Sixth consecutive win
A Vella goal gave the Biancocelesti their sixth win in a row
Also on this day:
The season so far
The previous season had been rather disastrous. There was a new Presidency with Gian Casoni and there were promotion ambitions but the team did not live up to the expectations. It was so bad that the Biancocelesti needed a Vincenzo D’Amico hat trick to beat Varese coming from behind in the final game at the Olimpico to avoid Serie C.
This year the situation was completely different. Italy had won the World Cup and the Federation took two years off the suspensions for all the players involved in the match fixing scandal of 1980. As a consequence, Lazio stars Bruno Giordano and Lionello Manfredonia were available to play. The two, feeling guilty over what had happened, even if they probably did not do that much to be given such long sentences (three years and six months), had sworn that if they did come back to play, their first objective was to get Lazio back to Serie A. So, at least for moment, they were staying.
There was a massive coming and going in the summer transfer window. The club said goodbye to scudetto heroes Felice Pulici (retired) and Renzo Garlaschelli (Pavia) plus Giorgio Mastropasqua (Catania), Dario Pighin (Taranto), Alberto Bigon (Vicenza), Dario Sanguin (Perugia), Nando Viola (Genoa), Walter Speggiorin (Massese), Dario Marigo (Perugia). New arrivals were Fernando Orsi (Parma), Renato Miele (Catania), Gabriele Podavini (Brescia), Roberto Tavola (Juventus), Enrico Vella (Catania), Claudio Ambu (Perugia) plus the return from last year’s loans of Carlo Perrone and Stefano Chiodi.
The manager was Roberto Clagluna. He had substituted Ilario Castagner half way through the previous season and had been confirmed.
The season opened with the Coppa Italia and Lazio did not make it to the next round. They lost against Avellino and Napoli and were unable to beat Atalanta at home so they arrived third by just one point.
In campionato the Biancocelesti started slowly with three draws but then made a few changes in the next game allowing the team to improve. Against Sambenedettese, Orsi substituted Maurizio Moscatelli, who was not performing well since his return to football after breaking his Achilles tendon, Renato Miele was placed at the centre of the defence and Marco Saltarelli was introduced as new left-back. Lazio won 1-0 as they did in the following game at home with Cremonese. After a defeat at Bologna, Manfredonia was moved to midfield and the Biancocelesti blossomed. They won five games in a row and were now first, with a one point lead over Milan.
The match: Sunday, November 28, 1982, Stadio Comunale, Pistoia
Lazio had won five games on the trot and were looking for number six. Thousands of fans travelled to Tuscany hoping to witness the event (us included) on a rather wet and gloomy day. Three quarters of the stadium was modern, the segment for the away supporters dated 1066.
Pistoiese started a little distracted and not so defensive, so Lazio immediately took advantage. In the 7th minute Marco Masi was dispossessed by Enrico Vella who ran towards the penalty area and just outside sent a perfect ball into the low left-hand corner for his first goal in the Biancoceleste jersey.
In the 10th minute Lionello Manfredonia was clearly fouled in the box, but not for the referee. In the 25th Bruno Giordano dribbled past a couple of players but once in front of Astutilio Malgioglio seemed too sure of himself and the keeper managed to parry. The ball went up in the air, Giordano tried a volley which went on the wrong side of the net. In the 44th minute again Bruno-gol found himself in front of the keeper thanks to a Claudio Ambu assist but was not able to angle the shot and Malgioglio saved.
The home side tried their best in the first half but were never dangerous. But in the second, Lazio pulled too far back and the Tuscans advanced. At this point Nando Orsi saved the game for the Biancocelesti with a number of incredible saves particularly in the 83rd minute when he anticipated Luciano Facchini and a few minutes later on a Francesco Vincenzi header which he managed to get a hand to and Vincenzo D’Amico then cleared on the line.
Sixth consecutive win and Orsi had not conceded a goal in the last 544 minutes.
Who played for Pistoiese
Malgioglio, Tendi (46' O.Di Stefano), Lucarelli, Borgo, Ceramicola, Parlanti, F.Vincenzi, Rognoni, Garritano, Masi (65' Facchini), Piraccini
Substitutes: Grassi, Ghedin, Frigerio
Manager: Riccomini
Who played for Lazio
Orsi, Podavini, Saltarelli, Vella, Miele, Pochesci, Ambu (81’ Chiodi), Manfredonia, Giordano, D’Amico, De Nadai
Manager: Clagluna
Referee: Falzier
Goal: 7’ Vella
What happened next
The consecutive wins ended at seven with a draw at Reggiana and before the big match against Milan at the Olimpico they were solitary league leaders with a two-point lead on the Rossoneri. Lazio drew 2-2 in a spectacular game and Serie A looked just around the corner.
But in 1983 things went south. In the 19 games from the start of the year Lazio won only three. The Biancocelesti went into a long psychological and technical crisis. They had difficulties in scoring because they were not creating chances. Clagluna could not figure out a solution. In April Lazio dismally drew 0-0 three times, lost at home against Pistoiese and away to Varese.
The match against Reggiana on May 8 was fundamental. Serie A was slipping away. Lazio scored three times with Giordano but were unable to secure victory. Clagluna had to go in order to create a spark that could help Lazio get over the line. Old Lazio glory Giancarlo Morrone, who was managing the Primavera team, was called in to help create that spark. The next match things precipitated even further and Lazio lost 5-1 to Milan.
On Sunday May 22, Lazio fans woke up with heavy hearts. But when they went to buy their newspapers they discovered that Giorgio Chinaglia wanted to buy Lazio. The enthusiasm that this news generated brought 55,000 people to Lazio Atalanta, a decisive game, and lifted the team to victory.
After a goalless draw at Arezzo the following Sunday came the mother of all games for Lazio at home against Catania. A win meant that only a point would then be needed to get promoted. And win it was thanks to a shot from Podavini deflected by Mastropasqua that made it 2-1. The last game against Cavese finished 2-2 and Lazio were finally in Serie A after three years.
Let's talk about Enrico Vella
Enrico Vella is one of those players who, although he played just a season plus a few months for Lazio, is remembered with great affection by all Lazio fans.
Born in Genoa on September 18, 1957, Vella played most of his youth career for hometown Genoa but started as a professional playing in Serie D for Sestri Levante in the 1976-77 season.
The next year he moved to nearby Sanremese where in three years he was one of the protagonists in the two-tier jump from Serie D to Serie C1. In 1980 he signed for Sampdoria for a year in Serie B and the year after he moved to Sicily and played for Catania.
In 1982 he signed for Lazio. He became an immediate fan favourite. His generosity on the pitch had no rivals and for the Laziali it was love at first sight. He was usually in charge of man marking the opponent’s playmaker, but this did not stop him from scoring. In the 1982-83 season he scored some extremely vital goals for Lazio such as at Pistoia and Perugia. Lazio got promoted back to Serie A, and he was one of the protagonists.
In the 1983-84 season he finally debuted in Serie A in Verona on September 11 but after five games he was sold to Atalanta. He had a fallout with the manager Giancarlo Morrone and asked Giorgio Chinaglia for a transfer.
At Bergamo he played for two seasons and in 1985 he signed for Palermo. Unfortunately, during his medical, the doctors found he had a ventricular arrhythmia. He had to stop playing for a few months, and once he was cured, he continued with Atalanta. His last season as a pro was with Arezzo in 1986-87. He continued to play at lower levels until 39 years of age with various teams in Liguria, often as player-manager. Once he stopped playing, he continued as manager for clubs in the regional categories.
Vella played 52 games for Lazio: 5 in Serie A, 38 in Serie B and 9 in Coppa Italia. He scored six goals for the Biancocelesti, 5 in Serie B and one in Coppa Italia
The Lazio fans have never forgotten him. He received a Prize from a Lazio journal in 1983 for his “Lazialità” and in a Corriere dello Sport poll at the time he was voted second favourite player behind Bruno Giordano, and to this day we can safely define him as a Lazio hero.
Lazio Career
Season | Total appearances (goals) | Serie A | Serie B | Coppa Italia |
1982-83 | 42 (5) | - | 38 (5) | 4 |
Aug-Oct 1983 | 10 (1) | 5 | - | 5 (1) |
Total | 52 (6) | 5 | 38 (5) | 9 (1) |
Sources
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