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The week of June 16-22 in Lazio history is characterised by Lazio-Vicenza and Giuliano Fiorini’s goal seven minutes from time plus several promotions.
Date: Sunday, June 16, 1963
Venue: Stadio Olimpico, Rome
Fixture: Lazio Pro Patria 2-0
Lazio beat Pro Patria and are promoted to Serie A
Date: Sunday, June 18, 1972
Venue: Stadio della Vittoria, Bari
Fixture: Bari Lazio 0-0
Lazio collect the necessary point and return to Serie A after just one season.
Date: Sunday, June 19, 1988
Venue: Stadio Olimpico, Rome
Fixture: Lazio Taranto 3-1
Lazio beat Taranto and after three years make it back to Serie A.
Date: Saturday, June 21, 1958
Venue: Stadio Olimpico, Rome
Fixture: Roma Lazio 2-3, Coppa Italia
A thrilling game rewards the Biancocelesti who edge nearer qualification to the Coppa Italia quarterfinals.
Date: Sunday, June 22, 1969
Venue: Stadio Olimpico, Rome
Fixture: Lazio Reggiana 1-1
The Biancocelesti pick up a point and win Serie B.
Date: Sunday, June 21, 1987
Venue: Stadio Olimpico, Rome
Fixture: Lazio Vicenza 1-0
There were seven minutes to go and Lazio were virtually in Serie C.
The Biancocelesti had been given an unjust nine-point docking at the beginning of the season all due to a vague reply on the phone from Claudio Vinazzani. He had arrived in 1983 after many years at Napoli and when asked by a friend whether he wanted to “arrange” a couple of wins for Lazio his answer was non-committal. Nothing else happened, but the club were de facto relegated because of this. An overzealous journalist then spilt the beans before it was official and the punishment was changed to a -9 start in the following season. One must remember that at the time there were still only two points for victory.
Manager Eugenio Fascetti had told the players “This is the situation. You can leave, and it would be perfectly normal if you did, or stay and fight. Decide”. All the players stayed.
Lazio did so well that at one point they were closer to the promotion race than the relegation battle, but in the second half of the season, the stress took its toll and the team started to lose ground. With one match to go Cagliari were already in Serie C, Lazio and Taranto were on 31 points, and Campobasso, Sambenedettese, Vicenza and Catania on 32. Last games of the season Bari-Sambenedettese, Messina-Campobasso, Taranto-Genoa, Cesena-Catania, Lazio-Vicenza.
Even a win may not be enough.
With Lazio in Serie C, would the new ownership of the club continue, or would they throw in the towel? Probably the latter.
The game meant life or death for Lazio and the fans filled the Stadio Olimpico a long time before kick-off. When the players came out two hours before the start, they could not believe their eyes. The Olimpico was packed. Everybody had brought a flag or a scarf and the Stadium was completely light blue and white.
The Biancocelesti played their best game of the season creating numerous chances, but Vicenza goalkeeper Ennio Dal Bianco played the match of his life and saved everything, even the air. With seven minutes to go, it was still 0-0. Then the Gods who support Lazio did their magic.
In the 83rd minute, Antonio Acerbis with a throw-in, ball to Fabio Poli back to Acerbis, cross into the box cleared by the defence. Vincenzo Esposito to Gabriele Podavini on the right who tried the 200th shot of the day. He miskicked it and it became a low cross. Giuliano Fiorini got the ball, spun around and shot. Goallllllllllll!!!!!!!!
Delirium!!! Tears of relief, some fans literally felt ill and collapsed. Medics were called. Legend has it that people on the nearby bridge on the Tiber felt the earth shake. Neutral commentators suddenly became hardcore fans and burst into tears. Vicenza did not have anything left and the game finished 1-0 for Lazio.
Final verdict: Vicenza, Catania and Cagliari in Serie C, Lazio, Campobasso and Taranto to a playoff. It was not over yet.
Romano Penzo was born in Chioggia (Venice) on April 8 1920. He started playing football in the Rovigo youth teams and made it up to the first team in 1938-39. A year later he signed for Fiorentina in Serie A and stayed until the beginning of the Second World War. He then played for Milan and Varese during the war.
In 1945 he joined Inter and had his most successful year scoring 18 goals, five of which in a single match against Genoa, a joint record shared with Giuseppe Meazza and Guglielmo Gabetto. He signed for Brescia in 1946-47 and had another prolific year with 14 goals.
Penzo joined Lazio in 1947 and stayed for three seasons. A strong, powerful, acrobatic centre forward, he was an excellent player. He played 91 games for Lazio and scored 36 goals.
After leaving Lazio he joined Fiorentina again but played very little. He later played for minor teams and quit football in 1955.
Romano Penzo died in Turin on June 22 1991.
- Rosario Di Vincenzo, 16-6-1941, goalkeeper, Italy, 102 appearances (1967-72)
- Fernando Muslera, 16-6-1986, goalkeeper, Uruguay, 113 appearances (2007-11)
- Luis Jimenez, 17-6-1984, midfielder, Chile, 16 appearances, 2 goals (2007)
- Claudio Lopez, 17-6-1974, forward, Argentina, 144 appearances, 40 goals (2000-04)
- Fabrizio Di Mauro, 18-6, 1965, midfielder, Italy, 25 appearances, 2 goals (1993-94)
- Adelmo Eufemi, 18-6-1935, defender, Italy, 132 appearances (1954-62)
- Alejandro Demaria, 19-6-1904, forward, Brazil, 103 appearances, 30 goals (1931-35)
- Norbert Hofling, 20-6-1924, forward, Romania, 73 appearances, 25 goals (1948-51)
- Guido Onor, 20-6-1948, defender, Italy, 15 appearances (1968-69)
- Franco Cordova, 21-6-1944, midfielder, Italy, 107 appearances, 3 goals (1976-78)
This Article Was Written by Dag Jenkins & Simon Basten from Lazio Stories. More Information on the Above Matches and Players can be found on LazioStories.com.
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Mets finally fix hole in outfield in trade with Orioles
Center field has been a glaring weakness in the New York Mets lineup this season. That is no longer the case after Thursday's trade. Anthony DiComo from MLB.com reported that the Mets have acquired outfielder Cedric Mullins from the Orioles. In exchange, pitching prospects Raimon Gomez, Anthony Nunez and Chandler Marsh are heading to Baltimore. Mullins gives the Mets another dynamic presence in the lineup. He had posted a .229/.305/.433 batting line in 355 plate appearances for the Orioles, hitting 15 homers and 19 doubles while stealing 14 bases. Mullins' overall numbers were torpedoed by a dreadful two month slump in April and May where he had a .169/.204/.338 batting line in 158 plate appearances. The Orioles receive a trio of intriguing pitching prospects highlighted by Nunez. The Mets' 14th-ranked prospect at the time of the trade, Nunez spent two seasons in the San Diego Padres' system as an infielder before going to Division II University of Tampa. A two-way player in 2024, he signed with the Mets as an undrafted free agent and has rapidly ascended through their system. Nunez has a solid arsenal highlighted by a plus sweeper and changeup, helping his cutter and mid-90s fastball play up. His command is a work in progress but he may have a future as a late-inning weapon in the Orioles bullpen. Gomez, the Mets' 30th-ranked prospect, has the type of velocity that few pitchers can match. His 80-grade fastball regularly sits in the triple digits and has been clocked as high as 104.5 mph. His plus slider can make opposing hitters look foolish, especially if they are gearing up for the fastball. Gomez has question marks — his command is questionable at best and he is coming off of a Tommy John surgery in 2023. Nonetheless, his pure stuff is the type that teams dream about. Marsh was unranked in the Mets system and is another relief prospect with a fastball/slider profile. His fastball sits in the mid-90s and he has a solid slider, however, both play down due to a lack of control.
Yankees continue to enhance bullpen with Jake Bird acquisition
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Yankees trading for Rockies' Jake Bird would be a mistake
The New York Yankees still have multiple holes to fill in their roster before MLB’s July 31 trade deadline. One of those holes is in the bullpen, as New York’s 4.38 relief squad ERA is good for the fifth highest in the American League. However, one of the main relievers Yankees GM Brian Cashman is targeting doesn’t appear to be much of an upgrade. Colorado Rockies RHP Jake Bird is reported to be at or near the top of the Yankees’ bullpen wishlist. A month or so ago, a glance at his stat line made the idea of New York acquiring him seem like a great idea. On June 21, the 29-year-old had a sterling 2.06 ERA. Entering play on Monday, that number has nearly doubled, up to 4.05. And that’s the type of pitcher Bird is. His career monthly ERA splits indicate he’s a middling reliever who pitches well at the beginning of the season and then tapers off by the end: April/March: 3.29 May: 2.92 June: 4.46 July: 8.31 August: 3.31 September/October: 5.21 One of the main problems with Bird is that he allows too many hits. He’s given up a few more hits than innings pitched in every season since he broke into the league in 2022, and he’s on pace to do the same in 2025. That’s not ideal for a reliever who often has to come in with runners on base. Bird’s issues aren’t a result of his notoriously hitter-friendly ballpark in Denver, either. Over his career, he’s pitched to a 4.60 ERA at home and a 4.20 ERA on the road. Also, some of his worst performances this year have come on the road, including a July 8 outing in Boston when he allowed five runs (four earned) on three hits and a walk in just a third of an inning. Maybe the Yankees see Bird as a guy they can help reach his full potential, like Fernando Cruz or Tim Hill, both of whom produced drastic ERA drops immediately upon donning pinstripes. What’s more likely, though, is that they view Bird as a decent player who they’ll have control over for the next three seasons. That kind of thinking is great for the bottom line. But it won’t bring the World Series trophy back to the Bronx.
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