October 23, 2011: Bologna -Lazio 0-2
- Dag Jenkins
- Oct 23
- 10 min read
Two deflections but Lazio superior
Lazio go second after fine display in Emilia
Also on this day:
The season so far
Lazio had narrowly missed out on Champions League the previous season with 5th place behind Udinese.
This year Edy Reja had been confirmed but there had been a few changes to the squad.
The main novelty was in goal, as Lazio had bought Federico Marchetti from Cagliari while Fernando Muslera went to Galatasaray, in Turkey. The other main new arrivals were defenders Abdoulay Konko (Genoa) and Lorik Cana (Galatasaray), midfielder Senad Lulic (Young Boys, a name to watch out for… Lulic that is), forwards Djibril Cissé (Panathinaikos) and above all Miroslav Klose (Bayern Munich).
The other main player leaving was defender Stephan Lichtsteiner (Juventus) while others were midfielders Pasquale Foggia (Sampdoria - on loan with clause to buy), Christian Manfredini (end of Contract - Sambonifacese) plus forwards Sergio Floccari (Parma - on loan with clause to buy) and Mauro Zarate (Inter - on loan with clause to buy).
Lazio had a decent start to their league campaign. The Biancocelesti had won 3, drawn 2 (including Milan 2-2 away on debut) and lost 1. Their most recent game had been a 2-1 derby triumph with a last-gasp Miro Klose winner. Lazio were currently 3rd with Cagliari on 11 points.
Their Europa League campaign had started in August with a playoff in which they defeated Rabotnički (Macedonia) 9-1 on aggregate. Lazio were now in the group stage and had drawn 2 (Vaslui 2-2 at home and Zurich 1-1 away) and lost 1 (Sporting Lisbon 1-2 away). Next up were Zurich at home on November 3.
Bologna had finished 16th in Serie A the previous season. Franco Colomba had started as manager but was very soon replaced by Alberto Malesani. The Rossoblu had lost to Lazio 1-3 in Rome but won 3-1 at home. The top scorer was former Lazio, Marco Di Vaio with 19 league goals.
This season the manager was Pierpaolo Bisoli at first but he had already been replaced by Stefano Pioli after the sixth league fixture.
The main new signings were: goalkeeper Jean François Gillet (Bari and 364 games), defenders Mikael Antonsson (F.C Copenhagen), Andrea Raggi (Bari), midfielders Alessandro Diamanti (Brescia), Panagiòtīs Kone (Brescia), Nico Pulzetti (Chievo), Saphir Taïder (Grenoble) plus forward Robert Acquafresca (Cagliari).
Leaving Emilia were: goalkeeper Emiliano Viviano (Inter), defender Miguel Ángel Britos (Napoli), Vaggelī Moras (Swansea City), midfielders Albin Ekdal (Cagliari), Francesco Della Rocca (Palermo), Massimo Mutarelli (end of contract), Luca Siligardi (Livorno) plus forward Riccardo Meggiorini (Novara - on loan).
So far, the Felsinei had 4 points, after 1 win (most recent 2-0 at Novara), 1 draw (Juventus 1-1 away) and 4 defeats. The only win had come on Pioli's debut a week earlier. Bologna were currently 17th (with Inter and Lecce).
In the Coppa Italia they had got through the preliminaries by defeating Padova 2-1 at home. Next up would be Crotone at home in November.
An interesting match today between two teams on a high. Bologna had changed managers and finally won a game while Lazio came from the unsurpassable satisfaction of winning the Roman derby.
The match: Sunday, October 23, 2011, Stadio Renato Dall'Ara, Bologna
A pleasant evening brought just under 20,000 spectators for this 8.45 pm kick-off. Before the game a minute's silence was observed in memory of popular GP motorbike driver Marco Simoncelli who was from Emilia-Romagna and had died earlier in the day in a tragic accident in a race in Malaysia.
Bologna were missing defender Mikael Antonsson, midfielders Diego Pérez and Alessandro Diamanti.
Lazio had midfielders Alvaro González, Cristian Brocchi and Stefano Mauri missing.
Lazio started more positively and in the 8th minute hit a post. Christian Ledesma put in a cutting ball, something between a shot and a cross, it was met by Abdoulay Konko whose effort found the woodwork.
A few minutes later a Hernanes header, from a Senad Lulic cross, went just wide.
The hosts only foray up front was a Jimenez shot wide and covered by Federico Marchetti anyway.
In the 23rd minute Lazio took the lead. Nicolò Cherubin was naively dispossessed by Miro Klose near the corner flag and pulled him down for freekick. Hernanes' hammered the ball mid-height into the crowded area where it was then deflected into his own net by Robert Acquafresca and the Romans were in front, 0-1.
At this point Bologna, who had been very subdued, decided to join the action.
The Polish-Italian striker immediately tried to redeem himself but Marchetti was excellent and ready on the front post. Gastón Ramirez then had two decent freekicks saved by the keeper from Salsomaggiore. Another Acquafresca effort was saved off the line by Lulic. Half time Bologna 0 Lazio 1.
Lazio had dominated the first 25 minutes and deservedly scored but the Rossoblu had then come back strongly.
The second half started perfectly for the Biancocelesti who had feared a Bologna onslaught. In the 48th minute on a Djibril Cissè assist, Lulic, with the help of a slight Daniele Portonova deflection, beat Federico Agliardi to give Lazio a more comforting double lead, 0-2.
There was still plenty of time left but the game suddenly seemed over.
In the 58th minute Bologna tried to change things by replacing midfielder Federico Casarini with forward Henry Gimenez and Panagiotīs Kone with Nico Pulzetti.
In the 63rd minute Lazio lost Hernanes to a twisted ankle and Lionel Scaloni came on.
Lazio then became even more defensive in the 71st minute but not by choice as Francelino Matuzalém also limped off with a muscular problem and was replaced by Lorik Cana.
Lazio were in control with an excellent André Dias leading the backline and could have a scored a third with Cissé but first his right foot shaved the post and then his volley was pushed past the post by Agliardi.
Bologna made one last substitution in the 79th minute bringing on Daniele Vantaggiato for fellow forward Acquafresca while in the 86th Lazio brought on Giuseppe Sculli for Lulic.
The Felsinei had one last freekick with Archimede Morleo but Marchetti saved again. The match ended with a thoroughly deserved away win for Lazio. Final score Bologna 0 Lazio 2.
Lazio were now 2nd on 14 points, one behind surprise leaders Udinese on 15.
Bologna were now 19th, with Lecce on 4 points and one from safety (Novara on 5 points).
Who played for Bologna
Agliardi, Raggi, Portanova, Cherubin, Morleo, Casarini (58' Gimenez), Mudingayi, Kone (58' Pulzetti), Ramirez, Di Vaio, Acquafresca (79' Vantaggiato)
Substitutes: Gillet, Garics, Loria, Khrin
Manager: Pioli
Who played for Lazio
Marchetti, Konko, Biava, Dias, Radu, Lulic (86' Sculli), Ledesma, Matuzalem (71' Cana), Hernanes (63' Scaloni), Cissé, Klose
Manager: Reja
Referee: Damato
Goals: 28' Acquafresca (og), 48' Lulic
What happened next
Lazio finished 4th but missed out on Champions League again to Udinese. Lazio qualified for the Europa league. In the remaining 17 games the Biancocelesti won 7 (including Roma 2-1 again, Milan 2-0 and Inter 3-1 at home), drew 2 and lost 8 (including the decisive match with Udinese 0-2 away).
In the Europa League the Biancocelesti then beat Zurich 1-0, drew 0-0 at Vaslui and beat Sporting Lisbon 2-0 at home to finish 2nd and qualify. In the round of 32 however, Atlético Madrid proved too good and Lazio lost 4-1 on aggregate.
In Coppa Italia the Biancocelesti beat Verona 3-2 at home in January but then later in the month lost 1-3 away to Milan.
The highlight of the season was obviously doing the double on city rivals Roma. The top scorer was Miro Klose with 15 goals (12 in A).
Bologna finished 9th. In the next 31 games the Rossoblu won 12 (including Lazio 3-1 and Inter 3-0 away), drew 11 and lost 8. An improvement after their awful start. The top scorer was Di Vaio again with 10 league goals.
In Coppa Italia they then beat Crotone 4-2 but in December were eliminated by Juventus away 1-2 a.e.t.
The manager Pioli would of course one day be in charge at Lazio (June 2014-April 2016).
Juventus were Champions in Serie A for the 28th time, at the other end Cesena, Novara and Lecce trudged down to Serie B.
The Coppa Italia was won by Napoli (Juventus 2-0) while Atlético Madrid won the Europa League defeating Athletic Bilbao 3-0.
A brief history of F.C Bologna
F.C Bologna were founded on October 3 1909 by Emilio Arnstein. He was a player, director and referee of Austrian origins. The first president was Swiss, Louis Rauch.
The colours of dark blue and red were chosen by one of the founders, Arrigo Gradi as they were the colours of the Schönberg college of Rossbach where he had studied in Switzerland.
Bologna started playing in the FIGC tournaments in 1910-1911.
In the 1920's they became competitive under a professional coach, Austrian Hermann Felsner.
In 1924-25 came their first Scudetto. They won it again in 1929 as well as the Central European Cup in 1932 and 1934. The stand out players included Mario Gianni, Felice Gaspari, Bernardo Perin, Giuseppe Della Valle and Angelo Schiavio.
In 1934 Renato Dall'Ara became president.
Their successes continued with four more league titles: 1936, 1937, 1939, 1941. In 1937 they became the first Italian club to defeat an English one when they downed Chelsea 4-1. The managers were Árpád Weisz and then Felsner again and Bologna became known as "Lo squadrone che tremare il mondo fa" (more or less: The mighty team that scares the world). In 1939 they became the first ever football team to be hosted on a TV show.
After the war came a less successful period but in the 1960s Bologna returned to being competitive and in 1964 won their 7th Scudetto (in the last ever title playoff, Inter 2-0). The manager was Fulvio "Fuffo" Bernardini and the stars were goalkeeper William Negri, defenders Francesco Janich, Paride Tumburus, Carlo Furlanis, captain Mirko Pavinato, midfielders Romano Fogli, Giacomo Bulgarelli, Marino Perani, Ezio Pascutti plus forwards German Helmut Haller and Dane Harald Nielsen (top scorer with 25 goals -21 in A).
In 1964 Dall'Ara died suddenly and Gianni Boveri became president.
In 1970 Bologna won their first Coppa Italia, under manager Edmondo Fabbri. Their main stars were still Giacomo Bulgarelli (now captain) and striker Beppe Savoldi.
In 1974 they won the Coppa Italia again, defeating Palermo on penalties. The manager was Bruno Pesaola.
The 1980's were up and down. In 1982 they were relegated to Serie B and in 1983 to C1. In 1984 they were promoted back to B and in 1988 to A.
The 1990s also saw the Rossoblu struggle. In 1991 they were relegated to B and then the year after to C, another double drop. In 1993 the club went bankrupt and restarted as Bologna Football Club 1909. In 1995 they climbed back up to B and a year later to A as second tier champions, under manager Renzo Ulivieri. In 1999 with players such as Roberto Baggio and Beppe Signori they won the UEFA Intertoto Cup and finished 9th in A (qualifying for UEFA after beating Inter in a playoff).
In 2002 Bologna finished 4th in Serie A, under Francesco Guidolin, and narrowly missed out on Champions League. In 2005 however, they were relegated to B again and took three years to get back to A. The promotion manager was Daniele Arrigoni.
There followed difficult years in the top flight with 17th, 17th, 16th, 9th, 13th and 19th (relegation) places.
This time however they bounced straight up again, under Diego López and then Delio Rossi. During the season the club was taken over by American entrepreneur Joe Tacopina and the following year by Canadian Joey Saputo.
The Felsinei have been in Serie A ever since. Their league positions have been 14th, 15th, 15th, 10th, 12th, 12th, 13th and 9th.
The last two seasons however witnessed an improvement. In 2023-24 they finished 5th, under Thiago Motta, and qualified for their first historic Champions League. In 2024-25, under Vincenzo Italiano they won their third Coppa Italia, defeating Milan 1-0 in the final in Rome Their first trophy for 51 years and huge celebrations in the town.
So, a sketchy history with some epic highs, the mighty teams of the 1920s and 1930s, the Scudetto and cups of the 1960s and 1970s but also plenty of lows and periods in B and even C.
Things are now looking up however after their recent Coppa Italia triumph.
Bologna are ranked 9th in Italy for footballing tradition. In 2024 they were 41st in the Club World Ranking (IFFHS).
Their top five players for appearances are: Giacomo Bulgarelli 486, Tazio Roversi 459, Carlo Reguzzoni 417, Carlo Nervo 417, Marino Perani 415.
Their top five scorers are: Angelo Schiavio 251, Carlo Reguzzoni 143, Beppe Savoldi 137, Ezio Pascutti 130 and Gino Pivatelli 107.
Bologna stadium is the Renato Dall'Ara in the Porto-Saragozza area of town. It holds 36,532 spectators. It was inaugurated in 1927 as the Stadio Littoriale and after the war became the Stadio Comunale. In 1984 it took on its present name, the Renato Dall'Ara (Bologna president for 30 years, 1934-1964).
The club are known as the Rossoblu, Felsinei, Petroniani and Veltri. Their symbols are the Balanzone (an old local mask), the Due Torri (famous two city towers) and Neptune (Roman divinity).
According to market research studies Bologna are the 12th most supported club in Italy with about 264,000 fans. The most passionate fans gather in the Curva Andrea Costa (from 2009 named after legend Giacomo Bulgarelli). Bologna is also a fanatical basketball town and is known as "Basket City".
The organised supporters club have a special friendship with the Ravenna Ultras while their sworn enemies are Fiorentina from just over the Apennines. They also have regional rivalries with Parma, Cesena and Modena but for various reasons also with Roma, Milan, Napoli, Juventus, Sampdoria, Verona, Inter and Olympique Marseille.
Famous supporters include, Lucio Dalla, Gianni Morandi, Andrea Mingardi, Luca Carboni, Cesare Cremonini, Pier Ferdinando Casini, Romano Prodi, Bruno Barbieri, Enrico Brizzi and Stefano Domenicali.
The first four of these, all singers, are also the authors and performers of Bologna's official anthem, "Le Tue Ali Bologna".
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