December 5, 1971: Livorno-Lazio 0-1
- Lazio Stories
- Dec 5, 2025
- 13 min read
Eagles feast on Mullets
A goal by Massa is sufficient to get the better of sterile Livorno
The season so far
The 1970/71 season had been disastrous for Lazio. There had been ongoing divergences between president Lenzini and manager Juan Carlos Lorenzo over various issues, including market strategies. The Argentine was sacked a few times only to be brought back following protests by a particularly loyal group of fans. The problems on the field and off had resulted in relegation to Serie B with only 4 wins in 30 matches. The initial shock would however later result to be a blessing in disguise.
This year the manager problem had been resolved with the appointment of Tommaso Maestrelli, who had impressed in charge of Foggia.
The new manager had also brought some novelties to the squad. In the summer, Lazio had signed three new players: goalkeeper Claudio Bandoni (Fiorentina) plus defenders Luigi Martini (Livorno) and Giancarlo Oddi (Massese). In the autumn session another three had arrived: midfielder Giambattista Moschino (Verona) plus forwards Alessandro Abbondanza (Napoli) and Carlo Facchin (Almas).
Five players left Lazio in the summer: goalkeeper Michelangelo Sulfaro (Fiorentina-loan), midfielders Nello Governato (Savona), Rino Marchesi (Prato), Ferruccio Mazzola (Fiorentina-loan) and forward Juan Carlos Morrone (Foggia). In November two more midfielders left: Arrigo Dolso (Varese - loan) and Pierpaolo Manservisi (Napoli - loan).
Lazio had a patchy start to the league season but were still up among the frontrunners for the promotion places. They had won 5, drawn 2 and lost 3, so had 12 points and were 5th. Giorgio Chinaglia had already scored 9 goals. Just a week before however Lazio had lost 1-0 away at Reggiana.
In the Coppa Italia, in August and September, Lazio had qualified for the second group stage to be played the following May. The Biancocelesti had won 3 (Roma 1-0, Ternana 2-0 at home and Perugia 3-1 away) and drawn 1 (Atalanta 0-0 away). The next group phase would not be until May-June 1972 with Fiorentina, Napoli and Bologna. The main priority however was to secure promotion.
Livorno had finished 14th in Serie B the previous season, under Costanzo Balleri. The top scorer were future Lazio, Roberto Badiani and Bruno Baiardo with 5 league goals each. As well as Badiani (1974-79, 1981-83) the squad included future Lazio Gigi Martini (1971-79).
This season the manager was initially Domenico "Tom" Rosati but he had already been replaced by the returning Balleri.
The main new players were: goalkeeper Ugo Tani (up from youth team), defenders Guido Onor (Monza and previously Lazio 1968-69), midfielders Franco De Cecco (Mantova), Leopoldo Pardini (Pistoiese), Lorenzo Righi (Treviso), Mauro Vaiani (Prato) plus forward Marco Achilli (Inter - on loan) and Giorgio Blasig (Mantova).
Leaving Leghorn were: goalkeeper Renato Belinelli (Ravenna, after 10 seasons), defender Gigi Martini (as mentioned, to Lazio), Giuseppe Unere (Novara via Torino - end of loan), midfielders Claudio Azzali (retiring, after 7 seasons) and Luciano Zanardello (Prato) plus forwards Enrico Albrigi (SPAL) and Bruno Santon (Lucchese).
So far Livorno had won 1, drawn 6 and lost 3. The Amaranto were struggling in 16th position on 8 points with Foggia.
In Coppa Italia the Tuscans were out after 1 win (Foggia 2-1 at home), 1 draw (Arezzo 0-0 away) and 2 defeats (Fiorentina 0-3 at home and Cagliari 0-3 away).
Lazio were considered favourites today but came from an away defeat and were without "Long John" Chinaglia while Livorno were unbeaten at home (without even conceding a single goal) and had already held promotion favourites Ternana to a goalless draw.
The match: Sunday, December 5, 1971, Stadio Comunale, Livorno
A sunny day but with a light northerly wind in the seaport town of Livorno. There were about 15,000 spectators in the ground, which is located near the sea, many had come up from Rome only three hours away by car or train.
The hosts had to do without defender Pietro Maggini while Lazio were missing their star forward Giorgio Chinaglia, who was suspended after being sent off in the previous game, plus defender Luigi Polentes.
The first half was played almost exclusively in midfield with neither team managing to create much. The only chance fell to Lazio defender Mario Facco but his header was wide.
An extremely blocked game unsurprisingly reached halftime goalless.
In the second half Lazio played with an increased sense of urgency. The Biancocelesti upped the tempo and gradually took control of the game.
The Romans went in front in the 58th minute. On a whipping corner by Guiliano Fortunato, diminutive Giuseppe Massa anticipated Guido Onor and hit a powerful header past former Lazio keeper Roberto Gori, 0-1.
Livorno who in their previous five home games had not had the experience of giving away a goal, suffered from the set back. In the 63rd minute they tried changing something by bringing on forward Angelo Raffaeli for midfielder Lorenzo Righi.
Lazio could have doubled their lead several times. In the 64th minute Massa hit the post from a Facco cross and some minutes later a good team move put Carlo Facchin in a perfect position to score but he was too altruistic and tried to pass to a teammate and the chance was lost.
It was only in the last fifteen minutes or so that the Triglie (Mullets) attacked with a certain continuity. The Amaranto however confirmed why they had the lowest scoring rate in the league and only created one real chance. In the 80th minute Marco Achilli found himself in front of goal about seven metres out but he sliced the ball and the opportunity was wasted.
Lazio's defence, led by a superb Pino Wilson, then kept off any potential further threats and the Biancocelesti clinched a precious away win. Livorno 0 Lazio 1.
An intelligent win by Lazio. The Eagles had played it safe in the first half, struck early in the second and then controlled Livorno's reaction without excessive worries. If anything, Lazio could have closed the game earlier.
The table now read; Ternana 16, Reggiana 15, Lazio, Catania, Palermo and Taranto 14. Lazio were in the heart of the promotion race.
Livorno were still 16th but now solitary as Foggia had won. The Livornesi however still had the same two-point cushion on relegation (Arezzo, Modena and Genoa had all lost too).
Who played for Livorno
Gori, Baiardo, Onor, Vaiani, Bruschini, Calvani, Righi (63' Raffaeli), De Cecco, Blasig, Zani, Achilli
Substitutes: Zani
Manager: Balleri
Who played for Lazio
Bandoni, Facco, Legnaro, Wilson, Papadopulo, Martini, Massa, Fortunato, Abbondanza, Moschino, Facchin
Substitutes: Di Vincenzo, Nanni
Manager: Maestrelli
Referee: Torelli
Goal: 58' Massa
What happened next
Lazio would be successful in their promotion chase. They came in second on 49 points, one behind champions Ternana. On June the 18th, with a 0-0 away draw against Bari, Maestrelli's boys clinched their ticket back to Serie A.
A week after today's win the Biancocelesti defeated Catania 1-0 at home and then with the help of another 12 Chinaglia and 7 Massa league goals the Biancocelesti would win 12 games (including Livorno 3-1) draw 11 and lose 4. In the season overall Chinaglia got a total of 26 goals (21 in B) and Massa 12, all in B (plus several assists for Long John).
In the Coppa Italia in May and June, which coincided with the promotion rush, Lazio then won 2 (Fiorentina 1-0 and Napoli 3-0 at home), drew 1 (Fiorentina 1-1 away) and lost 3 (Bologna home and away 0-1, 1-2 and Napoli 1-5 away) and were eliminated. The main thing however was to return to the top flight. Lazio were back.
Livorno finished 18th and were relegated. They tried changing managers from Balleri to Dino Bonsanti but to no avail. In the remaining games the Labronici won 6, drew 6 and lost 15. The top scorers were Achilli and Blasig with 5 league goals each (Livorno only scored 21 in 38 games).
Going up to Serie A with Lazio and champions Ternana were 3rd placed Palermo. The unlucky two going down to Serie C with Livorno were Modena and Sorrento (the Costieri have never been back and are currently in C, with Livorno too).
Let's talk about Tommaso Maestrelli
Tommaso Arturo Maestrelli was born in Pisa, on October 7, 1922.
He was the son of a station master for the state railways so, in his childhood, he lived in several towns in Italy before settling in Bari in 1935.
Tommaso then joined the Bari youth set up. He was a midfielder and in 1938 he moved up to the first team squad under manager József Ging. He made his debut at 16, in February 1939, in an away defeat to Milan. It was his only game and the Biancorossi finished 11th in Serie A. In these early days he was nicknamed "Carta velina" (Tissue paper) due to his thin physique.
He stayed with the "Galletti" for nine more seasons, including the war pause, playing 146 league games with 20 goals. Bari finished 11th again, 16th (relegated), 1st (promoted), 15th (relegated but then stayed up due to the war), two years of war interruption, 1st (in A-B Centre-South and 8th in Divisione Nazionale), 7th in A and 11th. His managers included Ging, Andras Kuttik, Luigi Costantino, Luigi Ferrero, Stanislao Klein, János Vanicsek, János Nehadoma and Ferenc Plemich. Magyar managers were obviously in at the time.
The war years were not kind on Maestrelli. He answered the call up and was sent to the Balkans. He suffered a leg injury when a grenade exploded near him and he got hit by a splinter. He was then captured by the Nazis and went through some tough times before being liberated by Tito's partisans, whom he stayed with a while and they gave him the nickname "Maestrellovic". When he returned home fortunately his leg gradually healed and he was ready to play again.
In 1948-49 he joined Roma. The Giallorossi finished 14th under manager Pietro Baldassare. Maestrelli played 29 league games with 4 goals (Triestina, Livorno x2, Novara) and both derbies were draws.
The season ending however was tragic for Italian football. The great Torino, who had won five consecutive scudettos between 1942-43 and 1948-49, died in an air crash on May 4, 1949. Returning from a friendly against Benfica in Lisbon, the plane carrying the whole team crashed into the wall at the back of the Basilica of Superga which is on a hill near Turin. All 31 people on the flight died. These included the players, coaching staff, a few journalists and the flight crew.
Tommaso Maestrelli was supposed to be on that plane. Despite the fact that he was playing for Roma at the time, he had been invited by Valentino Mazzola to join the team for the friendly match. Maestrelli did not make it because he was unable to renew his passport in time.
In 1949-50 the manager was Fulvio Bernardini and then Luigi Brunella for the last three games. The Giallorossi finished 17th and narrowly avoided relegation, blatantly helped by infamous referee Pera in the penultimate game. Maestrelli played 35 league games and the derbies finished 3-1 to Lazio and 0-0.
The 1950-51 season was his last with Roma. The manager was first Adolfo Baloncieri (1-19), then Pietro Serantoni (16-33) and finally Giudo Masetti (34-38). This time Roma were relegated, finishing 19th, the first Roman club to do so. Maestrelli played 31 league games and Roma lost both derbies again (0-1, 1-2).
With Roma in Serie B, Maestrelli joined Lucchese in Serie A. The manager was first Luigi Ferrero, from his Bari days (1-9) and then Piero Andreoli (10-38). The "Pantere" finished 18th and were relegated after a playoff (Triestina 0-1, in Bergamo). Maestrelli played 35 league games and scored one goal. His teammates included, former Lazio, Leandro Remondini (1947-50) and former and future Lazio, Aldo De Fazio (1949-50, 1952-56).
He stayed on in Serie B but the Rossoneri were relegated again. They got through six managers including Tommaso as player-manager for three games. He played 22 league games.
In 1953, at 31, he returned to Bari in Serie D. The Biancorossi won the Serie D Scudetto and were promoted under manager Francesco Capocasale. Maestrelli played 23 league games.
The following year the "Galletti" won promotion again with the same manager. Maestrelli played 30 league games. One of his teammates was, future Lazio, Gino Seghedoni (1961-63 and famous for the absurdly disallowed goal against Napoli which ultimately denied Lazio promotion).
In 1955-56 "La Vecchia Stella del Sud" finished 10th in B and Maestrelli played 13 league games.
In 1956-57 he played his last season. Bari had a new manager Federico Allasio (Lazio manager in 1954) and finished 11th. Maestrelli played 8 league games with 1 goal (winner against Como).
At 34 he then retired and went into coaching, something he had already done at Lucchese in 1953.
At international level he won one cap for Italy in 1948 against Denmark.
He started as assistant coach for six years at Bari. He assisted Allasio, Paolo Tabanelli, Capocasale, Luis Carniglia, Allasio again and Pietro Magni. In 1963 he even took over briefly for 5 games (D2, L3). Bari finished 2nd (promoted), 11th in A, 13th in A, 16th in A (relegated), 12th in B, 2nd in B (promoted) and 18th in A (relegated).
In 1964 he had his first real experience as head manager at Reggina in Serie C. In his first year he got the Reggini promoted as champions. He then stayed three more seasons in Serie B, finishing 4th, 9th and 9th again.
In 1968-69 he moved to Foggia in Serie B. The "Satanelli" finished 8th. The following year he led the Rossoneri to promotion to Serie A in 2nd place. The squad included a young Alberto Bigon (Lazio 1980-82) and future Lazio Luciano Re Cecconi (1972-77 and Scudetto winner before his tragic death).
In Serie A in 1970-71 he was unable to keep the Rossoneri up and they were relegated in 14th place. They did however beat Lazio 5-2 and Roma 1-0 at home and drew with Juventus and Inter. Foggia also played good football despite their fate.
In 1971-72 he joined Lazio in Serie B. He was not initially welcomed too well. The players and fans had got used to Juan Carlos Lorenzo’s histrionic and theatrical ways and here came a calm character from the provinces who had just been relegated himself and had also played for rivals Roma. Maestrelli had the intelligence to first win over charismatic leader Giorgio Chinaglia. Then with patience, gentle ways, dialogue, balance and not least results he convinced everyone.
Things started well with Lazio beating Roma 1-0 in the Coppa Italia and then qualifying for the second group phase to be played in the Spring /Summer of 1972. The Biancocelesti won promotion back to Serie A in 2nd place.
In 1972-73 he was joined in Rome by Re Cecconi and Lazio sold Giuseppe Massa but also signed Mario Frustalupi, Renzo Garlaschelli, Sergio Petrelli and Felice Pulici. The Biancocelesti went extremely close to winning the Scudetto, battling with Juventus and Milan until the last game and winning both derbies. Lazio played an innovative style of play based on the Dutch way but also the Austrian vertex system of the 1930's (the constant interchange of positions between players).
In 1973-74 came his masterpiece. Lazio won the Scudetto. In the summer he managed to convince the Lazio president Umberto Lenzini to keep all the key players, starting from Chinaglia. A wonderful team with strong internal rivalries who however came together on the Sunday to play great football. On the 12th of May 1974 a Chinaglia penalty against Foggia at the Olimpico gave Lazio their first historic title.
In 1974-75 Lazio were unable to represent Italy in the European Cup due to the incidents on and off the pitch in the UEFA Cup game against Ipswich Town. Crowd trouble and brawls between the players, during and after the game, led to a one-year ban. In partial justification Lazio had suffered one of the worst refereeing performances ever by an unsteady Dutchman called Van der Kroft. In the league Lazio finished 4th but in March Maestrelli's life changed. He fell ill and was diagnosed with liver cancer. The team was under shock and collapsed 1-5 against Torino, playing with tears in their eyes. Lazio would never be the same. Faithful Bob Lovati took over for the last five games.
In 1975-76 Giulio Corsini became manager but clashed with the players especially Chinaglia who wanted to spend more time in the USA where his family now lived. Corsini was replaced and then surprisingly Maestrelli returned, seemingly in better health after various therapies.
It was a difficult season. In April, Chinaglia finally left with Maestrelli's permission who considered Giorgio like a son. Lazio only avoided relegation in the last game of the season with a dramatic 2-2 draw in Como. It was a miraculous feat considering how the season had panned out. It would be his last gift to Lazio.
The disease had not gone away and the following season he was unable to continue as manager. He took on the job of sporting director, with Luís Vinicio as manager, but his energies were fading. On November 26 1976, after Lazio had defeated Roma, he went into a coma. Tommaso Maestrelli died on January 2 at 2.45 p.m. Rome was in mourning and the Lazio world shattered.
Maestrelli is considered Lazio’s best manager ever. He is the most respected and the most loved. He has almost cult status. "Tom", as he was known, will be revered forever, without him Lazio's Scudetto would have been impossible.
His greatest virtue was his ability to unite a bunch of crazy characters, divided into clans during the week, into a formidable, compact and spectacular team on match day. He did so with his intelligence, his mellow character, his flexibility, his deep understanding of human psychology all combined with a superb footballing brain.
To Lazio players he was a coach, a father, a friend, a priest and more. He created a family at Lazio. His two young twins were often present at the training sessions, he often invited Chinaglia to have dinner with his wife and four kids, he flew to Germany during the 1974 World Cup to speak to Giorgio after his controversial substitution against Haiti, he had the human touch.
To Lazio fans he is simply "Il Maestro". His name is sung to the heavens every home game, as it is in the official Lazio song. The line more or less goes, "Come on Lazio we cannot falter, the Maestro is up above watching us" (it rhymes in Roman…). There have been several books written about him and even a play.
Sadly, three of his children have also passed away from Tommaso's same illness. His grandchildren also play football, Alessio is a defender for Turris in Serie C while Andrea plays for Arzachena (Sardinia ) in the 6th tier.
Maestrelli is buried in the Prima Porta cemetery in north Rome alongside his beloved Giorgio "Long John" Chinaglia and Pino Wilson.
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