Lazio win and go joint top
A routine win despite late Wilson own goal and perfect preparation for derby despite Chinaglia injury scare
The season so far
The previous season Lazio had been promoted back to Serie A under the "Il Maestro", Tommaso Maestrelli. Top scorer had been "Long John" Giorgio Chinaglia with 26 goals (21 in B). Lazio had also had the satisfaction of beating Roma in a Coppa Italia game (1-0, Chinaglia).
This season Maestrelli was obviously still the manager but there had been some important changes to the squad. The main players arriving were: goalkeeper Felice Pulici (Novara), defender Sergio Petrelli (a rare deal with Roma), midfielders Mario Frustalupi (Inter), Pierpaolo Manservisi (Napoli-end of loan), Ferruccio Mazzola (Fiorentina- end of loan) and Luciano Re Cecconi (Foggia) plus forward Renzo Garlaschelli (Como).
Leaving were keepers Claudio Bandoni (Catanzaro) and Rosario Di Vincenzo (Brindisi), defender Giuseppe Papadopulo (Brindisi), midfielders Arrigo Dolso (Alessandria), Giuseppe Massa (Inter) and Alessandro Abbondanza (Napoli-end of loan) plus forwards Carlo Facchin (retiring) and Giuliano Fortunato (Lecce).
So quite a lot of changes to the squad. The main sacrifice was letting go of Massa but the arrival of Frustalupi would turn out to be a history changer for Lazio.
The season had started in August with the Coppa Italia. It went badly and Lazio were out, after losing 3 (Napoli 0-1 at home, Brindisi 0-1 away and Taranto 1-2 at home) and drawing 1 (Palermo 0-0 away).
In Serie A fortunately things had gone better. After four games Lazio had 6 points. The Biancocelesti had won 2 (Fiorentina 1-0 and Vicenza 2-1, both away) and drawn 2 (Inter 0-0 and Juventus 1-1, both at home).
Today Lazio wanted to continue their good start and give their fans a first home win.
Ternana had won Serie B the previous season, ahead of Lazio. The promotion manager was Corrado Viciani and top goal scorer was former Lazio, Piero Cucchi with 10 goals (8 in B). The Rossoverdi had beaten Lazio in Terni and drawn in Rome.
This season Viciani was still in his place but Cucchi had been sold to Arezzo. The main new players were keeper Giancarlo Alessandrelli (Juventus-on loan), defender Mauro Agretti (Perugia), midfielders Bruno Beatrice (Arezzo), Alberto Grossetti (Novara) plus strikers Nicola Trani (Perugia) and Paolo Ferrario (Cesena). Ternana also had a young Giorgio Mastropasqua on their books as well as future world champion Franco Selvaggi. This was Ternana's first historic appearance in Italian top flight football.
The "Fere" were already out of the Coppa Italia. The Umbri had drawn 2 (Ascoli 1-1 and Arezzo 0-0, both away) and lost 2 (Cagliari 3-1 and Perugia 5-0, both away).
In Serie A things were going slightly better. So far, the Rossoverdi had won 1 (Bologna 2-0 at home), drawn 1 (Milan 0-0 at home) and lost 2 (Napoli 0-1 and Torino 0-2, both away). They were therefore on 3 points.
So Ternana's debut at the Olimpico in Serie A and the continuation of the previous year's rivalry.
The match: Sunday, November 5, 1972, Stadio Olimpico, Rome
A big crowd of 60,000 were at the Olimpico on a nice, sunny November day.
Lazio had their best team and celebrated captain Pino Wilson's and Mario Facco's 100th game for the Biancocelesti.
During the week Tommaso Maestrelli had drilled into the team the notion that the Rossoverdi from Terni were in no way to be underestimated. The team seemed to have listened and took charge of the midfield and attacked.
Ternana however were extremely compact and defended well. In the 19th minute the Umbrian’s number 3 Agretti came to Lazio's aid giving away a cheap penalty on Chinaglia. "Long John" beat Alessandrelli with a spot kick into the left corner. Lazio 1 Ternana 0.
Only five minutes later Giorgio Mastropasqua fouled Franco Nanni in the area, this time it was a clear penalty and the referee again pointed to the nine-metre spot. At this point there was a bit of drama as the referee, confusing the two players, booked Agretti for the second time and ordered him to leave the field. The man in black then corrected his mistake and booked Mastropasqua but Agretti, seemingly on the verge of a nervous breakdown, wanted to abandon the field in protest. It took a few slaps by manager Viciani to convince him to carry on.
Finally, the penalty was taken but Chinaglia, maybe distracted by all the palaver, had his shot saved by Alessandrelli.
The game became dirtier after this bit of theatre but Lazio doubled their lead in the 37th minute. Mario Frustalupi skilfully dribbled past a defender and let loose a powerful, long range right foot from about 25 metres out, which went in at mid height, in the left-hand corner. A brilliant goal, Lazio 2 Ternana 0 at half time.
In the second half Lazio slowed the rhythm down and controlled Ternana's sterile attempts to get back into the game. Franco Nanni almost made it three when his proverbial bullet of a shot, on the half volley, hit the post.
In the 76th minute came an unexpected twist when Giuseppe Wilson turned an innocuous Beatrice cross into his own net. Lazio 2 Ternana 1. Out of the blue the game was reopened and in the 78th minute Lazio put on a more defensive Sergio Petrelli for Renzo Garlaschelli.
Lazio did not run any excessive risks but in the dying minutes came a major worry when Chinaglia was forced off with an ankle injury which needed several stitches. Not good news a week before the derby. The good news was the final whistle which gave Lazio another two points. Lazio 2 Ternana 1.
A good win for the Biancocelesti with standout performances by midfielders Nanni, Frustalupi and Luciano Re Cecconi. The table now read Lazio, Milan, Inter and Roma all joint top with 8 points. Next up, the derby...
Who played for Lazio
Pulici, Facco, Martini, Wilson, Oddi, Nanni, Garlaschelli (78' Petrelli), Re Cecconi, Chinaglia, Frustalupi, Manservisi
Substitutes: Moriggi
Manager: Maestrelli
Who played for Ternana
Alessandrelli, Benatti, Agretti, Mastropasqua, Rosa, Marinai, Cardillo, Lucchitta, Jacolino, Russo, Beatrice
Substitutes: Tancredi, Brutto
Manager: Viciani
Referee: Toselli
Goals: 20' Chinaglia (pen), 37' Frustalupi, 76' Wilson (og)
What happened next
Chinaglia recovered and Lazio won the derby a week later 1-0 with a goal by "Bombardino" Franco Nanni. Lazio went on to have a fantastic season and challenged for the scudetto until the end.
Going into the last fixture the table read; Milan 44, Lazio and Juventus 43. Milan were soon 0-4 down at Verona (Milan had played Cup Winners Cup final midweek) and at halftime Lazio were drawing 0-0 in Naples and Juventus losing 0-1 to Roma, in Rome. A playoff between Lazio and Milan was on the cards. Then unfortunately almost surely thanks to "financial incentives" and personal interests Roma stopped playing and lost while Napoli, also apparently paid off by the "Old Lady" played the game of their lives, scored in the 88th minute and acted as if they had won the world cup.
A pity for Lazio but they had played great football and had an excellent season finishing 3rd. They also won both derbies (1-0, 2-0). Top scorer was Giorgio Chinaglia with 11 goals (10 in A). The following year would be different but that's another story.
Ternana struggled all season and ended up relegated back to Serie B. The Umbri only won 3 games, drew 10 (including Roma away) and lost 17 (including Lazio 0-1). They only scored 14 goals all season. Giorgio Mastropasqua was one of the five top scorers with 2 goals…
So, Juventus champions for the 15th time. Going down with Ternana were Atalanta and Palermo while Roma only stayed up on goal difference.
Lazio 1972-73
Competition | Played | Won | Drawn | Lost | Goals Scored |
Serie A | 30 | 16 | 11 | 3 | 33 |
Coppa Italia | 4 | - | 1 | 3 | 1 |
Anglo-Italian Cup | 4 | - | 2 | 2 | 4 |
Total | 38 | 16 | 14 | 8 | 38 |
Top five appearances
Player | Total | Serie A | Coppa Italia | Anglo-Italian Cup |
Chinaglia | 37 | 30 | 4 | 3 |
Oddi | 36 | 30 | 4 | 2 |
Frustalupi | 36 | 30 | 4 | 2 |
Pulici | 36 | 30 | 4 | 2 |
Wilson | 36 | 30 | 4 | 2 |
Top goal scorers
Player | Total | Serie A | Coppa Italia | Anglo-Italian Cup |
Chinaglia | 13 | 10 | 1 | 2 |
Nanni | 7 | 7 | - | - |
Garlaschelli | 7 | 7 | - | - |
La Rosa | 3 | 2 | - | 1 |
Let's talk about Mario Frustalupi
Mario Frustalupi was born in Orvieto (Terni), on September 16, 1942.
He started playing for his local team Orvietana in 1957 but in 1960 joined Sampdoria. He did not manage to make his debut with the Blucerchiati so in 1961 he was loaned to Empoli in Serie C.
In Tuscany he played 19 league games with 2 goals, under player manager Egisto Pandolfini, but the Azzurri were relegated to Serie D.
In 1962-63 he was back with Sampdoria in Serie A. This time he made his debut on May 5, 1963 against Torino, scoring a goal in a 2-4 defeat. That however was his only appearance, under first Roberto Lerici and then Austrian Ernst Ocwirk. The Blucerchiati finished 11th.
From the following season he started to play regularly and did so for the next seven. Sampdoria finished 15th, 14th, 16th (relegated), 1st (promoted), 10th, 12th and 13th. His managers were Ocwirk, Giuseppe Baldini, Gipo Poggi, and Fulvio Bernardini for three seasons. Frustalupi played 164 games in Serie A with 21 goals and 38 in B with 1 goal. His Serie A goals included one against Roma away in a 1-1 draw in 1968 and another in a 3-3 away draw in 1969.
After eight seasons with "Il Doria" he signed for Inter in 1970. In his first year the manager was first Heriberto Herrera (1-5) and then Giovanni Invernizzi (6-30). With Invernizzi he played less and did not get along with Jair. The Nerazzurri won the Scudetto and Frustalupi played 18 league games with 1 goal (Bologna), 3 in Coppa Italia with 1 goal (Como) and 1 in the Fairs Cup.
In 1971-72 Invernizzi stayed on but Inter finished 5th. They reached the final of the European Cup but lost to Cruijff's Ajax 0-2 in Rotterdam where Frustalupi played the whole game. In the semi-final he scored his penalty in the victorious shootout against Celtic. He played 20 league games with 1 goal (Varese) and 7 games in the European Cup. One of his teammates was former Lazio striker Gian Piero Ghio. At Inter at 30 he was then considered past it and let go.
In 1972 Frustalupi joined Lazio. Inter wanted Giuseppe Massa and gave Lazio Frustalupi, Massimo Silva plus money to sign him. Lazio needed a playmaker and Frustalupi proved to be perfect. With the arrivals of keeper Felice Pulici, defender Sergio Petrelli, midfielder Luciano Re Cecconi and winger Renzo Garlaschelli, added to Pino Wilson, Gigi Martini and Giorgio Chinaglia, Lazio put together a competitive team under the wise guidance of Tommaso Maestrelli.
In 1972-73 Lazio were superb and played spectacular "Dutch" style football and went extremely close to the league title, finishing 3rd after a dramatic last day of the season. They won both derbies and Frustalupi played 30 league games with 1 goal (Ternana), 4 in Coppa Italia and 2 in the Anglo-Italian Cup.
The following season came Lazio's masterpiece. The Biancocelesti won their first historic Scudetto and again won both derbies. Frustalupi played 30 league games, 6 in Coppa Italia and 4 in the UEFA Cup. A memorable season for Lazio and Frustalupi was one of the brightest stars.
In 1974-75 Lazio had a difficult season due to the deterioration of Maestrelli's health. Lazio showed flashes of their championship winning form, beating Juventus and Milan but off field worries distracted the team. They finished 4th and Frustalupi played 28 league games with 1 goal (1-0 winner against Cagliari) and 4 in Coppa Italia. Lazio were never allowed to represent Italy in the European Cup as they were banned for a year, following the incidents and brawl against Ipswich the previous season in the UEFA Cup.
In 1975 he was inexplicably sold to Cesena in Serie A along with defender Giancarlo Oddi. He was still at the top of his game and Cesena came 6th (best in their history and UEFA qualification). Frustalupi played 30 league games under manager Giuseppe Marchioro and scored 7 goals (Roma in 2-0 win, Sampdoria, Perugia, Juventus, Verona, Inter and Roma again in 2-2 away draw) plus 4 games in Coppa Italia.
The following year the "Cavalluccio" (The Seahorse) from Romagna had problems and were relegated. The Bianconeri changed managers three times (former Lazio Giulio Corsini, to Ferrario-Neri duo, to Domenico Rosati and then back to the Ferrario-Neri combination). Frustalupi played 21 league games with 1 goal (Foggia). One of their three wins was a 4-0 thrashing of Roma. In the UEFA Cup they were eliminated in the 1st round by East Germans Magdeburg 3-4 on aggregate.
In 1977 he joined his last club Pistoiese in Serie B. In his first year under Bruno Bolchi (1-11) and Enzo Riccomini, the Arancioni finished 16th. Frustalupi played 21 league games with 3 goals. He played with young and future stars Sergio Brio (Juventus) and Beppe Dossena (Torino, Sampdoria).
In 1978-79, under Riccomini, the "Olandesina" finished 5th and Frustalupi played 37 league games with 2 goals. His teammates included Lazio connections Maurizio Moscatelli, Stefano Di Chiara and Fortunato Torrisi.
In 1979-80 the Orange were promoted to Serie A with a 2nd place finish. Frustalupi played 27 league games. His teammates included future managers Marcello Lippi and Francesco Guidolin.
He played his last season in Serie A with Pistoiese. The manager was Lido Vieri but the Tuscans were unable to avoid relegation. Frustalupi played 23 league games with 1 goal (Avellino). The squad included Lazio's Andrea Agostinelli and Roberto Badiani.
At almost 39 he retired after a fine career.
After retiring he opened a Lancia car dealership, collaborated with Pistoiese and for a period was their Sporting Director.
Frustalupi died tragically in 1990 in a car crash while joining his family on holiday. In the accident, in terrible weather, a whole family of four also died, including a three-month-old baby. Frustalupi was 48.
His son Nicolò is also involved in football and for many years was Walter Mazzari's assistant (Napoli, Inter, Torino). More recently he was Napoli's Primavera coach (U19's).
Frustalupi was a giant despite his height of 1.66. He was a midfield playmaker, pulling the strings in midfield with timing, elegance, calm, positioning and technique. When he was younger, he was known as Mariolino (he was the youngest of eight children) but later became Frusta at Lazio. He could play with both feet and had a magnificent footballing brain. One of his managers once phoned Frustalupi’s father to ask if his son was right or left-footed. You could not tell. He won two league titles (Inter '71 and Lazio '74) and played in a European Cup final. He played 364 games in Serie A with 34 goals
At Lazio, Frustalupi (the aptly named Wolf thrasher) is a legend. He only stayed three seasons but was part of their most loved team ever. During the week they were divided into clans (Chinaglia, Wilson and Pulici's against Re Cecconi, Martini and Frustalupi's) but on the Sunday they were unstoppable together. Frustalupi was reborn in Rome and was considered, along with Chinaglia, the most important member of the team. The name Frustalupi will always have a mythical aura at Lazio and deservedly so. His sale in 1976 is still considered one of the biggest market mistakes in Lazio's history, along with that of Pavel Nedved to buy Gaizka Mendieta. Fortunately, the Wolf thrasher had already made history for Lazio.
Lazio Career
Season | Total Appearances (goals) | Serie A | Coppa Italia | UEFA Cup | Ango Italian Cup |
1972-73 | 36 (1) | 30 (1) | 4 | - | 2 |
1973-74 | 40 | 30 | 6 | 4 | - |
1974-75 | 32 (1) | 28 | 4 | - | - |
Total | 108 (2) | 88 (1) | 14 | 4 | 2 |
Sources
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