Vella remedies defensive blushes

Dag Jenkins
Feb 13, 2023
4 min read

Season 1982-83

Game 21, Serie B

Sunday, February 13, 1983

Stadio Olimpico, Rome

Lazio Como 2-2

Lazio go up but are let down by hesitations in defence before Vella clinches decent point against promotion rivals

Ticket owned by Dag Jenkins, photo by Dag Jenkins

In the league Lazio got off to a slow start (3 draws) but then started winning games (6 consecutive between 7th and 13th fixtures). Lazio had then drawn the big match against Milan 2-2 at home (D'Amico 90th minute equaliser), won another (Arezzo 2-0 at home) and drawn 3 (Atalanta, Catania away and Cavese at home, all 1-1). In the most recent match however Lazio had fallen to a bad 0-1 defeat at Campobasso. Lazio were currently joint top of the table with Milan on 28 points.

Como were in 4th place, on 25 points. They had won 7 (including Milan 1-0 at home), drawn 11 (including Lazio 0-0) and lost 2. They came from two consecutive wins, were unbeaten in five and had not lost away since the opener on September 12.

An important promotion clash today, the table read: Milan 28, Lazio 28, Cavese 26, Como 25, Cremonese 24, Catania 24. Another important game was Milan vs Catania.

The match

A dark and cold afternoon saw about 25,000 gather at the Olimpico.

Lazio had the whole squad available while Como were missing defenders Moreno Mannini and Livio Pin plus forward Gianfranco Cinelli.

The game started promisingly for Lazio as they went ahead early on. In the 8th minute Enrico Vella's effort was not held on to by Giuliani and Bruno Giordano pounced and cleverly chipped the keeper, 1-0.

Lazio were now theoretically in the ideal tactical situation but the lead nevertheless did not last long. In the 11th minute Marco Nicoletti put a seemingly innocuous cross in from the left but the Lazio defence and in particular Carlo Perrone were day dreaming and the ball reached Roberto Galia on the far post and his far from unstoppable close-range shot found its way in past a hesitant Nando Orsi, 1-1.

Como with a few passes arrived easily to the Lazio area and in the 20th minute Orsi had to block a Massimo Palanca effort.

In the 23rd minute however, Lazio almost took back the lead when a brilliant Bruno Giordano long range shot hit the crossbar. In the same minute Gabriele Podavini strained a muscle and hobbled off, replaced by Roberto Tavola.

Lazio's defensive deficiencies continued in the 24th minute. In the heart of the area Nicoletti was given time and space by Renato Miele to control the ball, turn and place a low shot past Orsi, 1-2.

The injury to Podavini apart from putting the defence in immediate disarray also forced Lazio to change some of the markings in midfield.

From now on Lazio attacked but only produced a shot on goal in the 39th minute when Roberto Badiani's effort was parried away with open hands by Giuliani.

For the second half the Bianocelesti took off Claudio Ambu and put on a more out and out striker, Stefano Chiodi.

The former Milan forward was then involved in Lazio's equaliser but as an assist man. In the 55th minute after some confusion, and various ricochets to the left of the area, Chiodi pushed the ball to Enrico Vella who curled a wonderful shot into the far-right corner, 2-2.

In the 60th minute the visitors took off forward Massimo Palanca and put on midfielder Giuseppe Maria Butti.

More than half an hour to go for the winner but Lazio showed their current limits and went flat. Their key players looked tired and the Biancocelesti struggled to create any dangers to Como who were reasonably pleased with a point.

In the 83rd minute Lazio had a penalty appeal when Antonio Tempestilli appeared to push Giordano in the box but not for the referee.

Both sides had one real chance each to win it but in the 84th minute Silvano Fontolan's header went wide as did Lionello Manfredonia's seemingly easy one in the 87th.

The game finished 2-2 and was a fair result in the end. Lazio had shown worrying defensive weaknesses and tiredness in some important players such as Manfredonia and D'Amico. A point was not bad but the signs were not promising.

Como had proved to be solid promotion candidates and would probably have a say in the final rush.

The table now read: Milan 29, Lazio 29, Como 26, Cremonese 26, Cavese 26, Catania 26. The other big match Milan vs Catania had also ended in a draw, 0-0, while Cremonese had won and Cavese lost.

Who played for Lazio

Orsi, Podavini (23' Tavola), Saltarelli, Vella, Miele, Perrone, Ambu (46' Chiodi), Manfredonia, Giordano, D'Amico, Badiani