first minute, Michael Laudrup got the second, Dal Fiume halved the deficit before the "Danesino" scored another and Celestini pulled one back for the visitors.
This win was fundamental in Lazio avoiding relegation. Eight of today's Napoli squad would win the Scudetto three years later, also helped by a certain Diego Armando Maradona...
Lazio played Napoli on December 30, 1989. Napoli were top of the table, unbeaten on 25 points and four points clear of Milan, Inter and Roma while Lazio were 10th on 16 points. The game was held at the Stadio Flaminio as the Olimpico was being renovated for the Italia '90 World Cup.
Napoli had won their first Scudetto in 1987 and the UEFA Cup in 1989. They had players such as the great Diego Armando Maradona, Ciro Ferrara, Alemão, Careca and Gianfranco Zola.
Lazio swept Napoli away 3-0 with an Amarildo double and a goal by Gabriele Pin. Napoli then went on to win the Scudetto but this afternoon at the Flaminio was Lazio's day.
Lazio played Juventus on March 3, 1991. Juventus were 4th and had won the Coppa Italia and the UEFA Cup in 1990. Lazio were 7th but had not beaten the Bianconeri since 1979.
Juventus, under Gigi Maifredi, had players such as Stefano Tacconi, Júlio César, Thomas Häßler, Roberto Baggio, Gigi Casiraghi, Paolo Di Canio and Salvatore Schillaci.
Lazio won 1-0 with a goal by Karl-Heinz Riedle. This was Lazio' first league win over Juventus for 12 years and had an extra sweet taste.
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