Game 2, Cup of the Alps
Tuesday, June 9, 1970
Wankdorfstadion, Berne
Young Boys-Lazio 0-2
Lazio score twice early on while Young Boys then hit the woodwork three times
The Cup of the Alps was a tournament between four Italian clubs who could not play each other and four Swiss and this was the tenth edition. The format was that the teams from each nation with the most points would then play in the final. Lazio had drawn the first game 3-3 away at Lugano.
In the first game YB had drawn 1-1 at home with Fiorentina.
The match
It was a rainy evening in Berne but the pitch despite being slightly slippery was perfectly playable. There were less than 5,000 spectators in the unfortunately named, for English speakers anyway, Wankdorf stadion.
Lazio fielded a strong side for this cup game. The only absences were defender Nello Governato, midfielder Giuliano Fortunato and forward Juan Carlos Morrone.
Lazio looked interested and started strongly. In the 5th minute they took the lead. A freekick from the left vertex of the area was floated in by Franco Nanni and headed down into the net by Gian Piero Ghio. Young Boys 0 Lazio 1.
The Swiss reacted and had a Willy Allemann effort go wide.
In the 12th minute however, Lazio doubled their lead. It was a good team move involving Giuseppe Massa, Mario Facco and Ghio who lobbed a ball through to Giorgio Chinaglia, "Long John" then went past his marker and scored from close range. Young Boys 0 Lazio 2.
At this point the Yellow and Black shirts surged forward and created several goal scoring opportunities. Rosario Di Vincenzo made a couple of good saves, Pino Wilson bicycled kicked to safety near the goal line and then in the 26th minute Jean-Claude Bruttin hit the crossbar.
Lazio defended for long periods and occasionally threatened on the break. Half time, YB 0 Lazio 2.
For the second half the hosts replaced Ulrich Guggisberg with Hans-Peter Schild. The Swiss continued to attack and to be unlucky. Schild had a shot saved onto the post by in form Di Vincenzo and then Otto Messerli hit the crossbar in the 68th minute.
Messerli then went off two minutes later and on came Marti. Lazio also put a fresh defender on, replacing Luigi Polentes with Giancarlo Oddi.
The Swiss pressure however subsided and Lazio took control in the last twenty minutes. Chinaglia was teed up superbly by Ghio and then fouled from behind in the area but the referee denied the Romans the blatant penalty. Chinaglia also got injured in the tackle and had to go off for Mario Tomy.
The last five minutes were played under torrential rain and saw Lazio have one more chance when, after a one-two with Massa, Ferruccio Mazzola darted into the area but Walter Eichenberger did well to dive low at his feet and save. Final score Young Boys 0 Lazio 2.
Lazio had been cynical in the first quarter of an hour and then were lucky to keep a clean sheet. The Swiss had hit the woodwork three times but as they say it's the goals that count.
Lazio moved top of the Italian table with 3 points together with Fiorentina.
The Young Boys were still on one point while Basel were top with 4 points.
Who played for Young Boys
Eichenberger, Bosshard, Allemann, Anderegg, Schmocker, Messerli (70' Marti), Guggisberg (46' Schild), Heer, Müller, Bruttin, Rebmann
Manager: Eich
Who played for Lazio
Di Vincenzo, Papadopulo, Facco, Wilson, Polentes (75' Oddi), Marchesi, Massa, Mazzola II, Chinaglia (80' Tomy), Ghio, Nanni
Manager: Lorenzo
Referee: Schneuwly (France)
Goals: 5' Ghio, 12' Chinaglia
Sources
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