Two points in the Zac for clinical Lazio
Foggia attack and create chances for 90 minutes but Lazio score and snatch points
Also on this day: November 21, 1948, Lazio Bologna 8-2. Lazio stun Bologna with an unexpected thrashing. Player of the day: Paolo Todeschini
The season so far
Lazio had renewed ambitions this season with the long awaited return of golden boys Bruno Giordano and Lionello Manfredonia after the betting scandal.
The previous season Lazio had finished disappointingly 10th but they now had some optimism and enthusiasm. Some interesting players had come in such as goalkeeper Fernando Orsi, defenders Gabriele Podavini and Marco Saltarelli, midfielders Enrico Vella and Roberto Tavola plus forward Claudio Ambu.
Players who had left the capital included defender Giorgio Mastropasqua, midfielder Dario Sanguin, forwards Claudio Vagheggi and Walter Speggiorin. Lazio had also said farewell to scudetto heroes Felice Pulici and Renzo Garlaschelli.
After a hesitant start Lazio finally had some wind in their sails and travelled down to Puglia with 4 consecutive wins under their belts.
Foggia on the other hand, despite a reasonable start, had the sole objective of survival. A feat they had managed the previous season with their 14th placed finish, with only a point less than Lazio.
The match: Sunday, November 21, 1982, Foggia, Stadio Pino Zaccheria
Foggia's symbol is the devil and the team are known as the “Satanelli” (little satans) but some locals must have thought Lazio's eagle had some satanic qualities judging by the manner the Romans took home the 2 points.
Lazio took an early lead after only 8 minutes through a Navone own goal. From then on it was one furious attack after another by the spirited “Satanelli”. Lazio were forced to dig deep as Foggia relentlessly pushed forward. They had several chances, hitting two posts and giving keeper Orsi a particularly busy afternoon.
The second half saw much of the same script, as Foggia desperately looked for an equaliser. They had more chances, especially with youngster Marco Calonaci, but it was not to be and the more experienced Lazio side took advantage of their second dangerous counter attack with a well taken goal by Giordano. Foggia had been pushing more and more men forward and were punished for their generosity with five minutes remaining on the clock. A clever ball by Vincenzo D'Amico put “Bruno gol” through with only the keeper to beat, which he duly did with a neat finish.
The story of the encounter was one of constant Foggia attacks with posts, goal line scrambles, near misses and saves but it was Lazio's day and they got the all important goals. A clinical performance by Lazio who obtained their 5th consecutive win and, cherry on the cake, went top of the table overtaking AC Milan.
The local fans understandably saw it "slightly" differently and the chants of "ladri ladri" (thieves) echoed around the Zaccheria long after Lazio had set off with the 2 points in their sack on their way back to Rome.
Who played for Foggia
Laveneziana, Barella, Maritozzi, Tormen, Petruzzelli, Sassarini, Cini, Morsia (Conca 86'), Bordon, Navone (Caravella 70'), Calonaci
Substitutes: Mattolini, Rocca, Redeghieri
Manager: Leonardi
Who played for Lazio
Orsi, Podavini, Saltarelli, Vella, Miele, Perrone (21' Pochesci), Ambu, Manfredonia, Giordano, D'Amico, De Nadai
Manager: Clagluna
Referee: D'Elia
Goals: 8' Navone (og), 85' Giordano.
What happened next
Lazio didn't have an easy ride by any means, but did enough to win the agonised promotion back to the elite Serie A, after 3 difficult years. In the end they had that extra quality in the squad plus top scorer Giordano in the team to get them over the line just one point ahead of Cremonese, Como and Catania. These three ended up in a play off, with Catania eventually clinching the last promotion slot.
Foggia meanwhile continued to struggle and their fighting spirit was ultimately not enough to keep them up. They were relegated to Serie C after a 19th place finish, their only consolation was possibly taking regional rivals Bari down with them, alongside Bologna and Reggiana.
Lazio 1982-83
Competition | Played | Won | Drawn | Lost | Goals scored |
Serie B | 38 | 14 | 18 | 6 | 44 |
Coppa Italia | 5 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 8 |
Total | 43 | 16 | 19 | 8 | 52 |
Top five appearances (complete player statistics)
Player | Total | Serie B | Coppa Italia |
43 | 38 | 5 | |
42 | 38 | 4 | |
39 | 34 | 5 | |
38 | 34 | 4 | |
38 | 36 | 2 |
Top five goal scorers (complete player statistics)
Player | Total | Serie B | Coppa Italia |
Bruno Giordano | 21 | 18 | 3 |
Enrico Vella | 5 | 5 | - |
Vincenzo D'Amico | 5 | 4 | 1 |
Lionello Manfredonia | 4 | 4 | - |
Claudio Ambu | 4 | 3 | 1 |
Let's talk about Paolo Pochesci
Paolo Pochesci was born in Frascati, near Rome, on May 26, 1961. His birth date would later be cause for double celebrations but that's another story.
Pochesci started playing in the Lazio youth sector. He was a promising central defender and already on the fringes of the first team when the betting scandal broke out in 1979. Lazio were dragged into it big time and many players including Giordano, Giuseppe Wilson and Manfredonia were subsequently barred from playing. Pochesci, along with several other youth players, was suddenly thrown into the deep end in the desperate attempt to prevent Lazio sinking down to Serie B. The youngsters, led by veteran scudetto hero D'Amico, succeeded in the feat only for it all to be thwarted by the court sentence which condemned Lazio to relegation.
The 1979-80 season had however given Pochesci the breakthrough he was looking for. He paired up with another talented young defender Carlo Perrone, and it was hoped by many that they would form the future of Lazio's defence. The high hopes unfortunately never materialised as Perrone left Lazio in 1981, and although Pochesci did stay at Lazio for four seasons, he never quite reached the expected levels forecasted for him.
He played 82 games for Lazio (3 in Serie A, 67 in Serie B and 12 in Coppa Italia) and scored 3 goals (all in Serie B). One of his goals could have gone down in history had Roberto Chiodi not missed a late penalty against Vicenza in 1981 with Lazio thus missing out on promotion to Serie A.
In 1983 Pochesci was sold to Ascoli where he played on and off for 3 seasons (31 appearances), then Campobasso for a year (4 appearances), Brindisi for a year (14 appearances) and finally a solid 5 years at Ternana (124 appearances and 5 goals).
Pochesci was a classic, strong, physical defender, ideal for the man to man marking of Italian football at the time. He did fulfil his childhood dream of playing for Lazio but perhaps never reached his full potential.
After hanging up his boots he had a spell as manager at Monterotondo (near Rome at regional level) and in 2006 returned home to Lazio and worked in the youth sector until 2014. From 2017 he returned to his hometown of Frascati (in the Castelli hills near Rome) to take charge of the youth sector there.
Pochesci also does punditry for Lazio's official TV Lazio Style Channel, so he's definitely still part of the Lazio family.
Lazio Career
Season | Total appearances (goals) | Serie A | Serie B | Coppa Italia |
1979-80 | 3 | 3 | - | - |
1980-81 | 34 (3) | - | 31 (3) | 3 |
1981-82 | 23 | - | 21 | 4 |
1982-83 | 20 | | 15 | 5 |
Totals | 82 (3) | 3 | 67 (3) | 12 |
Sources
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