50 years ago today, Bologna win the Anglo-Italian League Cup
Let’s take a look at an important memory for our Club: 50 years ago today at Maine Road, Edmondo Fabbri’s boys were victorious in the Anglo-Italian League Cup. After a win in Bologna, the Rossoblù drew away to Manchester City.
At that time, the Sky Blues were one of the strongest sides in football: the won the English First Division in 1968, the FA Cup and Cup Winners Cup in 1969, the League Cup in 1970 and two Charity Shields – in 1968 and 1972. Great stars of the world game were gathered in both halves of Manchester back then: with Bobby Charlton’s United and City side boasting internationals such as Joe Corrigan, Colin Bell, Francis Lee (a winger of great talent), Mike Summerbee and Tony Book – the club’s iconic captain.
But Bologna were not to be perturbed. Fresh from their 1-0 victory in the first leg at the Stadio Comunale (Rizzo with the only goal), the Rossoblù were determined to go to the home nation of football and defeat the heavily-favoured English side. Edmondo Fabbri knew that his team was in for a real battle at Maine Road, City’s traditional fortress. Already without Bulgarelli, Bologna lost Adani and Vastola on the eve of the game – out with flu and a muscle issue respectively. And so it was that it became a chance at glory for Vavassori and Pace, who were nothing short of heroes in that cup win. The goalkeeper managed to save the unsaveable, putting up stiff resistance to a ferocious City attack. The talented Pescara native even had a hand in both goals scored by his teammates that day as Bologna took home the Anglo-Italian League Cup title.
“An extraordinary performance”, Fabbri said to the papers after the trophy was lifted amidst cheers and applause from the entire crowd. “A win that honours us and all of Italian football. What I liked most was that my players never once succumbed to the oppositions provocations, nor did they pale in the face of incessant chanting from the crowd.”
23 September 1970, Finale, second leg
Manchester, Maine Road
MANCHESTER CITY 2-2 BOLOGNA
MANCHESTER CITY: Corrigan, Book, Pardos, Doyle, Helsop, Oakes, Hill, Bell, Lee, Towers, Young. Coach: Allison.
BOLOGNA: Vavassori, Prini, Ardizzon, Cresci, Janich, Gregori, Perani, Rizzo, Savoldi, Liguori, Pace. Coach: Fabbri.
Referee: Angonese di Mestre.
Goalscorers: 16′ Perani (B), 25′ Lee (M), 73′ Savoldi (B), 75′ Helsop (M).
