Casteddu take deserved point back to island
Superb Giordano and impressive Cagliari result in a fair draw
The season so far
Lazio had finished a respectable 8th the previous season, under Roberto "Bob" Lovati. Bruno Giordano had been top Serie A scorer with 19 goals and 21 in total.
This year Lovati had kept his place. There were some changes to the squad. The main new signings were defender Filippo Citterio (Palermo), midfielders Maurizio Montesi (Avellino- back from loan), Vincenzo Zucchini (Pescara) and young forward Enrico Todesco (Como).
The players leaving were defenders Paolo Ammoniaci (Palermo), Pietro Ghedin (Pescara-on loan), Scudetto legend Gigi Martini (Chicago Sting), Andrea Agostinelli (Napoli-on loan), midfielders Roberto Badiani (Napoli-on loan), Franco Cordova (Avellino), Massimo de Stefanis (Palermo) and forward Aldo Cantarutti (Pisa).
On paper it looked as if Lazio had not come out strengthened by the transfer market, far from it.
So far, Lazio had played five league games and had won one (Fiorentina 2-0 at home), drawn three (Avellino 0-0 away, Perugia 1-1 at home and Ascoli 1-1 away) and lost one (Inter 1-2 away). Lazio were on 5 points.
In August and September, the Biancocelesti had got through the first Coppa Italia group phase against Matera 5-0, Brescia 2-0, Pistoiese 2-1 and Udinese 0-0. They would now play Torino home and away in November and January in the quarterfinals.
Cagliari were newly promoted. In 1978-79 the Sardinians finished 2nd in Serie B under manager and former player Mario Tiddia. Top scorer was Gigi Piras with 13 league goals.
This season the Sardinian manager had been confirmed. Important new signings were strikers Franco Selvaggi (future world champion-Taranto) and Massimo Briaschi (Vicenza). They had kept their best players: keeper Roberto Corti, defenders Mario Brugnera and Silvio Longobucco, midfielders Alberto Marchetti and Francesco Casagrande and forward Piras.
So far Cagliari were unbeaten, after four draws (Torino and Milan home, Napoli and Udinese away) and most recently a 1-0 home win against Catanzaro. The "Casteddu" were on 6 points.
In the summer in Coppa Italia they were eliminated after two wins (Vicenza 2-1, Taranto 2-1), a draw (Napoli 2-2 away) and a defeat Cesena 1-2 at home).
Today's game was "da tripla", open to any result.
The match: Sunday, October 21, 1979, Stadio Olimpico, Rome
A crowd of 40,000 came to the Olimpico on a pleasant October afternoon.
Lazio were without Vincenzo D'Amico injured while the Sardinians had no absences.
Cagliari curiously played in Lazio's second red kit, as their white shirts were considered too similar to the home side's light blue.
The early stages were very balanced with neither side on top. Cagliari had a Franco Selvaggi shot saved by Massimo Cacciatori while Lazio had several dangerous crosses.
Lazio however gradually grew into the game and scored in the 30th minute. A brilliant through ball by Nando Viola from inside his own half was ran onto by Bruno Giordano who anticipated the keeper and then slotted the ball into the empty goal with his left foot. Lazio 1 Cagliari 0.
A few minutes later a defensive error by Cagliari left Giordano unmarked just outside the area with only the keeper to beat, he was pulled down by his shirt by a defender but the referee incredibly gestured to play on.
Lionello Manfredonia then had a long range left-footed effort go just wide before Cagliari had a period of prevalence but always messed up the last pass or touch. Halftime score line Lazio 1 Cagliari 0.
A reasonably balanced first half but Giordano's superior quality making the difference so far.
At the beginning of the second half Manfredonia threatened again but his shot from the right side of the area flew over the bar. Then in the 48th minute Cagliari equalised. Selvaggi domesticated the ball about 30 metres out and gave it to Alberto Marchetti who stormed past two defenders, ran into the area and beat Cacciatori with a low left-footed finish, an excellent goal. Lazio 1 Cagliari 1.
From then on Cagliari showed why they had gone unbeaten so far. With a solid defence and well-organized midfield, they limited Lazio's chances to a couple of long range freekicks and a Maurizio Montesi shot which went wide from a favourable position.
It was in fact the Sardinians who almost stole it in the 89th minute on the break when Carlo Osellame, who had replaced Selvaggi, was put through by Piras and was one-on-one with Cacciatori but the Lazio keeper saved well with his left hand. Final score Lazio 1 Cagliari 1.
Lazio fans were disappointed and some whistles of disapproval could be heard from the stands. Apart from top class Giordano and good performances by Viola and Montesi, Lazio were poor and lacking in ideas and inventiveness. Hopefully the return of Vincenzo D'Amico in a couple of weeks would resolve some of their problems. Next up however was the derby.
Meanwhile, Cagliari had given an excellent impression. Well balanced, solid and dangerous on the break the Sardinians were a competitive side. Midfielders Casagrande and Marchetti in particular had stood out.
Who played for Lazio
Cacciatori, Tassotti, Citterio, Wilson, Manfredonia, Zucchini, Garlaschelli, Montesi, Giordano, Labonia, Viola
Manager: Lovati
Who played for Cagliari
Corti, Canestrari, Longobucco, Casagrande, Ciampoli, Brugnera, Gattelli, Bellini, Selvaggi (74' Osellame), Marchetti, Piras
Substitutes: Bravi, Melis
Manager: Tiddia
Referee: Panzino
Goals: 30' Giordano, 48' Marchetti
What happened next
Despite the mediocre performance, there were no particular signs on this pleasant October day but 1979-80 would turn out to be Lazio's "annus horribilis".
Firstly, a week later a Lazio fan, Vincenzo Paparelli, was killed inside the stadium before a local derby. A nautical flare was fired from the Roma end and, after having crossed the entire pitch, entered the Curva Nord tragically hitting 33- year-old and father of two Paparelli, in the eye. He died on the way to hospital. I came into the Curva soon after the event and hearing of the incident and sensing the inevitably sombre, tense atmosphere my father decided to take my brother and I home. A huge tragedy. The game went ahead to avoid further crowd trouble and ended in a 1-1 of convenience.
On the pitch things were not going too badly until disaster struck. By March Lazio were having an average season despite beating Juventus but then, on March 23, four Lazio players were arrested after a defeat at Pescara. The players were Giordano, Manfredonia, Pino Wilson and Cacciatori and they were accused of being involved in the "Totonero" (betting scandal). Lazio managed to avoid relegation thanks to Vincenzo D'Amico leading a team full of youth players to victory over Catanzaro but then Lazio were punished for their players' alleged involvement in the scandal and relegated anyway, along with Milan. Lazio won 5, drew 15 and lost 10.
In Coppa Italia Lazio were eliminated in the quarters by Torino on penalties. Top scorer was Giordano with 9 league goals.
Giordano and Manfredonia would not play again until 1982 and only because of the World Cup winning armistice. Lazio would spend three years in the purgatory of Serie B and only get promoted in 1982-83 (with the help of Giordano and Manfredonia).
Cagliari, on the other hand, had a good season. The islanders finished 7th. The Rossoblu went unbeaten until the 10th fixture (Juventus 0-1 away) and beat Napoli and Juventus at home and drew away 3-3 to eventual champions Inter. The return match at the Sant'Elia against Lazio also ended up 1-1. Cagliari's top scorer was Franco Selvaggi with 12 league goals.
The Scudetto was won by Inter for the 12th time. Pescara came rock bottom while Catanzaro and Udinese had their B line tickets cancelled and were replaced by Lazio and Milan due to the Totonero scandal.
Lazio 1979-80
Competition | Played | Won | Drawn | Lost | Goals Scored |
Serie A | 30 | 5 | 15 | 10 | 21 |
Coppa Italia | 6 | 3 | 3 | - | 9 |
Total | 36 | 8 | 18 | 10 | 30 |
Top five appearances
Player | Total | Serie A | Coppa Italia |
Citterio | 36 | 30 | 6 |
D'Amico | 33 | 28 | 5 |
Viola | 33 | 28 | 5 |
Tassotti | 32 | 27 | 5 |
Zucchini | 30 | 25 | 5 |
Cacciatori | 30 | 24 | 6 |
Top goal scorers
Player | Total | Serie A | Coppa Italia |
Giordano | 12 | 9 | 3 |
D'Amico | 5 | 4 | 1 |
Garlaschelli | 5 | 2 | 3 |
Zucchini | 5 | 4 | 1 |
Let's talk about Fernando Viola
Ferdinando Viola, known as Fernando or Nando, was born in Torrazza (Torino), on March 14, 1951.
He grew up in the Juventus youth academy and made his debut in 1971-72 playing 4 league matches, 2 in Coppa Italia and 3 in the UEFA Cup. The Bianconeri won the Scudetto under Czech manager Čestmír Vycpálek (Zdeněk Zeman's uncle).
In 1972-73 he played for Mantova on loan for a season in Serie B. The Virgiliani struggled and under three different managers - Renzo Uzzecchini, Willam Negri and then former Lazio player Alfredo Foni - and were relegated to C1. Viola played 35 league games with 2 goals and 4 in Coppa Italia.
In 1973 he returned to Juventus. Vycpálek was still manager and the "Old Lady" finished 2nd behind champions Lazio. The following year Carlo Parola was manager and Juventus won the Scudetto. In his two seasons in Turin, Viola played 17 league games with 1 goal (Napoli).
In 1975 he joined Cagliari. The manager was first Luis Suarez and then Mario Tidda but the "Casteddu" were relegated to Serie B. Viola played 28 league games with 3 goals plus 4 games in Coppa Italia.
In 1976 he joined Lazio. The manager was Brazilian Luis Vinicio and the Biancocelesti had a good season finishing 5th (UEFA Cup). Viola played 19 games with 2 goals (Verona, Fiorentina) and 3 games in Coppa Italia. Lazio won one derby and lost the other.
In 1977-78 he was loaned to Bologna. The managers were first Cesarino Cervellati and then Bruno Pesaola. The Felsinei finished 12th. Viola played 18 league games with 1 goal (Perugia) and 4 games in Coppa Italia. He played alongside past and future Lazio connections Franco Nanni, Stefano Chiodi and a young Giuliano Fiorini.
In 1978 he was back at Lazio. The manager was Bob Lovati and Lazio finished 8th. Viola played 13 league games and 2 in Coppa Italia. Lazio drew one derby and won the next 2-1, with a last-minute Aldo Nicoli goal.
The 1979-80 season was terrible for Lazio. First a fan, Vincenzo Paparelli, was killed by a flare shot from the Roma end before a derby and then in March four Lazio players were arrested in connection to the Totonero match fixing scandal. Lazio avoided relegation on the pitch but were then punished with relegation for their players' alleged involvement in the scandal. Viola had a good season with 28 league games and 5 in Coppa Italia but the season ended badly.
In 1980-81 he stayed on in Serie B under manager Ilario Castagner. Lazio narrowly missed out on promotion also due to a Stefano Chiodi penalty miss in the penultimate game. Viola played 37 league games with 7 goals (Rimini, Bari, Lecce, Pisa, Catania, Monza, Cesena) and 6 games in Coppa Italia.
The 1981-82 season was a depressing one for Lazio. Castagner was sacked after twenty games and replaced by Roberto Clagluna. Lazio finished 11th but at one point even risked relegation to Serie C. Viola played 24 league games with 3 goals (Brescia, Pistoiese, Rimini) and 4 games in Coppa Italia.
In 1982-83 he moved to Genoa in Serie A. Under future Lazio manager, Gigi Simoni, the "Grifone" (The Griffin) finished 12th, their best result was beating Juventus 1-0 at home. Viola played 22 league games with 1 goal (Catanzaro). In the squad were future Lazio, Silvano Martina and Giuliano Fiorini.
In 1983-84 he stayed with the Rossoblu but they were relegated to Serie B (Lazio stayed up due to having better results in the direct matches). Viola played 19 league games.
In 1984 he joined Barletta in C1. From a town famous for producing world famous sprinter Pietro Mennea, the "Furie Rosse" (The Red Furies) finished 8th. Under two different managers, first former Lazio 73-74 title winner Mario Facco, then Giovanni Meregalli and then Facco again, Viola played 32 league games with 3 goals.
Viola then ended his career playing a season in Subiaco near Rome at amateur level. He then retired at 35.
Viola was a midfielder. He was 1.74 metres and 77 kilos. He was extremely dynamic but also technical. He had good vision and was an inventive player, so good to watch. He could play in various midfield roles and had a powerful shot. He played 141 games for Lazio with 13 goals.
He was a cultured man and had degrees in Languages and Law. These off-field interests may have limited his success on the field as he was a very good and versatile player but his life, unlike some, was not only football. He was well liked by all for his pleasant and calm character.
Fernando Viola died tragically in a motorbike accident in Rome, on February 5, 2001. He was not yet 50. A tragic loss for the Lazio family.
Lazio Career
Season | Total appearances (goals) | Serie A | Serie B | Coppa Italia |
1976-77 | 22 (2) | 19 (2) | - | 3 |
1978-79 | 15 | 13 | - | 2 |
1979-80 | 33 | 28 | - | 5 |
1980-81 | 43 (7) | - | 37 (7) | 6 |
1981-82 | 28 (3) | - | 24 (3) | 4 |
Total | 141 (12) | 60 (2) | 61 (10) | 20 |
Sources
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