This Week In Lazio History: September 14-20 | OneFootball

Demolition of Inter, victory in Istanbul, and a combustible Arsenal tie headline Lazio’s past week in dates. According to The Laziali, the round-up also remembers long-serving president Fortunato Ballerini.

Highlights include 2-0 over Juventus in 1958, 2-0 Lokomotiv Plovdiv in 1993, 2-0 at Beşiktaş in Türkiye in 2003, plus 3-0 wins over Inter in 1983 and Torino in 1999.

Match in focus is 16 September 1970, Lazio 2-2 Arsenal in the Fairs Cup first round, with tensions stoked by Bertie Mee’s pre-game warnings referencing Juan Carlos Lorenzo’s 1966 Argentina.

After the interval, John Radford lobbed Michelangelo Sulfaro on 52 minutes, then headed in on 56 from George Armstrong’s cross as Nello Governato tied a bootlace.

Referee Schulenburg ignored a foul on Governato, then ruled out a Chinaglia finish on 66 minutes, awarding an indirect free-kick after Pat Rice’s studs-up on Franco Nanni, prompting furious protests.

Giorgio Chinaglia pulled one back on 85 minutes, then in the 89th powered through and, after Frank McLintock handled on the line, converted the penalty to level.

An official dinner then erupted into a brawl after Ray Kennedy kicked Giuseppe Papadopulo, who punched back, with Papadopulo, Sulfaro and Rosario Di Vincenzo sent to hospital. The British press blamed Lazio, and the return in London finished 2-0 to Arsenal.

Fortunato Ballerini, born 26 October 1852, became president on 29 May 1904, securing Parco dei Daini and later Rondinella as Lazio flourished. Decorated in 1916 and with the club recognised in 1921 as a Moral Institution, he resigned in 1922 over amateurism, remained an active sportsman, and died on 19 September 1940.

Source: The Laziali

“Artificial intelligence was used to assist in creating this article based on reporting from the original source quoted.”