Strange manoeuvres

Simon Basten
May 6, 2024
3 min read

Season 1972-73

Game 28, Serie A

Sunday, May 6, 1973

Stadio Comunale, Bologna

Bologna Lazio 1-1

Despite the referee and a money prize promised by the club in case they beat the Biancocelesti, Lazio managed to avoid defeat at Bologna and keep their scudetto dream intact

The Biancocelesti started badly in Coppa Italia losing three games out of four and were eliminated. But in Serie A it was another story. Lazio were second, just one point behind Milan and one point ahead of Juventus with three games to go. The Scudetto was certainly a possibility.

The match

The Emilians already created a danger for Felice Pulici in the very first minute today, with a headed deflection by Beppe Savoldi that went wide. Lazio immediately turned the situation around with a counterattack in the 5th minute by Franco Nanni, then with a shot by Giorgio Chinaglia just off target. Bologna again dangerous in the 15th minute when Pulici mistimed a cross and found himself in no man’s land but Gigi Martini managed to neutralise the Pierino Ghetti shot.

As the minutes passed, Tommaso Maestrelli’s men took control, eventually pinning their opponents in their own half. There was a dangerous move by Martini, then Chinaglia (a first-time cross from Nanni, parried somewhat awkwardly by Amos Adani) missed an easy goal by blasting over the bar. Then came another careless attempt by Renzo Garlaschelli, a head-to-head clash between Chinaglia and Tazio Roversi, and then — preceded by a powerful shot from Roberto Vieri that forced Pulici into a flying save onto the post — Bologna’s goal. A low pass from Giacomo Bulgarelli to Savoldi found the Lazio defence spread too thin; the striker controlled the ball and fired a low left-footed shot, with Pulici screened by a teammate.

At the start of the second half, also driven by the partial score from Turin, Lazio went on the attack and equalised in the 50th minute with a wonderful move. A through ball from the advancing Pino Wilson found Nanni, who exchanged passes with Chinaglia; Long John returned the ball with a backheel into an inviting corridor, followed by a running strike that sent the ball under the crossbar.

Bologna’s response peaked in the 65th minute when Savoldi controlled a long cross from Ivan Gregori between his knees and arms and beat Pulici. However, the referee intervened just a moment before the striker’s shot, calling the irregularity, and in any case the linesman already had his flag raised on the touchline.

The quality of play then declined somewhat, and Bologna’s protests after Savoldi’s disallowed goal — culminating in an open clash between Bulgarelli and Mario Frustalupi — made tempers flare. In the 83rd minute, following an overhead kick by Chinaglia, Adani first cleared the ball awkwardly and then clearly obstructed Garlaschelli, who was trying to control it for a rebound into the net. Undeterred, Lazio kept pressing in attack and nearly scored in the final minute. Vittorio Caporale made a desperate save on a shot by Pierpaolo Manservisi.

Maestrelli was not happy with the referee and showed all his frustration at the end of the match. Nor was he happy with Bologna and found it strange that the club had decided to give the players a money prize in case of victory, just for this game …

Who played for Bologna

Adani, Roversi, Fedele, Caporale, Cresci, Gregori, Ghetti, Vieri R., Savoldi, Bulgarelli, Novellini

Substitutes: Battara, Liguori F.

Manager: Pesaola

Who played for Lazio

Pulici F., Polentes, Martini L., Wilson, Oddi, Nanni, Garlaschelli, Re Cecconi, Chinaglia, Frustalupi, Manservisi