Lightning start and promising debut

Dag Jenkins
Aug 26, 2023
2 min read

Updated: Sep 5

Season 1961-62

First Round, Coppa Italia

Sunday, August 27, 1961

Stadio Flaminio, Rome

Lazio Genoa 3-1

Three goals in first quarter of an hour give Lazio good cup win against potential promotion rivals

This was Lazio's first official game of the season. If today went well the next round of the cup would not be until October 15.

The Serie B league would start on September 3 with an away game at Cosenza in Calabria.

The match

On a humid evening a crowd of about 20,000 turned up for this cup game between two of the favourites for promotion.

Lazio were without forwards Mario Maraschi and Orlando Rozzoni both injured and midfielders Nello Governato and Graziano Landoni both on military service duties.

Genoa were missing goalkeeper Mario Da Pozzo, defender Livio Fongaro, midfielder Bruno Baveni and forward Gustavo Bean.

Lazio started at lightning speed and immediately forced Genoa on the back foot. In the 5th minute Guglielmo Mecozzi crossed to Claudio Bizzarri who laid it on for Angelo Longoni but his shot was a couple of centimetres over the bar.

A few minutes later a Longoni-Dimitri Pinti move was finished by Juan Carlos Morrone but the keeper got a foot to it.

In the 9th minute Lazio scored. Pinti managed to steal the ball off Giancarlo Gallesi, went round him and Antonio Colombo, who had rushed back, and floated the ball in from a difficult angle, 1-0. A great goal, applauded at length by the fans.

In the 10th minute Genoa took off forward Giovanni Bolzoni due to a physical problem and put on midfielder Sauro Fracassa.

Two minutes later Lazio got another. Morrone surged down the wing to the by-line where he got in a perfect cross which Bizzarri put into the back of the net anticipating the keeper, 2-0.

Only three more minutes passed and Pinti crossed for Morrone whose strike went into the top hand corner, 3-0.

The visitors were on their knees and unable to react. Their game was slow and predictable. In the 44th minute however they pulled a goal back courtesy of a misunderstanding between Gilberto Noletti and Morrone which allowed Massimo Giacomini to catch Idilio Cei unawares from long range, 3-1.

At halftime Lazio replaced an injured Bizzarri with Paolo Carosi.

The second half had nothing to say. Genoa were unable to change gear and Lazio controlled the game without ever risking to let the win slip away. The Lazio players looked sharper and after the first quarter of an hour the victory was never in doubt.

In the next round Lazio would play Palermo at home on October 15. Now it was time for the league.

Who played for Lazio

Cei, Zanetti, Eufemi, Noletti, Seghedoni, Gasperi, Bizzarri (46' Carosi), Morrone, Pinti, Mecozzi, Longoni