Lazio topple league leaders
Lazio shock the "Old Lady" with a goal per half
Also on this day:
The season so far
Lazio had finished a positive 4th the previous season, under manager Mario Sperone. The Biancocelesti had won both derbies and and beaten Milan away. Top scorer was Norberto Höfling with 11 league goals.
This season the manager was Giuseppe Bigogno. The main additions to the squad were Luigi Fuin (Palermo), Ragnar Nikolay Larsen (Sandaker), Sigvard Löfgren (Helsingborg), plus forward Lelio Antoniotti while leaving were defender Sergio Piacentini (Chinotto Neri), midfielder Flavio Cecconi (Napoli) and forwards, Dionisio Arce (Napoli) and Höfling (Pro Patria).
The Eagles were having another good season and were joint 4th with SPAL on 25 points. Lazio had won 9, drawn 7 and lost 5. Lazio came from three draws and were unbeaten since December 23. There was no derby this year as Roma had been the first team from the capital to be relegated to Serie B.
Juventus had finished 3rd the previous year, under Jesse Carver. The Bianconeri drew 1-1 with Lazio in Rome but won 3-0 in Turin. They had some big wins (Pro Patria 7-0, Bologna 5-0, Atalanta 5-1, Torino 5-1, Palermo 5-1 away, Roma 7-2, Padova 5-1, Sampdoria 7-2, Fiorentina 5-0, Atalanta 6-2 at home) but missed out on the title to Milan. Top scorer in all competitions was Giampiero Boniperti with 28 goals while in Serie A it was Karl Aage Hansen with 23.
This season the manager was supposed to be Carver but he fell out with the directors over market issues. The replacement was György Sárosi but he was tied down in the States until December so, until then, a temporary solution was found with the duo Gianpiero Combi-Luigi Bertolini.
In the summer few players had arrived: defender Giuseppe Corradi (Modena) and forward Emilio Caprile (Atalanta - back from loan) while no players of any significance left. A pretty much unchanged squad.
So far, Juventus were top of the table on 34 points, with a four-point lead on Inter and Milan. The Bianconeri had won 15 (including Lazio 5-3), drawn 4 (including derby 0-0) and lost 2 (including a surprise 0-2 defeat at lowly Como a month earlier).
Juventus looked on course for their 9th league title but Lazio were a good team so Juventus had to be careful..
The match: Sunday, February 17, 1952, Stadio Torino, Rome
A sunny day brought about 35,000 to the Stadio Torino in Rome.
Lazio were missing defender Zeffiro Furiassi and Swedish midfielder Sigvard Löfgren.
Juventus were without midfielder Giacomo Mari.
The beginning of the game was immediately lively. In the 2nd minute Enrique Flamini showed off wonderful skill but then put too much weight on his final pass. A minute later Giampiero Boniperti had some space but shot too soon and Lucidio Sentimenti IV dived low and saved comfortably.
Both sides created potential threats but Juventus gradually started to control the game more and Karl Aage Præst had an excellent volley just off target.
In the 18th minute the Lazio forward Gülesin Şükrü was forced off injured temporarily. While the big Turk was being seen too and put back in place Lazio scored.
In the 24th minute the Biancocelesti started a move with Stefano Malacarne, Flamini and then Aldo Puccinelli who weaved his way past three defenders and set up Lelio Antoniotti about nine metres out, the striker from Valle d'Aosta hit a low precise shot into the corner. Lazio 1 Juventus 0.
Soon after the goal Lazio's Turkish striker came back on and Lazio were rampant. In the 29th minute Giovanni Viola denied a Ragnar Larsen header after a good Puccinelli- Flamini combination.
At this point the Bianconeri reacted and just after the half hour John Hansen hit a crossbar, then in the 36th minute Pasquale Vivolo fired high and soon after Sentimenti IV had to save a Hansen header.
In the 40th minute however Lazio almost doubled the score when a Puccinelli cross went very close to the goal line and Şükrü could not get a touch on it. Half time Lazio 1 Juventus 0.
The beginning of the second half was balanced and both sides had chances. In the 49th minute Lazio threatened with a Primo Sentimenti V freekick but Viola parried into corner and in the 51st minute Giampiero Boniperti called Sentimenti IV into action. In the 62nd minute Boniperti was clear on goal but "Cochi" Sentimenti IV rushed off his line and narrowed the angle causing the striker to shoot high.
There followed a period in which Lazio’s solid midfield barrier avoided any Juve attacks. In the 70th minute Şükrü, in a possible offside position, hit the post and soon after Puccinelli had a shot from a good position but it was weak and Viola blocked.
In the 75th minute Lazio put together an excellent move. A superb through ball by Puccinelli found Antoniotti who ran forward and struck a wonderful shot which only a brilliant save by Viola prevented from going in.
Lazio grew in confidence while the Bianconeri were increasingly frustrated. In the 77th minute with Puccinelli on the ground he was attacked by Alberto Bertucelli and others while the referee had his back turned so they got away with it.
Juventus almost equalised in the 81st minute when an angled John Hansen shot beat Sentimenti IV but was kept out first by Malacarne and then Romolo Alzani.
Juventus threw defender Sergio Manente into attack too but Lazio's defence held firm and with a minute to go Lazio struck again. Şükrü gained and then took a freekick which Puccinelli then fired in from close range. No way back for the "Old lady now and final score 2-0.
A deserved win for Lazio. The Biancocelesti had battled hard in defence and midfield, limiting the Zebra's chances, and then been more dangerous with Flamini, Puccinelli, Şükrü and Antoniotti all having excellent games up front.
Lazio were inferior technically to the Bianconeri but had made up for it with their speed, agility and desire to win.
Who played for Lazio
Sentimenti IV, Antonazzi, Sentimenti V, Alzani, Malacarne, Fuin, Puccinelli, Larsen, Antoniotti, Flamini, Şükrü
Manager: Bigogno
Who played for Juventus
Viola, Bertuccelli, Manente, K. Hansen, Ferrario, Piccinini, Muccinelli, Vivolo, Boniperti, J.Hansen, Praest
Manager: Sárosi
Referee: Bernardi
Goals: 24' Antoniotti, 89' Puccinelli
What happened next
Lazio finished 4th again, for the 3rd consecutive season. In the remaining games the Biancocelesti won 5, drew 6 and lost 5. Top scorer was Şükrü Gülesin with 16 league goals.
Juventus then went on to win their 9th Scudetto. The Bianconeri won 11, drew 4 and lost only 1. Top scorer was Danish John Hansen with an impressive 36 league goals.
With the Zebras champions, the other verdicts were relegation to Serie B for Lucchese, Padova and Legnano (only Padova have ever made it back and now not since 1996).
Let's talk about Giampiero Boniperti
Giampiero Boniperti was born in Barengo (Novara-Piedmont) on July 4 1928.
His clubs as a boy were local Barengo and Momo Novarese.
In 1946 he joined Juventus and at first was in the reserves team but towards the end of the season played 6 games and scored 5 goals for the first team, under Renato Cesarini. The Bianconeri finished 2nd behind Torino.
From the following year, under Cesarini and then William Chalmers, he played regularly, 40 league games and scored 27 goals (top Serie A scorer) and Juventus finished 2nd (again behind Torino). The following year Chalmers stayed on and Boniperti played 32 league games with 15 goals with the Bianconeri finishing 4th.
In 1949-50, with the tragic disappearance of the Grande Torino team in the Superga air crash, Juventus won the Scudetto under Jesse Carver. Boniperti played 35 league games and scored 21 goals.
The following year Juventus finished 3rd but Boniperti continued scoring, 22 league goals.
In 1951-52 the Bianconeri won the Scudetto again, under Carver and then György Sárosi and Boniperti scored 19 goals in 33 games.
In 1952-53 he scored less, 7 goals in 29 appearances and Juventus finished 2nd. Another 2nd place followed with Boniperti scoring 14 goals.
The 1954-55 season saw a disappointing 7th place for Juve while Boniperti became captain and scored 9 goals. In the following two seasons came two 9th places with Boniperti scoring 6 and 4 goals.
In 1957 Juventus bought John Charles and Omar Sivori and won the Scudetto again, under Ljubiša Broćiç. Boniperti played 34 league games with 8 goals plus 6 games in Coppa Italia with 1 goal. The Trio Magico (Charles-Sivori-Boniperti thus won Juventus their 10th title and first star). Boniperti now played further back and more for the team.
In 1958-59 Juventus finished 4th but won the Coppa Italia, defeating Inter 4-1. Boniperti played 26 league games with 8 goals, 3 games in Coppa Italia and 4 in Europe.
In 1959-60 Juventus won the Scudetto again plus the Coppa Italia, under Carlo Parola. Boniperti played 31 league games with 7 goals, 3 games in Coppa Italia and 2 in Europe.
The 1960-61 season was his last as a player at Juventus. He ended in style winning another Scudetto, again under Parola. Boniperti played 28 league games with 6 goals, 1 game in Coppa Italia and 1 in the European Cup.
At 33 he retired after a phenomenal career with Juventus. He played 469 games with 188 goals (178 in A) and won 5 league titles and the Coppa Italia twice.
He won 38 caps for Italy and scored 8 goals. He took part in the 1950 World Cup in Brazil.
A few years after retiring, Boniperti was called by the Agnelli family to take on a role as director at Juventus. In 1971 was elected president of Juventus, a position he maintained until 1990. In this period Juventus won 9 league titles, the Coppa Italia twice, a European Cup, an Intercontinental Cup, a Cup Winners Cup, a UEFA Cup, a European Super Cup. In February 1990 he resigned after having overseen one of the most successful periods in the club's history.
He was called back in 1991 as Chief Executive Officer with full powers. He maintained the role until June 1994. In this period Juventus won a UEFA Cup.
From 2006 until his death he was Juventus honorary president.
A life for Juventus. He once quoted "Juventus is not only the club of my heart. It is my heart". Definitely a Juventus legend.
On a curious note however he did once play a game in Torino colours. Following the Superga air crash tragedy, when the whole Grande Torino team were killed, a friendly was organised to raise money for the victims' families. A selection of the best Serie A players, including Boniperti, represented Torino "Simbolo" in a friendly against River Plate from Argentina.
Besides football he was also involved in FIAT's multisport club Sissport. From 1977 he was Chief Executive Officer and then president from November 1990 to 2014. The club was particularly strong in athletics and had athletes such as Sara Simeoni, Pietro Mennea, Gabriela Dorio and Maurizio Damilano representing it.
He also had a brief five-year spell (1994-1999) as a European Parliamentarian with Silvio Berlusconi's Forza Italia party.
Boniperti, nicknamed "Marisa" by opponents for his blond locks, was a forward. He started as a right winger and then moved to centre-forward. He had great vision and sense of position, he was quick with a powerful shot and also good in the air. A complete forward. Later in his career he pulled back slightly and became an excellent assist-man for John Charles and Omar Sivori. He is however still 15th all-time scorer in Serie A.
Giampiero Boniperti died in Turin on June 18, 2021.
Source
Comments