Five of a kind
Lazio score five increasing promotion hopes
Also on this day: May 12, 1974, Lazio Foggia 1-0. By beating Foggia 1-0 Lazio win their first scudetto. Lazio Legend of the day: Giorgio Chinaglia
The season so far
The previous season Lazio had lost out on promotion by just one point due to the infamous ghost goal.
Lazio had to play Napoli at the Stadio Flaminio on March 4, 1962. It was a big match, if Lazio won the immediate return to Serie A would have been downhill. In the 76th minute the referee, Iginio Rigato, gave a free kick to Lazio. Gianni Seghedoni with a splendid shot put the ball in the back of the net. The Lazio players and fans celebrated, the Napoli players despaired. Rigato laughed. “It’s not a goal, the ball was out”. He claimed there was a hole in the net and the ball went right through it. Lazio protested but there was nothing the players could do. The Rai TV footage proved the referee’s mistake and Lazio appealed to the Lega Calcio, but the game’s result remained 0-0. The referee never admitted his mistake. Lazio missed out on promotion by one point, Napoli went into Serie A thanks to that point.
In the summer transfer window not a lot was done, with perhaps the exception of the return of Pierluigi Pagni from his loan to Cosenza. More interesting were the autumn transfers with Gianfranco Garbuglia, Gianbattista Moschino on loan and the return of fan favourite Orlando Rozzoni. Also signed was Gianmarco Calleri who would have an important impact on Lazio but in another role in 20 years’ time. Leaving Lazio were, among many, Giacomo Del Gratta, Franco Pezzullo and Maurilio Prini.
After just four games Lazio had sacked manager Carlo Facchini and called up Juan Carlos Lorenzo for the first of his three stints with the Biancocelesti. The promotion race was very tight with lots of teams involved. At the end of the first half of the season Lazio were 6th just one point off Padova, Foggia and Lecco, third, and two behind Brescia. Messina were leaders.
Lazio reached second place in the second half of March after four consecutive wins and stayed in the promotion zone from then on. They were currently second together with Bari and had a two-point advantage over fourth placed Brescia (three teams were promoted).
The match: Sunday, May 12, 1963, Stadio Olimpico, Rome
Manager Juan Carlos Lorenzo decided to throw in Giovanni Seghedoni after months of him not playing and to put Claudio Bizzarri on the right wing. And Lazio started well. Very well. In the 5th minute Giancarlo Morrone tried a shot at goal from outside the box on the left, Mario Rossi parried, Paolo Bernasconi was ready for the tap in. Six minutes later, free kick for the Biancocelesti, 30 metres out. Seghedoni shot, the goalkeeper fumbled, 2-0 for Lazio.
Messina reacted with a great shot from Eugenio Fascetti which went just out. But in the 38th minute Morrone dribbled past Filippo Regni and beat the Messina goalkeeper for the third time.
In the second half, the Islanders tried to push Lazio back and Idilio Cei was miraculous on a Pilade Canuti header. In the 61st minute perfect cross from Morrone, Bizzari headed the ball but it was wide. Four minutes later another great cross from “Il Gaucho”, Giambattista Moschino headed the ball in.
In the 73rd minute Messina scored with a Eugenio Brambilla shot from outside the box and, shortly after, Cei managed to parry an almost perfect header from Lucio Mujesan. In the 87th minute Graziano Landoni made it five after the Messina defence unsuccessfully tried to clear the ball.
Lazio now had a three-point lead over Brescia with five games to go.
Who played for Lazio
Cei, Zanetti, Garbuglia, Governato, Seghedoni, Gasperi, Bizzarri, Landoni, Bernasconi, Morrone, Moschino
Manager: Lovati
TD: Lorenzo
Who played for Messina
Rossi, Regni, Stucchi, Radaelli, Ghelfi, Landri, Calzolari, Fascetti, Mujesan, Canuti, Brambilla
Manager: Mannocci
Referee: Grignani
Goals: 5’ Bernasconi, 11’ Seghedoni, 38’ Morrone, 65’ Moschino, 73’ Brambilla, 87’ Landoni
What happened next
Lazio won promotion to Serie A in the very last game, after winning against Pro Patria 2-0. A triumphant year for Lazio who came second behind Messina and in the company of Bari. A deserved return to Serie A. Idilio Cei and Diego Zanetti were the players with most appearances (39), Giancarlo Morrone, Paolo Bernasconi and Orlando Rozzoni the top goal scorers (10).
Lazio 1962-63
Competition | Played | Won | Drawn | Lost | Goals scored |
Serie B | 38 | 18 | 12 | 8 | 50 |
Coppa Italia | 1 | - | - | 1 | - |
Total | 39 | 18 | 12 | 9 | 50 |
Lazio top five appearances
Player | Total | Serie B | Coppa Italia |
Cei | 39 | 38 | 1 |
Zanetti | 39 | 38 | 1 |
Gasperi | 38 | 37 | 1 |
Governato | 36 | 35 | 1 |
Landoni | 36 | 35 | 1 |
Lazio top five goal scorers
Player | Serie B |
Morrone | 10 |
Bernasconi | 10 |
Rozzoni | 10 |
Maraschi | 8 |
Moschino | 5 |
Let's talk about Paolo Bernasconi
Paolo Bernasconi was born on July 7, 1938 in Uggiate-Trevano near Como. He started playing football with Lilion Snia Varedo in the fourth tier in 1958 and a year later signed for Fanfulla in Serie C. After his particularly prolific third year, with 16 goals in 30 appearances, in 1962 he moved to the capital to play for the right side of the Tiber.
He did very well at Lazio, contributing to their return to Serie A with 24 appearances and 10 goals. He was then surprisingly sold at the end of the season to Parma in Serie B where he did not play much and, more importantly for a forward like him, did not score. In 1964 he signed for Triestina and a year later moved to Arezzo in Serie C. The Umbrians were promoted and he was top Serie C scorer that season with 14 goals. He stayed in the following year too but found little playing time, just 11 appearances. He played his last year in competitive football with Ternana in the third tier in 1967-68. His last professional years were in Serie D with CIttà di Castello, Pavia and Fanfulla.
It was a pity his stay at Lazio was so brief, but it must be considered the highlight of his professional career.
Lazio career
Season | Total games (goals) | Serie B | Coppa Italia |
1962-63 | 24 (10) | 23 (10) | 1 |
Sources
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