Defence and Puccinelli give Lazio happy lake trip
Solid defending, Puccinelli 's first goal of the season and referee's permissiveness give the Biancocelesti good away win
Also on this day:
The season so far
Lazio had finished 4th for the third consecutive season. The manager was Giuseppe Bigogno and the highlight was beating Juventus 2-0 at home while there were no derbies as Roma were in Serie B. The top scorer was Turk Sükrü Gülesin with 16 league goals.
This season the manager was Bigogno again. The main new signings were keeper Aldo De Fazio (back from Lucchese), midfielders Vittorio Bergamo (Sampdoria), Norwegian Per Bredesen (Ørn Horten) plus forwards Paolo Bettolini (Magenta) and Emilio Caprile (Juventus).
Leaving the capital were midfielders Enrique Flamini (Reggiana, after 272 league games), Mario Magrini (Monza), Vittorio Sentimenti III (Torino) and forward Gülesin Sükrü (Palermo - on loan).
Lazio were currently joint 5th with Bologna on 14 points. Lazio had won 6 (including derby 1-0), drawn 2 and lost 3 (including the most recent game 1-3 away to Milan).
Como had finished 13th in Serie A the previous season. The manager was first Alfredo Mazzoni and then, from the 22nd fixture, Dutchman Róbert Winkler. Como had drawn 2-2 at home against Lazio but won 2-1 in Rome. Top scorer was Giuseppe Baldini with 13 league goals.
This season the manager was still Winkler. The main new players were keeper Ezio Bardelli (Milan), defender Luigi Origgi (Lecco), midfielders Guido Gratton (Vicenza), Emilio Lavezzari (Milan - on loan), Gianmarco Mezzadri (Bologna) plus forward Renato Luosi (Lecco).
Leaving were keeper Carlo Visintin (retiring), defenders Gianfranco Gatti (Pavia), Franco Pedroni (Milan), midfielders Umberto Pinardi (Juventus) plus forwards Manlio Cipolla (Pavia), Giuliano Giovetti (Torino), Alceo Lipizer (Reggiana), Ercole Rabitti (Fanfulla) and Mario Stua (Cantù).
So far, Como were in joint 12th position with Triestina, Pro Patria and Palermo on 8 points, only one above the drop zone. The Lariani had won 2, drawn 4 and lost 5.
Lazio hoped to impose their superiority today but had to be careful as both Como's wins had come at home and both Inter and Juventus had struggled here, eventually winning 1-0.
The match: Sunday, December 7, 1952, Stadio Giuseppe Sinigaglia, Como
An overcast day on the northern lake saw just under 10,000 spectators turn up at the Sinigaglia.
Como had no absences while Lazio were without defender Stefano Malacarne and forward Lelio "Lello" Antoniotti.
Como, as predicted, began on the attack. Lazio were on the back foot for the first twenty minutes in which Como hit the base of the post with Carlo Dossi. Lazio had a few forays forward but Scandinavian duo Per Bredesen and Ragnar Larsen did not appear at their best.
In the 23rd minute however, an Italian combination gave Lazio the lead. It was Emilio Caprile who went on a brilliant run and set up Aldo Puccinelli who scored his first goal of the season. Como 0 Lazio 1.
After the goal it took several excellent Lucidio Sentimenti IV saves to keep Lazio in front at halftime.
At the beginning of the second half Luigi Fuin was accidentally elbowed in the eye, causing him problems with his vision, and had to be moved out to the right wing while Larsen moved into the middle.
Como continued to attack while Lazio tried to strike on the break. Both keepers, however, were on top form and got the better of the forwards. The crossbar saved the Como keeper towards the end on a Paolo Bettolini header.
It was then the referee who saved Lazio in the 85th minute. Zeffiro Furiassi appeared to pull down Renato Cattaneo just as he was about to shoot but to the general surprise the referee gestured to play on. The Como fans vented their anger by throwing their cushions and also some heavier objects onto the pitch. Final score Como 0 Lazio 1.
Lazio had battled hard, defended excellently and had a little help from the referee in the last few minutes. An important win, however, and Lazio were now joint 4th with Roma who had drawn 0-0 at home to Sampdoria while Bologna had lost 1-3 at home to Napoli.
Como were now joint bottom with Sampdoria, Novara, SPAL and Palermo all on 8 points.
Who played for Como
Bardelli, Boniardi, Origgi, Bergamaschi, Quadri, Mezzadri, Cattaneo, Ghiandi, Baldini, Gratton, Dossi
Manager: Winkler
Who played for Lazio
Sentimenti IV, Antonazzi, Furiassi, Fuin, Sentimenti V, Bergamo, Puccinelli, Bredesen, Bettolini, Larsen, Caprile
Manager: Bigogno
Referee: Liverani
Goal: 23' Puccinelli
What happened next
Lazio finished 10th. In the next 13 games Lazio won 2, drew 2 and lost 9. After the 25th fixture, a 0-2 home defeat to Atalanta, Bigogno was replaced by Alfredo Notti. The new manager's first game was the derby and it was a 2-0 triumph with an Aldo Puccinelli brace. In the last 8 games Lazio then won 1, drew 3 (including Milan 0-0 at home and Inter 1-1 away) and lost 4. Top scorers were Ragnar Larsen and Paolo Bettolini with 7 league goals each. A mediocre season but with two derby wins.
Como ended up relegated. In the next 5 games Como lost 4 and won 1. From the 18th fixture (exact halfway mark) the Biancoblu had a new manager, Luigi Bonizzoni. In the return fixtures Como won 8 (including Roma 2-1 and Milan 3-1, both at home), drew 1 and lost 8 (including Lazio 0-2). Despite the improvement Como ended up 17th on 27 points and went down. Top scorers were Giuseppe Baldini and Vittorio Ghiandi with 6 league goals each.
Como would not be back in Serie A until the 1975-76 season.
The Scudetto was won by Inter for the 6th time. Como dropped down to Serie B with fellow Lombards Pro Patria.
Let’s talk about Emilio Caprile
Emilio Caprile was born in Genova, on September 30, 1928.
He spent his youth career with Genoa 1893 and then in 1945, with the Rossoblu now just called Genoa, he joined the first team squad.
Genoa had three managers: Guido Ara (until Dec 3), József Viola (until Mar 11) and Ottavio Barbieri and finished 12th in Serie A Alta Italia. Caprile played 5 league games.
In 1946-47 he played for Sestrese in Serie B but the Verdestellati were relegated. Caprile played 40 league games and scored 19 goals.
In 1947-48 he joined Legnano in Serie B. The Lilacs finished 4th under manager Giuseppe Galluzzi and Caprile played 34 league games with 12 goals.
In 1948-49 he played for Juventus for a season. The manager was William Chalmers from Scotland and the Bianconeri finished 4th. He played 32 league games and scored 9 goals (including Lazio home and away). His teammates included Lazio connections Lucidio Sentimenti IV (1949-54), Vittorio Sentimenti III (1949-52), John Hansen (1954-55) Carlo Parola (1954-55) and Ermes Muccinelli (1955-58).
In 1949 he went to Atalanta on loan for two seasons. The Bergamaschi finished 8th and 12th in Serie A, under Giovanni Varglien the first year and four different managers the second (including Varglien and Englishman Dennis Charles). Caprile played 61 league games with 16 goals (including Roma twice, Milan x2)
In 1951-52 he was back at Juventus for a season. He only played 5 league games with 2 goals as he was Karl-Aage Præst's reserve. The Bianconeri won the Scudetto under Jesse Carver and then Gyorgy Sárosi from December. His teammates included future Lazio, Pasquale Vivolo (1953-58), John Hansen (1954-55), Ermes Muccinelli and Karl-Age Præst (1956-57).
In 1952 Caprile joined Lazio. The Biancocelesti first had Giuseppe Bigogno as manager and then, from the 26th fixture onwards, Alfredo Notti. Lazio finished 10th and won both derbies. Caprile played 20 league games and scored 2 goals (Triestina, Inter). He also played 7 games with the reserves and scored 3 goals, helping the Biancocelesti to winning the reserve league Scudetto.
In November 1953 he joined Como on loan. The Comaschi were in Serie B and finished 4th under Argentine Hugo Lamanna. Caprile played 21 league games and scored 3 goals.
In 1954 he returned to Legnano in Serie B and stayed four seasons. The Lilacs finished 3rd, 14th, 18th (relegated) and 8th in C. Caprile played 127 league games and scored 34 goals.
He then spent one last season with Sammargheritese (Genova) in Serie D. The "Samm" finished 12th and Caprile played 14 league games with 2 goals. He then retired at 30.
He won 2 caps for Italy and scored 2 goals (USA and Denmark in 1948 Olympics).
Caprile was a forward. He was no giant at 1.70 and 65 kilos and played mainly on the wing but scored a fair amount of goals in his career, 99. He won a Scudetto at Juventus in 1952.
At Lazio he only stayed one season. It was a decent one for him with 20 league appearances and 2 goals, in a 4-1 home win against Triestina and a 1-1 away draw to Inter.
Caprile died in Genova on March 5 2022.
Lazio Career
Season | Serie A Appearances | Serie A Goals |
1952-53 | 20 | 2 |
Sources
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