of the fans. A few days before the start of the new season, scheduled for 19 September 1948, six Torino players, including Mazzola, did not return due to a contract dispute. Mazzola, included in the transfer list, would miss the first round of the season against Pro Patria. However, an agreement with the club was reached on 23 September, with Mazzola returning in a 3–2 loss to Atalanta, in which he scored. Mazzola would go on to score the winning goal in the derby, and offered a very positive performance seven days later in a 3–1 win at Padova, scoring a goal and leading the team alone to victory. In early 1949, he had to live with several muscular injuries which caused him to considerably reduce training and gain weight. Despite not being able to fully recover, he scored four consecutive goals between January and February. On 24 April, in the 33rd round, against Bari (1–1), he scored the final goal of his career. On 30 April, Torino drew 0–0 at the San Siro against Inter; Mazzola, due to a strong sore throat with high fever and a form of angina, did not take part in the match. On 1 May, the day after the match against the Nerazzurri, Torino flew to Lisbon to dispute a friendly against Benfica on 3 May. The match, organised by Mazzola as a farewell to the captain of the Portugal national team, Francisco Ferreira, ended 4–3 for the Portuguese. The two had previously met on 27 February, when Italy had beaten Portugal 4–1 in Genoa. Ferreira and Mazzola had met in a restaurant in the afternoon, and discussed the match that Benfica would dedicate to the Portuguese, with proceeds donated to charity. Death Despite suffering from illness, Mazzola was determined to attend the match he had organised for Torino in Lisbon in 1949. On 4 May, on the return journey from the game, the aircraft carrying Mazzola and the rest of the team crashed, killing everyone on board. Vittorio Pozzo contributed to the recognition of the bodies, which took place late in the night. The funeral, attended by over half a million people, was held on 6 May; the bodies were brought to Palazzo Madama, from where the procession departed, continuing to the Duomo. On the same day the FIGC proclaimed Torino champions of the 1948–49 season, four rounds before the end, approving the