June 3, 1962: Lazio-Alessandria 7-2
- Dag Jenkins
- Jun 3
- 7 min read
Lazio pile on goals to atone promotion disappointment
Lazio give Alessandria epic thrashing but Serie A must wait
Also on this day:
The season so far
Lazio had been relegated the previous season for the first time in their history. The Biancocelesti had started the season under Fulvio Bernardini (1-10) and then continued with Enrique Flamini from the 11th fixture, with Jesse Carver as technical director from the 15th. Lazio finished 18th in last position, a disastrous season. Things went better in Coppa Italia but ultimately Lazio lost in the final 0-2 to Fiorentina.
This season the manager was initially Paolo Todeschini. He had played for Lazio in 1948-49 and had recently coached Milan (with Giuseppe Viani as T.D). The objective was obviously promotion but the lower category brought numerous changes to the squad.
The main new arrivals were defenders Vincenzo Gasperi (Atalanta), Gilberto Noletti (Milan - on loan), Gianni Seghedoni (Bari), Diego Zanetti (Novara), midfielders Nello Governato (Como), Graziano Landoni (Messina) and forward Dimitri Pinti (Vicenza).
Some big names left, these included: keeper Bob Lovati (he would retire early in season but then never left Lazio), defenders Franco Janich (Bologna), Franco Carradori (Brescia), Bruno Franzini (Bologna), midfielders Pierluigi Pagni (Cosenza - on loan, he would return and stay another 6 years), Ugo Pozzan (Pisa), Egidio Fumagalli (Novara) plus forward Amos Mariani (Napoli). Eight players with 550 league games between them.
Lazio were currently in 6th position but only one point behind three teams in 3rd place. The problem was this was the last game of the season so it was highly unlikely not one of them would win the last game and clinch the third promotion slot.
Lazio had so far won 13, drawn 14 and lost 10. A week earlier the Biancocelesti had lost a crucial promotion clash to Verona, 0-1 away thus practically ending any hopes of bouncing straight up to Serie A.
After the 21st fixture (a 0-1 defeat at Lucchese) Todeschini had been replaced by Bob Lovati and then after the 27th fixture (a 0-0 home draw with Genoa) Carlo Facchini had taken over.
One problem was too many defeats but Lazio had also been heavily penalised by the referee in a home match against rivals Napoli on March 4. With the score on 0-0 Lazio’s Gianni Seghedoni scored a perfectly good goal but it was absurdly disallowed as the referee claimed, convinced by the linesman, that the ball had not gone in at all. What had clearly happened, as TV footage later showed, was that it had gone in as everyone had seen but then out again through a hole in the net.
The fact was that the game ended 0-0 and Lazio were robbed of a potentially vital point.
Alessandria had finished 7th in Serie B the previous season. The manager was Camillo Achilli and top scorer Giovanni Fanello with 26 goals (25 in B).
This season the manager was Pietro Rava. The main new players were: defender Antonio Schiavoni (back from Tevere Roma), midfielders Bruno Cantone (Derthona) and Francesco Rizzo (Cosenza) plus forward Renzo Cappellaro (Vicenza).
Leaving the town named after Pope Alexander III were; goalkeeper Ideo Stefani (Grosseto), defenders Giancarlo Bercellino (Juventus - end of loan), Aldo Nardi (Grosseto), midfielders Alfonso Sicurani (Lucchese), Cirano Snidero (Pordenone), Giorgio Azzimonti (Solbiatese) plus forwards Giovanni Fanello (Napoli) and Giancarlo Filini (Potenza).
The "Orsi Grigi" (Grey Bears) were in 9th place and safe. The Piedmontese had won 13 (including Lazio 2-0), drawn 10 and lost 14. Their most recent match had been a 2-1 home win over Sambenedettese.
In Coppa Italia they had been eliminated in August by Napoli but only on penalties after a 1-1 away draw.
An end of season game between a disappointed Lazio and an already satisfied Alessandria.
The match: Sunday, June 3, 1962, Stadio Flaminio, Rome
A sunny June day only brought about 15,000 spectators to the Flaminio.
Lazio were without defender Adelmo Eufemi, midfielder Graziano Landoni and forward Claudio Bizzarri who was suspended.
Alessandria had midfielder Francesco Rizzo missing.
Lazio were on top from the start and went in front after a quarter of an hour. The visitors cleared the area but only as far as Graziano Landoni, he passed to Juan Carlos Morrone whose shot found the gap between the defenders and beat Sergio Notarnicola, 1-0.
The "Gaucho" Morrone scored again a minute later. He won the ball back, anticipating Antonio Schiavoni, and sent a surgical cross goal shot into the corner, 2-0 to Lazio.
Lazio were rampant and made it three in the 21st minute. This time Morrone was the assist man, he put Dimitri Pinti through on goal, his first effort was saved but he then scored on the rebound, 3-0 to Lazio.
Only four minutes passed before the Biancocelesti scored again. In the 25th minute a Mario Maraschi-Pinti move was finished off by Angelo Longoni, he controlled, dribbled past a defender and put an unstoppable shot past the keeper, 4-0.
Lazio then made it five in the 37th minute, this time with the complicity of the keeper. A Maraschi shot was parried and then Longoni from a difficult angle managed to score but with some help by Notarnicola who should have done better.
At halftime the score line was a rout, Lazio 5 Alessandria 0.
The situation did not change in the first part of the second half. In the 51st minute Maraschi's powerful strike bent Notarnicola's hands and went in for the 6-0. In the 57th minute Morrone got his hat-trick when he curled a freekick round the wall and in. Lazio 7 Alessandria 0.
At this point Lazio eased off and the Piedmontese managed to pull two goals back and save some face. In the 71st minute Renzo Cappellaro hit a shot which Idilio Cei could not hold onto due to its power and in the 83rd the centre-forward struck again surging forward and finishing a Giovanni Giacomazzi-Giuseppe Sala move. This goal was important for him personally as he became the league's top scorer with 21 goals.
The game ended 7-2. An epic win for Lazio but the other results had not gone their way so no last-minute miracle.
Who played for Lazio
Manager: Facchini
Who played for Alessandria
Notarnicola, Melideo, Giacomazzi, Migliavacca, Bassi, Schiavoni, Vitali, Cantone, Cappellaro, Sala, Bettini
Manager: Rava
Referee: Samani
Goals: 15' Morrone, 16' Morrone, 21' Pinti, 25' Longoni, 37' Longoni, 51' Maraschi, 57' Morrone, 70' Cappellaro, 81' Cappellaro
What happened next
Lazio finished 4th, one point behind 3rd placed and promoted Napoli… The injustice was complete. Top scorer was Juan Carlos Morrone with 15 goals (14 in B). Lazio would have to wait another year to get back to the top flight of Italian football.
Alessandria finished 10th and their top scorer was Renzo Cappellaro with 22 goals (21 in B and top league scorer with Genoa's Gastone Bean).
Serie A awaited league winners Genoa, Napoli (who also surprisingly won the Coppa Italia) and Modena. At the other end Novara, Prato and Reggiana went down to Serie C.
Let's talk about Massimo Giovannini
Massimo Giovannini was Special Commissioner of Lazio in a delicate phase of their history. He was a graduate in Economic Sciences and came from a family of Laziali.
In the 1960-61 season the Biancocelesti were struggling in Serie A but even more so off the field. Financial difficulties were strangling the club and on February 1 1961 the president Costantino Tessarolo resigned.
At this point, on February 10, Massimo Giovannini was made Special Commissioner by the President of the League Giuseppe Pasquale. Giovannini had already been a councillor at Lazio and knew the Biancoceleste world well. His main task however was to alleviate their economic problems.
In Serie A things went from bad to worse and Lazio were relegated. They fared better in the Coppa Italia but were beaten in the final by Fiorentina 0-2.
Giovannini started a strict austerity plan in an attempt to limit expenses.
Lazio sold 14 players (including Ugo Pozzan, Egidio Fumagalli, Franco Carradori, Franco Janich and Amos Mariani), sent a few out on loan (including Pierluigi Pagni) while Bob Lovati retired.
The main signings were Vincenzo Gasperi (Atalanta), Gianni Seghedoni (Bari), Diego Zanetti (Novara), Nello Governato (Como) and Graziano Landoni (Messina).
Lazio got through three different managers over the season; Paolo Todeschini (1-21), Bob Lovati (22-27) and Carlo Facchini (28-38). Lazio narrowly missed promotion by one point. The campaign was full of controversy as in March, in a game against promotion rivals Napoli, the Biancocelesti had a perfectly good goal by Seghedoni disallowed (the referee absurdly claimed it had not gone in at all). In the end the team that pipped Lazio to the Serie A post were Napoli.
Disappointment on the field but Lazio's finances had improved. On June 14 1962 Giovannini announced that Lazio's debt had been halved.
The Lazio board wanted to prolong the period in administration but the Italian League disagreed and imposed another partner Angelo Miceli to work by Giovannini's side for three months.
In the summer transfer market Lazio sold seven players (including 1958 cup final scorer Maurilio Prini), sent two out on loan and ended two other loans while only bringing back a few loans (including Pierluigi Pagni) and adding Paolo Bernasconi (Fanfulla).
More was done in the autumn session when Lazio added players such as defender Gianfranco Garbuglia (Sambenedettese), midfielder Giambattista Moschino (Torino-on loan) and forward Orlando Rozzoni (Udinese).
On September 27 1962 Ernesto Brivio took over as Lazio President. Giovannini and Miceli stayed on the board. Brivio however soon proved to be untrustworthy and eventually disappeared. Giovannini and Miceli were therefore heavily involved in the running of the club again.
Meanwhile on the field Lazio won promotion back to Serie A, first under Carlo Facchin (game 1-4) and then Bob Lovati (5-38) with Juan Carlos Lorenzo as technical director (5-38).
Giovannini then slowly diminished his involvement leaving the reigns to Miceli who worked as a Commissioner before being named President on December 12, 1963.
Giovannini died of a heart attack at only 51, on April 18 1974. Just under a month later Lazio would win their first historic Scudetto.
Giovannini was involved with Lazio in a particularly difficult period of their history. He worked in various roles and never turned down help for Lazio in turbulent financial times. His decisions and strategies were sometimes questioned but never his dedication to the club.
Sources
Comentarios