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  • Writer's pictureSimon Basten
    • May 2
    • 6 min read

May 2, 1982: Pescara Lazio 1-2

Vagheggi sinks Pescara

 

A Vagheggi brace gives Lazio a much needed away win



Ticket owned by Dag Jenkins, photo by Dag Jenkins

The season so far

 

The previous season Lazio had gone agonisingly close to an immediate promotion to Serie A. A missed penalty in the penultimate match had condemned the Biancocelesti to another year of Serie B.

 

Lazio had changed ownership and Gian Casoni was the new president. There was not a lot of money so the club was forced to sell a few of the best players, Filippo Citterio and Giuseppe Greco plus promising youngster Lorenzo Marronaro. The transfer window saw the return of scudetto heroes Felice Pulici and Vincenzo D’Amico plus Roberto Badiani. Also signed were Walter Speggiorin, Vincenzo Chiarenza and Claudio Vagheggi. There was a surprise deal with Roma which saw Michele De Nadai and Carlo Perrone swap sides of the Tiber. Manager Ilario Castagner had been confirmed.

 

Lazio had ambition but the team was not helped by the internal dualism between Luciano Moggi, who had been confirmed as sporting director, and Antonio Sbardella, newly appointed general director. The players were under constant pressure and that did not help.

 

The Biancocelesti, after having been eliminated immediately in Coppa Italia, had not played well but after 18 games they were just a couple of points off the promotion zone. In the last game of the first half of the season however Lazio crumbled against Palermo and Castagner was sacked. He was replaced by the head coach of the Primavera team Roberto Clagluna, his first experience with a first team squad.

 

The situation had not improved. In 12 games Lazio won just twice and had drawn the last four games all 0-0, three of which at home. Promotion was six points away, and quite frankly, seeing the quality of this team, was no longer an objective. Today’s game was a winning opportunity since Pescara were rock bottom.

 

The match: Sunday, May 2, 1982, Stadio Adriatico, Pescara

 

Despite the fact that both teams were not exactly displaying champagne football, quite a lot happened in the first half. In the 13th minute Walter Mazzarri hit the crossbar then Lazio had three great chances, twice with Claudio Vagheggi and once with Alberto Bigon, all three well saved by the Pescara keeper. Later, still in the first 45 minutes, Mauro Amenta hit the crossbar on a free kick. To note was the return to active football of Maurizio Montesi after 26 months from his injury.

 

Nothing much happened in the beginning of the second half apart from an attempt by Ersilio Cerone to decapitate Vagheggi with a karate kick in order to stop him from scoring. The referee was however busy  sunbathing and missed the acrobatic attempt. Vagheggi's reaction was to invite Cerone for an amicable confrontation in the changing rooms. In the 74th minute, D’Amico to Vagheggi who dribbled past a couple of players and with a precise low shot put Lazio in the lead. The Biancocelesti forward dedicated his goal to the keeper.

 

Tempers began to flare. Five minutes later Ennio Pellegrini stopped Vagheggi into corner and decided to try and headbutt him. This time the referee saw what was happening and sent the Pescara player off. The local fans were not pleased. They grabbed everything throwable, broke up some of the stands made of slabs of stone and pelted the pitch. The match was suspended for nine minutes.

 

On the return to the pitch, Lazio scored. Vincenzo Chiarenza tried a shot from outside the box, the goalkeeper parried and Vagheggi tapped the ball in. It was the 90th minute, going into stoppage time. Four minutes later Amenta reduced the deficit and the referee, in order to avoid any more interference from the Pescara fans, ended the game with at least five minutes to go.


Three Brits in the stands

Lazio Stories editorial staff plus friend, at Pescara on May 2 1982

Three British Lazio supporters, aged 14-15, had decided it was time to see their team away from home. They made a few tactical mistakes. They did not verify where the Pescara supporters usually went and arrived at the Stadium in a car with a Rome number plate. Also unknown to them was the blood feud between the locals and Lazio (and to this day many Biancoceleste supporters have no idea what generated this). They went into the wrong part of the stadium and were surrounded by Pescara supporters. The difference in height among the three immediately translated into three British brothers in Pescara on holiday going to see the match. It worked. The Brits were forced to be neutral and could only express their joy for the win once back in the safety of the car.

 

This however did not stop two of them from going to Pisa the following Sunday.

 

Who played for Pescara

 

Grassi, D'Alessandro, Amenta, D.Coletta, Cerone, E.Pellegrini, Lombardi, Casaroli, Nobili, Mazzarri (67' Di Michele), Livello (46' Silva).

Substitutes: Pacchiarotti, Eusepi, Marchi.

Manager: Chiappella

 

Who played for Lazio

 

Substitutes: Moscatelli, Pighin, Viola

Manager: Clagluna

 

Referee: Esposito

 

Goals: 74’ Vagheggi, 90’ Vagheggi, 94’ Amenta

 

What happened next

 

With two games left to the end of the season, Lazio were just three points clear of relegation. Varese, on the other hand, had had a splendid season and were just one point away from promotion to Serie A. A very difficult match for the Biancocelesti.

 

Lazio were already 2-0 down after 15 minutes, but at this point Vincenzo D’Amico took the team by the hand and with a hat trick gave the Biancocelesti a much-needed win.

 

In conclusion, a dismal season for Lazio who had started the campionato with high hopes. Vincenzo Chiarenza was the player with most appearances (41) and D’Amico with the most goals (10) with two hat tricks.


Lazio 1981-82

Competition

Played

Won

Drawn

Lost

Goals scored

Serie B

38

11

15

12

38

Coppa Italia

4

-

1

3

3

Total

42

11

16

15

41

Top five apperances

Player

Total

Serie A

Coppa Italia

Chiarenza

41

37

4

Vagheggi

38

34

4

De Nadai

37

33

4

Mastropasqua

37

33

4

Badiani

33

31

2

D'Amico

33

30

3

Top five goal scorers

Player

Total

Serie A

Coppa Italia

D'Amico

10

10

-

Vagheggi

9

9

-

De Nadai

5

4

1

Ferretti

4

3

1

Bigon

3

3

-

Viola

3

3

-

Let's talk about Vincenzo Chiarenza


Source Wikipedia

Vincenzo Chiarenza was born on September 27, 1954, in Termini Imerese near Palermo. He grew up in the Juventus youth teams until 1971 when he signed for Sampdoria. He debuted in Serie A on December 9, 1973. That season he played 15 games with one goal. In the summer of 1974, he was sold to Brindisi in Serie B. In 1975 he went north to Atalanta where he played for two years winning promotion to Serie A. He did not stay and left for Avellino in 1977 where again his club achieved promotion to the top tier. Back in Bergamo in 1978 in Serie A he did not play much so in 1979 he signed for Bari and after a year left for Taranto, both in the second tier.

 

In 1981 he signed for Lazio. It was not a positive year for the Biancocelesti who had begun with promotion hopes and ended up just about avoiding relegation to Serie C. But he was one of the positives of the year with 41 appearances. The 1982-83 season saw the return of Bruno Giordano and Lionello Manfredonia from the totonero suspension and Lazio were one of the favourites for promotion but he did not stay. After ten appearances between Serie B and Coppa Italia he was loaned to Udinese in Serie A. In 1983 he was back in Rome. Lazio in the meantime had finally been promoted to the top tier and Giorgio Chinaglia had bought the club. But after three appearances in Serie A and 3 in Coppa Italia he was sold to Triestina.

 

He stayed in Trieste for three years, all in Serie B before signing for Taranto in Serie C1 in 1985. He did not play much (just 16 league games) but won his third promotion. After a year in Serie B where he played even less (6 league appearances), he signed for Legnano in Serie C2 in 1987 and in 1988 he moved to Novara. His final two years of active football were with Pinerolo in the fifth tier.

 

Once he stopped playing, he started a career as a manager. He began in the Juventus youth sector where he stayed from 1991 to 2008, with the exception of a brief period as Valle d’Aosta manager. He was one of the most successful Primavera managers in the history of Juventus, winning a scudetto (2005-06), the Coppa Italia twice (2003-04 and 2006-07), the Super Coppa twice (2006 and 2007) and the Viareggio Cup three times (2003, 2004 and 2005).

 

His career with first team squads was not so successful: a few months at Ascoli in 2008, a month and a half at Sanremese in 2010 and a month at Como.

 

Chiarenza started out as a forward, gradually moving back during the course of his career. At Lazio he was a left back. He did very well but did not stay long. He made 54 appearances with the Biancocelesti with one goal.


Lazio career

Season

Total games (goals)

Serie A

Serie B

Coppa Italia

1981-82

41

-

37

4

Jul-Oct 1982

10 (1)

-

5

5 (1)

Jul-Oct 1983

6

3

-

3

Total

57 (1)

3

42

12 (1)

Sources


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