November 12, 1978: Lazio Roma 0-0
- Simon Basten
- 2 hours ago
- 5 min read
Lazio superior but ineffective
Despite being clearly the better of the two teams, the Biancocelesti are unable to go beyond a goalless draw in the derby
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 the Biancocelesti had started off well drawing at home with Juventus 2-2 and winning away with Avellino. Then they had drawn at home against Atalanta, lost heavily in Florence, beaten Paolo Rossi’s Vicenza 4-3 in a spectacular match and drawn at Ascoli. They were currently fifth.
Roma were in trouble, third from last, and had just changed manager. In had come Ferruccio Valcareggi, former Italy head coach who had led the Nazionale to the final of the 1970 World Cup, taking the place of Gustavo Giagnoni.
The match: Sunday, November 12, 1978, Stadio Olimpico, Rome
Roma started well and in the second minute had a chance with Roberto Pruzzo who, on a Guido Ugolotti assist, found himself alone in the box with Lionello Manfredonia out of position. He could have shot immediately but decided to adjust the ball and when he did finally shoot the ball shaved the post.
Lazio replied immediately. In the 6th minute Bruno Giordano crossed low from the left, Roberto Badiani in the centre of the box in front of Paolo Conti kicked the ball to the stars. A massive opportunity.
In the 30th minute Renzo Garlaschelli to Vincenzo D’Amico who dribbled past Conti but went too wide and when he tried the shot he missed.
The rest of the first half was just boredom.
In the 47th minute Pruzzo to Loris Boni who went close to Massimo Cacciatori and was pushed from behind by Luigi Martini. The Roma player however exaggerated his theatrics and the ref was not impressed.
In the 63rd minute Garlaschelli to Giordano in the box but like Pruzzo in the first half he decided not to volley and by the time he did Conti was on him and managed to parry.
The final opportunity came in the 72nd minute with Mauro Tassotti whose shot, touched lightly by Conti, hit the woodwork.
A missed opportunity for Lazio as Roma were in great difficulty.
Who played for Lazio
Cacciatori, Tassotti, Martini, Wilson, Manfredonia, Cordova, Garlaschelli, Badiani, Giordano, Lopez, D’Amico (84’ Agostinelli)
Manager: Lovati
Who played for Roma
Conti, Chinellato, Rocca, Boni, Spinosi, Santarini, Maggiora (68' De Nadai), Di Bartolomei, Pruzzo, Borelli, Ugolotti
Substitutes: Tancredi, Casaroli
Manager: Valcareggi
Referee: Barbaresco
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 Michele De Nadai
Michele De Nadai was born in Milan on September 8, 1954. He started his career playing in the youth teams of Milan and in 1973 was sent to Lecco in Serie C to gain experience. He stayed there two years before going back to Milan. He was part of the squad for the entire 1975-76 season but had very little playing time. He did however make his Serie A debut against Cesena on May 2, 1976 and scored the winning goal. He played another four times in Coppa Italia.
In 1976-77 he was sold to Monza in Serie B. The team did very well, just missing out on promotion. A year later he signed for Roma. He stayed with the Giallorossi for four years with 99 appearances and 3 goals. He won the Coppa Italia twice (1979-80 and 1980-81) but in his last year he played a lot less (12) so come 1981-82 it was time for a change.
Lazio had terrible financial problems so Roma President Dino Viola, probably because he was interested in signing Bruno Giordano and Lionello Manfredonia, came to help. De Nadai signed for the Biancocelesti and Carlo Perrone went the other way.
1981-82 was not a good season for Lazio, but De Nadai was one of the positives, appearing in 37 games with five goals. With the return of Giordano and Manfredonia, Lazio were very optimistic for 1982-83 and in the first half the Biancocelesti did very well. But in the second half of the season they went into psychological and playing difficulty. This cost manager Roberto Clagluna his job and he was replaced by Giancarlo Morrone. In the last four games Lazio won two and drew two and secured promotion after three years. Unfortunately, De Nadai missed most of the second part of the season due to a serious knee injury suffered in the game at Monza in February.
In 1983 he signed for Pistoiese in Serie B. The last two years of his career he played at Salernitana in Serie C1.
Once he stopped playing he tried a managerial career and was head coach for Latina in 1987-88 and Ostia Mare 1990-91. After this experience he retired from football.
Michele De Nadai gave a good contribution in his stay at Lazio and it was a pity he could not contribute more in his second year. He appeared in 57 games (48 in Serie B and 9 in Coppa Italia) with seven goals (5 in Serie B and 2 in Coppa Italia).
Lazio Career
Sources
Comments