February 17, 1963: Lazio-Sambenedettese 2-0
- Dag Jenkins
- 2 days ago
- 9 min read
M&M push Lazio up table
Morrone and Maraschi give the Biancocelesti important win
The season so far
The previous season Lazio had finished 4th in Serie B and missed out on promotion by one point. Their season was not helped by being defrauded of a perfectly regular goal against Napoli in a 0-0 draw. The Neapolitans later ended up promoted in 3rd place, one point above Lazio…
Lazio's managers were Paolo Todeschini (1-21), Bob Lovati (22-27) and then Carlo Facchini (28-38) while top scorer was Juan Carlos Morrone with 15 goals (14 in the league).
This season the manager was originally Facchini but he was replaced after 4 games (4 draws). In came Juan Carlos Lorenzo who was officially technical director with Bob Lovati as head coach.
The main additions to the squad were defender Pierluigi Pagni (Cosenza - back from loan), midfielder Vito Florio (Catanzaro) and forward Paolo Bernasconi (Fanfulla). In the autumn more players arrived: defender Gianfranco Garbuglia (Sambenedettese), midfielders and future president Gianmarco Calleri (Monza), Giambattista Moschino (Torino) plus Orlando Rozzoni (Udinese).
Leaving the capital were goalkeeper Franco Pezzullo (Salernitana), defenders Giacomo Del Gratta (Arezzo), Gilberto Noletti (Milan - end of loan, then Juventus on loan), midfielders Guido Gratton (Impruneta) and Guglielmo "Mimmo" Mecozzi (Catanzaro) plus forward Paolo Ferrario (Milan - end of loan, then Monza on loan) and 1958 Coppa Italia hero Maurilio Prini (Prato). In the autumn three more players left: defender Alfredo Napoleoni (Sambenedettese), midfielder Paolo Carosi (Udinese - on loan) and forward Dimitri Pinti (Udinese).
Since the change of managers Lazio had won 6, drawn 7 and lost 4 (including the most recent game 1-2 away at Monza). The Biancocelesti were currently 8th, on 23 points with Cosenza. The last promotion slot however was only three points away (Brescia, Foggia and Lecco on 26).
In the Coppa Italia, Lazio had been eliminated immediately by Fiorentina who won 3-0 in Rome. The priority however was promotion.
Sambenedettese had finished 12th in Serie B under Osvaldo Fattori. The Rossoblu had lost 0-3 in Rome against Lazio but won 1-0 at home. The top scorer was Guido Macor with 7 league goals.
This year the manager was initially Francesco Petagna (1-13), then Dino Spinozzi (14-16) and now Piero Pasinati. The main new players were goalkeepers Bruno Amati (Cosenza) and former Lazio Giampiero Bandini (Siena), defenders Alfredo Napoleoni (Lazio), midfielders Mario Jannarilli (Sora youth sector) and Abramo Pagani (Novese) plus former Lazio forward, Alberto Fontanesi (Verona) and Giovanni Grabesu (Sampdoria).
Leaving San Benedetto del Tronto were goalkeeper Franco Sattolo (Sampdoria - end of loan), defender Giancarlo Garbuglia (Lazio), midfielder Giorgio Rumignani (Cosenza) plus forwards Remo Pennati (Rimini), Giorgio Valentinuzzi (Treviso) and Nicola Novali (Cosenza).
The "Samba" were struggling in Serie B. They were currently 19th, on 14 points with Lucchese (one point from safety, Parma on 15). The Rossoblu had won 2, drawn 10 (including Lazio 0-0) and lost 9.
Lazio had to win today to join the promotion race.
The match: Sunday, February 17, 1963, Stadio Olimpico, Rome
A sunny and mild day brought about 15,000 spectators to the Olimpico. This while many games all over Italy were called off due to bad weather conditions.
Lazio were without forward Angelo Longoni who had been punished with two weeks suspension for having criticised manager Juan Carlos Lorenzo during the week.
Sambenedettese were missing defenders Leopoldo Raimondi and Giancarlo Capucci plus forward Mario Sestili.
The first twenty minutes saw two penalty appeals, one per side. In the 5th minute Lazio's Mario Maraschi went down in the area and in the 20th Alberto Fontanesi was challenged by Graziano Landoni and fell. On both occasions however, the referee gestured to play on.
In the 21st minute Lazio scored. Juan Carlos Morrone unleashed a powerful long range shot which touched the post and went in, 1-0.
The visitors' reaction was lame and all they could muster was a Guido Macor effort which Idilio Cei saved comfortably. Lazio reached halftime leading by the solitary goal.
Early in the second half former Lazio keeper Giampiero Bandini kept the Rossoblu in the game with a superb save on an Orlando Rozzoni close range strike.
In the 60th minute Lazio were awarded a penalty. Another former Lazio player Alfredo Napoleoni fouled Rozzoni in the box and this time the man in black had no hesitation and pointed to the penalty spot. The visitors were not happy and Enrico Nicchi in particular exaggerated and was sent off. Rozzoni then stepped up and blasted the ball off target.
From the 70th minute onwards Lazio too practically played in ten men as Diego Zanetti limped around carrying a groin injury.
Lazio continued to attack and in the 76th minute closed the game. The assist man was Morrone who did well on the right before putting in an inviting cross for Maraschi who went for the header and missed but the ball then hit his shoulder and beat Bandini. A somewhat lucky goal but 2-0.
Sambenedettese were beaten although the last to give up was Macor who went close with a freekick but Cei saved. Final score: Lazio 2 Sambenedettese 0.
Lazio had not played particularly well but had done enough to get the better of a timid and toothless Sambenedettese.
Lazio were now joint 6th, on 25 points with Verona and Padova. The third promotion slot was shared by Bari, Foggia and Lecco, only one point above on 26. Lazio as hoped had joined the promotion race.
Sambenedettese were now joint bottom, with Como and Lucchese. More bad news came from the fact Parma had won so safety was now three points away.
Who played for Lazio
Manager: Lovati
T.D: Lorenzo
Who played for Sambenedettese
Manager: Pasinati
Referee: Orlando
Goals: 21' Morrone, 76' Maraschi
Red Card: 60' Nicchi
What happened next
Lazio won promotion back to Serie A. The Biancocelesti finished 2nd. In the next 16 games they won 11, drew 1 and lost 4. After two years Lazio were back in the big time. The top scorers were Paolo Bernasconi, Juan Carlos Morrone and Orlando Rozzoni with 10 league goals each.
Sambenedettese finished 19th and relegated. In the next games they won 6, drew 4 and lost 6. After the 25th fixture Pasinati was replaced by Volturno Diotallevi but despite his promising surname, 5 wins and 3 draws out of 13 the Rossoblu went down. The top scorer was Piero Merlo with 7 league goals. The Marchigiani would not be back in Serie B until 1974-75.
Lazio went up with league winners Messina and Bari while Sambenedettese dropped a tier with Como and Lucchese.
Let's talk about Mario Maraschi
Mario Maraschi was born in Lodi, on August 28, 1939.
He started his football with local team Fanfulla in 1950. He made his debut for "Il Guerriero" (The Warrior) in 1956 in the IV series. He stayed two years with 22 league games and 8 goals.
In 1958 he moved to Piedmont and Pro Vercelli in Serie C. The "Leoni" finished 7th and 8th in his two seasons there. He played 51 league games and scored 8 goals.
In 1960 came the big jump to Milan in Serie A. The manager was Paolo Todeschini and the "Diavolo" finished 2nd behind Juventus. Maraschi played 13 league games with 2 goals (Lazio, Catania) and then 1 in the Italo -French "Coppa dell'Amicizia", in June under new coach Nereo Rocco. In Milan he played alongside future Lazio Carlo Galli plus Nils Liedholm, Cesare Maldini, Gigi Radice, José Altafini, Santiago Vernazza, Giovanni Trapattoni and Gianni Rivera amongst others.
In 1961 he moved to Rome and joined Lazio in Serie B. The manager was first his former Milan boss Todeschini (1-22) then Bob Lovati (22-27) and then Carlo Facchini. Lazio finished 4th but were robbed of promotion with the famous Gianni Seghedoni incident. The Lazio player scored against Napoli but the referee, against all evidence, claimed the ball had gone in through a hole in the net and the game finished 0-0. In the end Napoli went up by one point. Maraschi played 17 league games with 3 goals (Parma, Messina, Alessandria).
The following season Lazio were promoted under first Facchini for the opening five games and then Bob Lovati with Juan Carlos Lorenzo as technical director. Maraschi played 27 league games with 8 goals (Lucchese, Sambenedettese, Lecco, Como, Catanzaro, Foggia, Udinese, Padova) plus 1 game in Coppa Italia.
Back in Serie A in 1963-64, under Lorenzo, the Biancocelesti finished 8th. Maraschi played 31 league games and scored 5 goals (Fiorentina, Bari, Mantova, Genoa, Juventus). Lazio only scored 21 goals that season and three came in a 3-0 away win at Juventus.
In 1964-65 he spent a season with Bologna. The reigning Italian Champions finished 7th under former Lazio Fulvio Bernardini. Maraschi played 17 league games with 1 goal (Fiorentina) and 1 game in Coppa Italia. In Emilia he played alongside another former Lazio, Franco Janich.
In 1965-66 he signed for Vicenza. The "Lane" finished 6th under Aldo Campatelli. Maraschi made 28 league appearances with 5 goals (Inter, SPAL, Lazio, Inter, Brescia). He played alongside top scorer and future Lazio manager Luís Vinicio. In 1966-67 he stayed on in Vicenza. The "Berici" changed manager twice; Aldo Campatelli (1-8), Antonio Pin (9-29) and Umberto Menti (30-34). The Biancorossi finished 13th and Maraschi played 31 league games with 8 goals (Foggia, Venezia x2, Fiorentina x2, Venezia, Lecco x2) plus 2 games in Coppa Italia. He also played alongside former Lazio Nello Governato.
In 1967 he signed for Fiorentina where he stayed for three seasons. In the first, under Giuseppe Chiappella and then Luigi Ferrero, "La Fiore" came 4th and Maraschi played 27 league games and scored a personal record of 12 goals (Varese, Mantova, Vicenza x2, Torino, Bologna, Napoli x2, Juventus, Inter, Mantova, SPAL), 2 games in Coppa Italia with 1 goal (Roma in 4-1 victory), 3 in the Fairs Cup with 2 goals (Nice, Sporting Lisbon) and 4 in the Alps Cup with 1 goal (Servette).
The following season was even better and Fiorentina won the Scudetto under Bruno Pesaola. Maraschi played 30 league games with 14 goals (Roma, Atalanta, Cagliari, Bologna, Palermo, Juventus, Varese, Atalanta, Cagliari, Vicenza, Napoli, Pisa x2, Juventus), 3 games in Coppa Italia and 6 in the Fairs Cup with 2 goals (Dynamo Zagreb, Hansa Rostock). A great season for Fiorentina who only lost one league all season and for Maraschi personally.
In 1969-70 Fiorentina finished 4th (Cagliari won their historic scudetto). Maraschi played 22 league games and scored 5 goals (Napoli, Bologna, Milan, Brescia, Palermo), 5 games in Coppa Italia with 4 goals (Arezzo, Bari x3), 6 in the European Cup with 2 goals (Öster, Dynamo Kiev) plus 2 goals in the Anglo-Italian Cup (Sunderland) and 3 in the Alps Cup (Young Boys, Lugano, Zurich). In the European Cup the "Gigliati" were eliminated in the quarter finals by Celtic 1-3 on aggregate. They had the small consolation of winning the Anglo-Italian Cup beating Sunderland 3-0 while they lost the Alps Cup final to Basel 2-3.
In 1970 he returned to Vicenza in Serie A. He stayed two seasons finishing 8th and 12th under Héctor Puccinelli the first year and Umberto Menti the second. Maraschi played 57 league games with 19 goals and 2 games in Coppa Italia with 3 goals.
In 1972-73 he spent a season in Cagliari in Serie A. The "Casteddu" finished 8th under Edmondo Fabbri and Maraschi played 13 league games with 3 goals (Palermo, Torino, Bologna), 8 in Coppa Italia with 1 goal (Arezzo) and 2 games in the UEFA Cup. In Sardinia he played alongside the great Gigi Riva.
In 1973 he signed for Sampdoria. He stayed three seasons with 13th, 12th and 11th places. His managers were Eugenio Bersellini (The Iron Sergeant), future Lazio Giulio Corsini and then Bersellini again. Maraschi played 64 league games and scored 14 goals. In his "Doria" spell he played with Massimo Cacciatori, Vincenzo Chiarenza, Roberto Badiani, all future Lazio players and with future World Champion coach Marcello Lippi.
In 1976 Maraschi joined Trento in Serie D. The "Tridentini" won promotion to Serie C and he played 28 league games with 11 goals.
His last season was with Legnano in 1977-78 in Serie D. He still had it at almost 40 and scored 9 goals in 19 league games. The Biancoblu finished 14th.
At 39 he retired and had some coaching experiences. First with Legnano in 1978-79 and then with Chiasso in Switzerland in 1994-95 where he won a promotion to National League B. He later worked with the Vicenza female team and in the Vicenza youth sector.
Maraschi was a centre-forward. He was smallish at 1.72 but strong with 74 kilos. He was a classic agile striker who preyed in the opponent's area. He had an excellent club career scoring goals wherever he went. His peak was with Fiorentina where he had the satisfaction of winning a Scudetto in 1969. In his long career he played with forwards such as Santiago Vernazza, Carlo Galli, José Altafini, Paolo Barison, Juan Carlos Morrone, Harald Nielsen, Luís Vinicio, Amarildo, Gigi Riva, Nené plus midfielders such as Nils Liedholm, Gianni Rivera, Helmut Haller, Giancarlo De Sisti and Angelo Domenghini. He scored a total of 135 league goals.
At Lazio he played a total of 75 league games with 16 goals over three seasons. He won a promotion in 1963 and had a good Serie A season in 1963-64.
He died in Arcugnano, Vicenza, on December 3, 2020 at 81.
Lazio Career
Season | Total appearances (goals) | Serie A | Serie B | Coppa Italia | Cup of the Alps |
1960-61 | 1 | - | - | - | 1 |
1961-62 | 17 (3) | - | 17 (3) | - | - |
1962-63 | 28 (8) | - | 27 (8) | 1 | - |
1963-64 | 31 (5) | 31 (5) | - | - | - |
Total | 77 (16) | 31 (5) | 44 (11) | 1 | 1 |
Sources
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