De Na-day
The Lazio midfielder De Nadai first scores an own goal and then equalises
Also on this day:
The season so far
Lazio had an unlucky 80-81 season under Ilario Castagner. They finished 4th narrowly missing out on promotion. A missed penalty in the penultimate game condemned them to at least another season in the "purgatory" of Serie B.
Ilario Castagner had been confirmed as manager, but several new players had come in, as well as some back from loan periods. Fan favourite Vincenzo D'Amico had returned from his year at Torino, as had Stefano Ferretti from Empoli and Roberto Badiani from Pistoiese. Lazio had also bought defender Vincenzo Chiarenza (Taranto), midfielder Michele De Nadai (a rare signing from rivals Roma) and forwards Walter Speggiorin (Napoli) and Claudio Vagheggi (L.R Vicenza).
Leaving Lazio were defenders Filippo Citterio (Napoli) and Pietro Ghedin (Pistoiese), midfielder Giuseppe Greco (Ascoli) and forward Stefano Chiodi (Bologna on loan).
Lazio had got off to a sluggish start with 1 point in the first 3 games (0-0 with Sambenedettese) but then picked up with 3 consecutive wins. Since then they had been inconsistent with 4 wins, 5 draws and 4 defeats. A week earlier Lazio had lost 0-3 at home to Palermo and Castagner had been sacked. The new manager was Roberto Clagluna from the U19s team.
The Biancocelesti were currently joint 9th with Bari, on 20 points. The A zone however was still only three points away but the C zone was only four the other way.
In Coppa Italia, in August-September, the Biancocelesti had lost 3 (Reggina 1-1 but then 0-2 for an object hitting a visiting player, Udinese 1-2 and Pisa 0-2, both away) and drawn 1 (Bologna 1-1 at home) and were out.
Sambenedettese were newly promoted. The Rossoblu had finished 2nd in C1 under manager Nedo Sonetti. The top scorer was Fabiano Speggiorin with 8 goals.
This season Sonetti was still in charge. The main new signings were: defenders Franco Falcetta (Taranto), Giancarlo Petrangeli (Livorno), midfielder Massimo Pedrazzini (Ternana) plus forwards Giorgio Ferrara (Francavilla) and Vanni Moscon (Cavese, via Rende).
Leaving were: keeper Antonio Pigino (Cavese), midfielder Giancarlo Ceccarelli (Rende) and forward Marco Romiti (Maceratese).
Samb were currently 13th, on 18 points, two points from the drop zone. The Rossoblu had won 6, drawn 6 (including Lazio 0-0) and lost 7. Their most recent game had been a 1-0 away win against Pescara.
A balanced game was expected today. Neither team could afford to lose and it was one of the last calls for Lazio if they wanted to join the promotion race. It was also Clagluna's debut.
The match: Sunday, February 7, 1982, Stadio Olimpico, Rome
A grey day with occasional rays of sun saw about 20,000 gather at the Olimpico.
Lazio were without Vincenzo D'Amico suspended after being sent off against Palermo while Sambenedettese were missing defenders Antonio Bogoni (he would unfortunately cross Lazio's path in 1983-84...) and forward Santo Perrotta.
Clagluna on his debut placed Michele De Nadai and Roberto Badiani wider on the wings and left Alberto Bigon and Fernando Viola in the middle. He did not have many options and had to do with the usual players apart from D'Amico.
In the early stages it became clear it would not be an easy afternoon. The visitors closed down all the spaces efficiently, Bruno Ranieri and Fabiano Speggiorin ran more than the whole Lazio team put together and Walter Speggiorin (Fabiano's cousin) was practically handcuffed by his marker Giancarlo Petrangeli.
The Lazio striker's only chance came in the 17th minute on a long range shot but it was off target.
Sambenedettese meanwhile threatened with Vanni Moscon who found space inside the area on the left but his inviting low cross was just missed by Franco Caccia who was a fraction late on his goal hunt.
In the 27th minute Moscon was forced off injured and on came Franco Falcetta. Falcetta, a full-back, took charge of a lively Claudio Vagheggi while Marco Rossinelli moved forward to midfield.
Three minutes later the Rossoblu from le Marche took the lead. It was unfortunate for Lazio as it was De Nadai, stretching to clear the ball with his left foot on a Schiavi cross, who put it into his own net. Lazio 0 Sambenedettese 1.
Lazio, despite having already lost three times at home, had the merit not to let their heads drop and pushed forward.
In the 38th minute Samb lost another player to physical problems as midfielder Michele Colasanto hobbled off and was replaced by Massimo Pedrazzini.
Two minutes later Lazio equalised. De Nadai went down the left wing but was blocked irregularly by both Ranieri and Schiavi. Viola floated the freekick into the area where De Nadai redeemed himself by beating Walter Zenga with a left-footed touch. Lazio 1 Sambenedettese 1.
Half time came with the score level and having found the equalised just before the break a Lazio onslaught was expected in the second half.
The siege however never materialised. Lazio attacked but with too much caution. They kept three defenders on Caccia despite the fact he was Samb's only striker and the visitors were clearly settling for a point.
A big chance for Lazio came in the 59th minute but Viola's effort was cleared off the goal line by Falcetta.
In the 75th minute Lazio put on talented young attacking midfielder Stefano Ferretti, but also took off Viola who had been one of the more creative players.
Lazio continued to attack but without the fierce determination necessary.
In the 88th minute Samb were reduced to ten men as Italo Schiavi committed his second bookable offence and was off.
Lazio had a last few desperate attacks. The most dangerous was set up by Vincenzo Chiarenza but his good move was wasted by Speggiorin and Giorgio Mastropasqua who lacked the lucidity to finish it off. Final score Lazio 1 Sambenedettese 1.
All in all, a disappointing afternoon. Lazio had not played badly but seemed to lack confidence and determination. The new manager was too cautious especially in the second half when a more offensive approach was needed.
Lazio at least moved up to joint 8th with Palermo, Cavese and Pistoiese on 21 points but the A zone was now four points away (Catania on 25) while the C zone was still four the other way.
Sambenedettese were now joint 12th with Foggia on 19, still with a two-point cushion on the Serie C slots.
Who played for Lazio
Pulici, Spinozzi, Chiarenza, Mastropasqua, Pochesci, Badiani, Vagheggi, Bigon, W.Speggiorin, De Nadai, Viola (75' Ferretti)
Substitutes: Marigo, Pighin, Sanguin, Garlaschelli
Manager: Clagluna
Who played for Sambenedettese
Zenga, Petrangeli, Rossinelli, Cavazzini, Cagni, Schiavi, Caccia, F. Speggiorin, Moscon (27' Falcetta), Ranieri, Colasanto (38' Pedrazzini)
Substitutes: Deogratias, D'Angelo, Garbuglia
Manager: Sonetti
Referee: Tani
Goals: 30' De Nadai (og), 40' De Nadai
Red card: 88' Schiavi (S)
What happened next
Lazio continued to struggle and finished 11th, on 37 points. Between March 28 and May 2, they went four games without scoring a single goal (in 4 goalless draws). At a certain point they even risked relegation but a Vincenzo D'Amico hat-trick in a 3-2 home win against Varese ultimately got them out of trouble. Top scorer was D'Amico with 10 league goals.
A terrible season but to be fair the club was in financial difficulty and the players went months with unpaid or late wages. A shamble at all levels.
Sambenedettese finished 8th, on 38 points. In the remaining games they won 5, drew 9 and lost 4. Top scorer was Franco Caccia with 7 league goals.
The three promoted teams were Verona (champions), Sampdoria and Pisa. Serie C awaited Pescara, SPAL, Brescia and Rimini, it was a very tight battle with only two points separating 17th placed Rimini and 8th placed Sambenedettese.
Let's talk about Michele De Nadai
Michele De Nadai was born in Milan on September 8, 1954. He started his career playing in the Milan youth teams and in 1973 was sent to Lecco in Serie C to gain experience. He stayed there two years before going back to Milan. He was part of the squad for the entire 1975-76 season but got very little playing time. He did however make his Serie A debut against Cesena on May 2, 1976 and scored the winning goal. He played another four times in Coppa Italia.
In 1976-77 he was sold to Monza in Serie B. The team did very well and finished 5th, just missing out on promotion. De Nadai played 30 league games and scored 1 goal.
A year later he signed for Roma. He stayed with the Giallorossi for four years with 99 appearances and 3 goals. He won the Coppa Italia twice (1979-80 and 1980-81) but in his last year he played a lot less (12) so come 1981-82 it was time for a change.
Lazio had terrible financial problems so Roma President Dino Viola, probably because he was interested in signing Giordano and Manfredonia, decided to help. De Nadai signed for the Biancocelesti and Carlo Perrone went the other way.
1981-82 was not a good season for Lazio. The Biancocelesti finished 11th but De Nadai was one of the few positives, appearing in 37 games with 5 goals.
For the 1982-83 season, with the return of Giordano and Manfredonia, Lazio were very optimistic and in the first half the Biancocelesti did very well. But in the second half of the season they went into psychological difficulty and ran into problems. This cost manager Clagluna his job and he was replaced by Giancarlo Morrone. In the last four games Lazio won two and drew two and secured promotion after three years. Unfortunately, De Nadai missed most of the second part of the season due to a serious knee injury in the game at Monza in February. He played 15 league games with 1 goal.
In 1983 he signed for Pistoiese in Serie B. The "Olandesina" finished 18th and relegated while De Nadai played 25 league games with 2 goals.
The last two years of his career he played at Salerno in Serie C1. The Granata finished 4th and 5th while De Nadai played 51 league games.
Once he stopped playing he tried a managerial career and was head coach for Latina in 1987-88 and Ostia Mare in 1990-91. After these experiences he retired from football.
De Nadai was a midfielder but he could also play at left fullback. He was a dynamic, hardworking player with an excellent left footed shot.
Michele De Nadai gave a good contribution in his stay at Lazio and it was a pity he could not contribute more in his second year. He appeared in 57 games (48 in Serie B and 9 in Coppa Italia) with seven goals (5 in Serie B and 2 in Coppa Italia).
Lazio Career
Season | Total appearances (goals) | Serie B | Coppa Italia |
1981-82 | 37 (4) | 33 (4) | 4 |
1982-83 | 20 (2) | 15 (1) | 5 (1) |
Total | 57 (6) | 48 (5) | 9 (2) |
Sources
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