Need to get better than this
Lazio win thanks to an early Giordano penalty, but play very badly
Also on this day:
The season so far
The summer transfer window had seen Lazio very cautious. Not much money was available so Lazio did not do much. Lionello Manfredonia and Andrea Agostinelli refused to leave as did Vincenzo D‘Amico. The three players chosen by previous manager Luis Vinicio, Luigi Boccolini, Claudio Garella and Sergio Clerici changed jerseys. In goal it looked like scudetto hero Felice Pulici was going to come back but the deal fell through. Lazio’s new goalkeeper would be Massimo Cacciatori. New arrivals included Aldo Nicoli and Aldo Cantarutti plus Nando Viola who returned from a loan spell at Bologna.
In Coppa Italia Lazio topped their Group and reached the quarterfinals after beating Vicenza at home in a decisive match. They had to play Palermo and in the first leg they had drawn 0-0 away.
The Biancocelesti had started off well drawing at home with Juventus and winning in Avellino. But since then, they had collected just one win (albeit a spectacular 4-3 against Paolo Rossi’s Vicenza), three draws (including the derby) and two heavy losses against Inter and Fiorentina. Furthermore, they had not scored in the last three games.
Time for a change?
The match: Sunday, November 26, 1978, Stadio Olimpico, Rome
A dull, rainy afternoon in Rome. The 25,000 brave spectators were presented with an awful match which opened with a penalty for Lazio after nine minutes. Vincenzo D’Amico for Mauro Tassotti, ball to Bruno Giordano who tried to dribble past Francesco Guidolin in the box on the left. The Verona player fouled the centre-forward and for Rosario Lo Bello it was a penalty which Bruno-gol safely converted for the only goal of the match.
From then onwards, Lazio fell back and defended, hand, tooth and nail. Perhaps this attitude was a little misplaced seeing that Verona were bottom. But the Gialloblu, forced to attack, could have equalised a number of times. In the 30th minute Emiliano Mascetti shot over the crossbar and five minutes later, after a free kick taken quickly, Giuliano Musiello managed to beat Massimo Cacciatori but Pino Wilson saved on the line. In the 45th minute the referee sent Arcadio Spinozzi and Roberto Badiani off for an early shower. The Verona defender had hacked Totò Lopez, then forced off and substituted by Paolo Ammoniaci, and Badiani decided to take justice into his own hands.
With both teams down to ten men, Lazio moved back even further even if they could have scored in the second half with Renzo Garlaschelli but his volley from an extremely favourable position went wide. In the 50th minute Cacciatori saved on a Guidolin shot. In the 64th minute Musiello had a massive chance but the Lazio keeper parried, the ball went back to the Verona forward who tried another shot but Lionello Manfredonia managed to wall the shot into corner. In the 68th minute Mascetti took a free kick, Cacciatori got to the ball but dropped it, Lionello Massimelli went for the kill but the keeper saved into corner. Nicola D'Ottavio shaved the post a few times and Garlaschelli could have made it two for Lazio, but it would have been too much.
The Biancocelesti were very poor today and Verona would have deserved at least a point.
Who played for Lazio
Cacciatori, Tassotti, Martini, Wilson, Manfredonia, Cordova, Garlaschelli, Lopez (46’ Ammoniaci), Giordano, D’Amico, Badiani
Substitutes: Fantini, Cantarutti
Manager: Lovati
Who played for Verona
Superchi, Spinozzi, Antoniazzi (70' D'Ottavio), Esposito, Gentile, Negrisolo, Guidolin, Mascetti, Musiello, Massimelli, Bergamaschi
Substitutes: Pozzani, Guidotti.
Manager: Chiappella
Referee: Lo Bello
Goal: 9’ Giordano (pen)
What happened next
At the end of the first half of the fixture list Lazio were sixth with a UEFA Cup qualification still very possible. But they were not playing well.
Lazio finished 8th, better than the previous season, but not all that great. Just two points in the last five games meant that a UEFA Cup qualification became impossible, which was a pity, since Napoli, who came 6th, were only three points away. In Coppa Italia they lost the quarterfinal against Palermo after a penalty shootout.
Giordano was top scorer in Serie A with 19 goals (21 for the whole season) and, together with Cacciatori, the player with most appearances (36).
Let's talk about Bruno Fantini
Bruno Fantini was born in Gorizia on October 6, 1957. He started playing football in his hometown club and debuted professionally in Serie D in the 1974-75 season. In 1976 he signed for Modena in Serie B and in two years made 21 appearances.
In the summer of 1978 Lazio were looking for a backup goalkeeper and set their eyes on him. He arrived but during the course of the season he played just two minutes in the game against Fiorentina on February 18, 1979. It would be his only Serie A appearance.
In the following season he was back at Modena who by now were in C2. That year the Canarini got promoted to the third tier. He then played a year at Campobasso in C1, two with Bari in Serie B, one as backup keeper with Prato in C1 followed by two years with Venezia in the fourth tier. His last three years of professional football were with Cosenza (winning a promotion to Serie B) and Reggiana.
Once he stopped playing, he became a goalkeeper coach and had a very long career. From 1992 to 1998 he was with Modena and then five years at Cosenza before returning to Modena for another two seasons. He then coached the keepers for Parma, Modena for his third stint, Ancona, Triestina and Albinoleffe. In his long career he worked with many important managers such as Stefano Pioli, Massimo Oddo, Emiliano Mondonico and Ferruccio Mazzola, just to name a few.
He is currently retired.
Lazio career
Season | Serie A |
1978-79 | 1 |
Sources
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