December 10, 1978: Lazio Bologna 1-0
- Simon Basten
- 3 days ago
- 6 min read
Wilson to the rescue
The Lazio captain gives two very precious points to the Biancoceleste cause
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.
In Serie A after ten games Lazio were tenth on ten points. Not exactly what was hoped for before the season. After a good start (draw with Juventus at home and win at Avellino), they had beaten Vicenza and Verona, drawn the derby and lost heavily against Fiorentina, Inter and Catanzaro. Time for a much-needed win.
The match: Sunday, December 10, 1978, Stadio Olimpico, Rome
The first 45 minutes of the game precisely depicted the current situation at Lazio. A team confused, lacking that spark which could hold the whole game together, way too flamboyant in the decision making. Not the spirit needed in the current situation.
Bologna did not do much the entire game. Only in the 3rd minute did Antonio Bordon give Massimo Cacciatori some work with a shot from outside the box but otherwise the Lazio goalkeeper was fairly undisturbed. The Biancocelesti did have their chances in the first half but squandered them all. Like for example when on a Vincenzo D’Amico corner kick in the 24th minute Bruno Giordano missed the ball completely from a very favourable position, or when Aldo Nicoli was unable to make the decisive pass with the Bologna goalkeeper out of action, or when Pino Wilson in the 42nd minute was unable to get a decent touch on an open goal opportunity.
In the second half, Lazio were much better. Renzo Garlaschelli, in the 58th minute after a great Giordano assist, missed the target and two minutes later Maurizio Memo blocked a long range shot from the Lazio centre-forward. Then Bologna manager Bruno Pesaola gave the Biancocelesti a hand taking off Bordon and substituting him with midfielder Ennio Mastalli. This allowed Wilson to move forward and with the entry of Antonio Lopez for injured Nicoli, the Biancocelesti had a thinker in midfield. Lazio scored in the 77th minute. Lopez to Garlaschelli surrounded by Bologna defenders. He did not control the ball properly, but his mistake became a great assist to Wilson who alone in front of Memo made no mistake.
Bologna did not have the strength to overturn the result and Lazio got the win. There is however a lot of room for a much-needed improvement.
Who played for Lazio
Cacciatori, Ammoniaci, Tassotti, Wilson, Manfredonia, Cordova, Garlaschelli, Martini, Giordano, Nicoli (68’ A.Lopez), D’Amico
Substitutes: Fantini, Cantarutti
Manager: Lovati
Who played for Bologna
Memo, Roversi, Sali, Bellugi, Bachlechner, Maselli, Tagliaferri, Paris, Bordon (64' Mastalli), Castronaro, Vincenzi
Substitutes: Zinetti, Garuti
Manager: Pesaola
Referee: Barbaresco
Goal: 77’ Wilson
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 Pesaola
Bruno Pesaola was born in Buenos Aires in 1925 to a family of Italian emigrants growing up in a football culture that prized flair, street-honed creativity and a deep sense of play. He started his career with River Plate, though he never broke fully into the first team. He then went on to play for Almagro and from 1944 to 1946 with Dock Sud managing to make it to the first eleven even if the club was last in the Argentinian League.
With post-war Italy rebuilding, the 18-year-old winger accepted an offer to move to the country of his family origin. In 1947, he signed for Roma, beginning a long and profound connection with Italian football. In his first season he scored 11 goals in 38 appearances, 8 in his second in 35 games. His third season was marred by two serious injuries. Dejected he went on loan to Novara and played alongside Silvio Piola who convinced him not to go back to Argentina and to stay in Italy. He stayed two years in Piedmont, both in Serie A, playing 64 league games and scoring 15 goals. Unable to go back to Roma because by that time they had been relegated, he signed for Napoli. Here he found a true home. He quickly won over supporters with his technique, bravery on the ball and instinctive understanding of the city’s exuberant football culture.
Over seven seasons, he made 240 league appearances, scoring decisive goals and forging a bond with supporters that would endure long after his retirement. Despite Napoli’s fluctuating fortunes during those years, Pesaola remained a constant: a player who represented both the artistry and resilience of the club.
In 1960 he was forced to leave Naples due to conflicts with the manager Amedeo Amadei, and he signed with Genoa in Serie B, contributing to saving the club from relegation. His last professional year was with Scafatese as player-manager.
Pesaola played one game for the Italian national team and six with the B squad.
Once he stopped playing, Pesaola became a manager. In January 1962, with Napoli in Serie B he took over from Fioravante Baldi and not only led Napoli to promotion but also won the Coppa Italia, the first silverware of the club and the first Serie B team to do so. His second season was less fortunate and the Partenopei were relegated. After a brief period with Campania, in 1964 he went back to Napoli, took them back into Serie A, won an Alps Cup in 1966 and reached second place in 1967-68.
In the next season he became head coach for Fiorentina and immediately won the scudetto. He stayed two more years before being sacked in 1971.
In 1972 he became head coach for Bologna and he stayed four years winning a Coppa Italia. In 1976-77 he returned to Napoli winning the Anglo-Italian League Cup. Back in Bologna from 1977 to 1979, he was then head coach for Panathinaikos and Siracusa. In 1982 he went back to Napoli to help them out as they were in troubled waters avoiding relegation. His last managerial job was for Campania in 1984-85.
Pesaola believed that football should be expressive but structured, poetic yet disciplined. His teams played with width, invention and collective rhythm — qualities that made them admired throughout Italy.
He was also known for his warm personality, quick humour and ability to connect with players across cultures and generations. For many who worked under him, he was a mentor as much as a tactician.
Though he held various technical and ambassadorial roles in his later life, Pesaola remained above all a beloved elder statesman of Neapolitan football. He lived in the city for decades, often appearing at club events, youth academies and local community gatherings.
He died in Naples on May 29, 2015
Bruno Pesaola’s legacy endures in the stories told by supporters, the tactical ideas he helped pioneer and the generations of players shaped by his influence. To the footballing world he was a gifted winger and title-winning coach. To Naples, he was something more enduring: a symbol of loyalty, artistry and the shared spirit between a club and its people.
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