Miracle draw

Simon Basten
Jan 6, 2025
3 min read

Season 1945-46

Game 9, National Division Centre South A-B League

Sunday, January 6, 1946,

Rampigna, Pescara

Pescara Lazio 2-2

Having arrived just before the game and trailing immediately, Lazio manage a comeback in the second half

The war was over, but Italy was in ruins. It was difficult to travel in the country, so the Italian Football Federation decided to start the season anyway, but with a different formula. Serie A and B were joined as one and split into a northern league and a centre southern one.

Lazio played in the latter which had difficulty in finding 12 teams. In the end there were eleven since Pisa did not have the funds and MATER had been dissolved. The top four in each group would go on to play a final round robin for the scudetto.

The Biancocelesti had played 8 games so far and had won just one. It was not a good season so far. Some players had returned after the war, but obviously the team suffered the lack of quality. Dino Canestri was the head coach initially but was sacked after losing the derby and the team was given to Salvatore Gualtieri who acted as player/manager. Today was his first game since he had been appointed.

The match: Sunday, January 6, 1946, Rampigna, Pescara

Lazio snatched a dramatic and unexpected point at the Rampigna after an exhausting and chaotic day that saw them arrive in Pescara just minutes before kick-off, following an adventurous journey disrupted by heavy snowfall. Despite conceding twice in the first half, the Biancocelesti found the strength to recover and secure a draw in a match of low technical quality but high intensity.

Pescara vs Lazio should have been played on December 16, but it had been postponed.

Today the visitors’ travel problems began when snow blocked their route at Tagliacozzo, forcing them to turn back and take the Rieti–L’Aquila road. The disruption appeared to take its toll early on, as Pescara dominated the opening stages and surged into a deserved two-goal lead.

The hosts struck in the 3rd minute when Edmondo Maturo unleashed a long-range effort that crashed against the crossbar. Uber Gradella failed to hold the rebound and Mario Tontodonati reacted quickest, heading the ball into the net. Pescara continued to press relentlessly: Berardo Lanciaprima hit the post in the 7th minute, Aldo Puccinelli was denied by Mariano Fabiani two minutes later, and Giannino Di Teodoro went close on several occasions as Lazio struggled to cope.

The pressure finally paid off again in the 40th minute. From a free kick delivered by Lanciaprima, Alfredo De Angelis rose highest to head home and double Pescara’s advantage, sending the home side into the interval firmly in control.

At that point, Pescara appeared clearly superior, while Lazio looked fragile and disorganized. However, the second half told a very different story. The Biancocelesti reshuffled their lineup, swapping roles between Cesare Brunetti and Petar Manola, and gradually grew into the game as Pescara’s intensity faded.

Although the early moments of the second half produced little of note, the turning point arrived in the 58th minute when the referee—after previously overlooking several fouls—awarded Lazio a penalty for a foul on Henglebert Koenig. The striker calmly converted to reduce the deficit.

Pescara had one final chance to restore their two-goal cushion in the 16th minute of the half, but Tontodonati’s first-time volley, set up by Maturo, struck the crossbar. Two minutes later Lazio completed their comeback: a swift move involving Puccinelli and Umberto Lombardini released Koenig, who fired a sharp, decisive shot past the goalkeeper to make it 2–2.

The final stages descended into a scrappy and ill-tempered affair, marked by frequent stoppages, personal clashes, and injuries. De Angelis, Ciriaco D’Incecco, and Lanciaprima were all forced off, while Koenig continued in a different role after picking up a knock. By the end, Pescara had lost all attacking impetus, allowing Lazio to comfortably defend the draw.

Salvatore Gualtieri stood out as Lazio’s best performer, supported by Puccinelli, Manola, Sergio Del Pinto, and goalkeeper Gradella. For Pescara, Italo Romagnoli and Lanciaprima were among the few positives, with Maturo and Di Teodoro also showing flashes of quality in an otherwise disappointing collective display.

Who played for Pescara

Fabiani, Romagnoli II, Brandimarte II, D’Incecco, De Angelis, Brandimarte I, Lanciaprima, Maturo, Tontodonati, Di Teodoro, Suozi

Manager: Marchi

Who played for Lazio

Gradella, Antonazzi, Ferri, Manola, Gualtieri, Del Pinto, Puccinelli, Brunetti, Koenig, Lombardini, Tossio