Lazio quell Calabrian enthusiasm and take a point
Lazio fall behind twice against fired up Cosenza but salvage a draw
The season so far
The previous season Lazio had been relegated to Serie B for the first time in their history. For the first ten matches the manager had been Fulvio Bernardini and then former player Enrique Flamini had taken over with Jesse Carver as technical director. The only highpoints were beating Roma 2-1 and reaching the Coppa Italia final which they then lost 0-2 to Fiorentina. Top scorer was Orlando Rozzoni with 13 goals (11 in A).
This season the manager was Paolo Todeschini. He had played for Lazio in 1948-49 and had recently coached Milan (with Giuseppe Viani as T.D). 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 (would retire early in season but never leave 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 had played one game in Coppa Italia in August beating Genoa 3-1 but this was their debut in the league.
Cosenza were newly promoted. The Rossoblu had won the C group of Serie C the previous season, under manager Francesco Del Morgine and Hungarian Gyula Zsengellér. Top scorer was Agide Lenzi with 20 league goals.
This season the Italo-Hungarian duo was confirmed. The "Lupi della Sila"(Sila Wolves) had played one game in Coppa Italia so far but lost 1-2 away to Messina and were out.
An interesting game today between a former Serie A side and cup winners only three years earlier and a club who had never been as high as Serie B before in their history.
The match: Sunday, September 3, 1961, Stadio Emilio Morrone, Cosenza
There was great enthusiasm in the Athens of Calabria for this historic debut in the second tier of Italian football. The crowd was only 12,000 but the small stadium was packed to the rafters.
Lazio were without forwards Orlando Rozzoni, Maurilio Prini and Mario Maraschi but had defender Adelmo Eufemi unexpectedly available again.
The Rossoblu started strongly, pushed on by a raucous home crowd. Lazio were pegged back and defended well until just after the half hour. In the 32nd minute a through ball by Elio Ardit found speedy Corrado Perli who burst past Vincenzo Gasperi and Eufemi and crossed low for Virginio Costa who beat Idilio Cei from close range. Cosenza 1 Lazio 0.
Lazio responded and equalised just before halftime. A high free kick into the area by Gilberto Noletti found Juan Carlos Morrone, the "Gaucho" volleyed and, thanks to a slight deflection by Oriello Lugli, took the keeper by surprise, Cosenza 1 Lazio 1 at the break.
Lazio started the second half well. After only a few minutes Pinti went past several defenders but then tried a shot from a difficult angle instead of passing to at least a couple of unmarked teammates in the middle.
In the 57th minute the Silani went in front again. On a free kick the Lazio wall was not placed well and Ardit scored with a powerful low strike. Cosenza 2 Lazio 1.
At this point Lazio threw themselves into attacking mode. They put the locals under constant pressure but inevitably exposed themselves to the Calabresi's counterattacks. Both Perli and Costa went close for the "Bruzi" (old Italic Calabrian people of Iron Age) but then with less than ten minutes remaining Lazio's efforts were rewarded.
In the 82nd minute a long throw-in was headed by Pinti to Guglielmo Mecozzi who shot first time, Bruno Amati stretched and saved but could not hold onto it and Angelo Longoni pounced and equalised. Cosenza 2 Lazio 2.
The prospect of a point each and the Calabrian end of summer heat taking its toll then made sure there were no more goals. Final score Cosenza 2 Lazio 2.
All in all, a satisfactory away point for Lazio. The Cosentini players and especially the fans were fuelled by huge excitement and expectation. Some of these small southern grounds were not easy places to come to but Lazio had fallen behind twice and still managed to take a point back to Rome.
The standout players were defenders Gianni Seghedoni and Diego Zanetti for Lazio while Perli and Giustino Ippolito had played well for Cosenza.
Who played for Cosenza
Amati, Follador, Orlando, Ippolito, Federici, Lugli, Ardit, Perli, Lenzi, Danelon, Costa
Manager: Zsengellér
Who played for Lazio
Manager: Todeschini
Referee: Leita
Goals: 32' Costa, 44' Lugli (og), 57 Ardit, 82' Longoni
What happened next
Lazio finished 4th and narrowly missed out on promotion by one point. Todeschini was replaced after 21 matches by Bob Lovati for 5 games and then Carlo Facchini took charge for the last 11 games. Lazio won 14, drew 14 and lost 10. Top scorer was Juan Carlos Morrone with 15 goals (14 in B).
It was therefore not a great season but it could have been enough for promotion had it not been for an extremely controversial episode. On March 4 Lazio played Napoli at home. Lazio were 4th on 27 points and Napoli 5th on 26, so it was an important game. In the 76th minute Giovanni Seghedoni took a free kick for Lazio and scored with the referee pointing to midfield. Lazio celebrated wildly and Pontel, the Napoli keeper, looked gutted but had no complaints. Then the unexpected happened, the linesman claimed the ball had not gone in as a ball boy had picked it up outside the goal and convinced the referee to disallow it. The ball had obviously gone in and then out again through a hole in the net. The Lazio players found the hole but the referee was not interested. The TV images would later show the goal was perfectly valid but it was too late. At the end of the season Napoli were promoted one point ahead of Lazio…with Genoa and Modena.
In Coppa Italia, Lazio then beat Palermo 1-0 but lost in the last 16 to Roma on penalties after a 0-0 draw (Pedro Manfredini scored all 6…).
Cosenza finished 18th. The Calabresi won 11 (all at home...), drew 11 and lost 16 (including Lazio 0-3). Top scorer was Lenzi with 9 league goals. They should have been relegated but stayed up because of Novara's misdemeanours (corruption). Novara who went down instead with Prato and Reggiana.
Lazio 1961-62
Competition | Played | Won | Drawn | Lost | Goals scored |
Serie B | 38 | 14 | 14 | 10 | 50 |
Coppa Italia | 3 | 2 | 1 | - | 4 |
Total | 41 | 16 | 15 | 10 | 54 |
Top 5 appearances
Player | Total | Serie B | Coppa Italia |
Cei | 41 | 38 | 3 |
Zanetti | 37 | 35 | 2 |
Seghedoni | 36 | 33 | 3 |
Morrone | 35 | 33 | 2 |
Gasperi | 32 | 29 | 3 |
Landoni | 32 | 30 | 2 |
Top 5 Goal Scorers
Player | Total | Serie B | Coppa Italia |
Morrone | 15 | 14 | 1 |
Bizzarri | 11 | 10 | 1 |
Longoni | 9 | 9 | - |
Pinti | 5 | 4 | 1 |
Maraschi | 3 | 3 | - |
Let's talk about Gilberto Noletti
Gilberto Noletti was born in Cusano Milanino (Milan) on May 9, 1941.
He spent his formative years with Milan and won two Viareggio youth tournaments. In 1959-60 he joined the first team squad and in two seasons played 3 league games. His manager was Luigi Bonizzoni in the first season and Paolo Todeschini in the second. The Rossoneri finished 3rd and 2nd.
In 1961-62 he spent a year with Lazio on loan, following manager Todeschini who was then replaced after 21 games by Bob Lovati and finally Carlo Facchini. Lazio were in Serie B for the first time in their history and narrowly missed out on promotion by one point. Things were not helped by having a goal ridiculously disallowed in a potentially crucial game against Napoli in March. Against all evidence the linesman and then the referee claimed Lazio's goal had gone in and out through a hole in the net, the game ended 0-0 and Napoli were later promoted. Noletti played 23 league games and 2 in Coppa Italia.
In 1962-63 Milan loaned Noletti to Juventus. The Bianconeri had Brazilian Paolo Amaral as manager and finished 2nd in Serie A and won the Alps Cup. Noletti played 14 league games with 1 goal (Genoa).
In 1963 he returned to Milan where he stayed for four seasons. He played 72 league games and scored 2 goals (Roma, Napoli) plus 4 games in Coppa Italia, 1 in the Fairs Cup and 1 in the Mitropa Cup. The Rossoneri finished 3rd, 2nd, 7th and 8th. In 1963 Milan lost the Intercontinental Cup final against Pelé's Santos but in 1967 won the Coppa Italia, defeating Padova 1-0.
His managers were Luis Carniglia and Nils Liedholm the first year, Liedhom the second, Liedholm and then Giovanni Cattozzo in the third and Arturo Silvestri in the fourth. He played alongside future Lazio, Giuliano Fortunato (1967-72) and former Lazio Massimo Giacomini (1963-64) but also some greats such as Gianni Rivera, Giovanni Trapattoni, Pierino Prati, Angelo Sormani, Karl-Heinz Schnellinger, Giovanni Lodetti, Amarildo, Cesare Maldini and José Altafini to name a few.
In January 1967 however his career took a huge blow. He ruptured his Achilles tendon. In the summer of 1967, he was sold to Sampdoria but never played due to his injury.
He then signed for Lecco in Serie B. In the 1968-69 season the Blucelesti were relegated under former Lazio manager Renato Gei. Noletti played 18 league games.
He then spent three years with Sorrento. The Costieri were initially in Serie C and finished 4th, 1st (promoted) and 19th in B (relegated). In the first year his manager was Paolo Todeschini from his Milan and Lazio days. He played 75 league games with 6 goals. One of his teammates was a young Beppe Bruscolotti who would later win a Scudetto with Napoli in the Maradona years and another was future Lazio, Paolo Franzoni (1973-75).
Noletti's last club was Grosseto. He spent three seasons with the Maremmani in Serie C, finishing 9th, 7th and 10th. He played 63 league games with 5 goals. In his last season one of his teammates was former Lazio, Bruno Chinellato (1970-71).
At 35 Noletti retired.
In his youth he played 16 games for Italy U-21's, winning the Mediterranean Games twice, in 1959 and 1963. He also took part in the Rome 1960 Olympics with Italy finishing 4th.
Noletti was a defender. He was a good club player, as his 76 games for Milan show. His career at top level was cut short by injury at 25, otherwise it is more than likely he would have won several prestigious trophies to add to his Coppa Italia (Milan won a European Cup, a Scudetto, 2 Cup Winners Cups and the Coppa Italia twice between 1968 and 1973).
At Lazio he only spent one season on loan. It was an unlucky one for the Biancocelesti who narrowly missed out on promotion finishing 4th. Noletti however performed well and from Rome moved on to Juventus on loan.
Gilberto Noletti died in Forlì, on April 28, 2024.
Lazio Career
Season | Total appearances (goals) | Serie B | Coppa Italia |
1961-62 | 25 | 23 | 2 |
Sources
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