Good start to cup campaign
Lazio thrash second tier Palermo with five goals within the hour mark
Also on this day: June 7, 1908, Lazio Win Three Games In One Day. Lazio win three games in one day in Pisa, playing with the same XI. No other club in history has ever managed such a feat. Lazio Legend of the day: Sante Ancherani
The season so far
Lazio had finished an excellent 3rd the previous season, under Englishman Jesse Carver.
This year however, Lazio found themselves in serious financial difficulty and were not able to improve the squad. Carver had left for Inter and the new manager was Milovan Ćirić, but he had been sacked in early February after a 0-5 defeat at Bologna. The manager was now former player Alfredo Monza (1935-43).
The only new signings of note were midfielders Ugo Pozzan (Bologna) and Giorgio Bravi (Taranto-end of loan). The departures were more significant as Lazio were losing defender Primo Sentimenti V after seven seasons (Udinese) and forward Lorenzo Bettini (Udinese). Karl Aage Praest was retiring but he had not made much impact in Rome.
In Serie A Lazio had struggled and finished 12th. The highlights were beating Roma 2-1 and Inter 3-1 at home. Top scorer was Arne Selmosson with 9 league goals.
This today was the first game of Coppa Italia. The domestic cup was to be played in the summer to make up for Italy not qualifying for the 1958 World Cup in Sweden.
As it was between seasons, the squads were undergoing changes. Lazio had a new manager for a start, former Lazio player Fulvio Bernardini, and had added goalkeeper Idilio Cei (Foligno), defender Franco Janich (Atalanta), midfielder Carlo Tagnin (Alessandria), forwards Maurilio Prini (Fiorentina) and Claudio Bizzarri (Fiorentina).
There had however been another major change to the Lazio squad. It was more a trauma, as Swedish idol Arne Selmosson, (nicknamed "Raggio di Luna", moonbeam, for the pallor of his skin) after 3 highly successful seasons and 31 goals in 101 games for Lazio, had done the unmentionable; he had swapped 'sides of the Tiber' and signed for bitter rivals Roma.
It was a major event in Rome and some people were even said to have changed teams siding with the Giallorossi just so they could continue following the Swede (such as former Prime Minister Massimo D'Alema, just to name one). Until 2018 he was the only player to have scored for both Lazio and Roma in derbies (since emulated by Kolarov and Pedro). So, Lazio had started their cup campaign "Selmossonless".
Other players leaving apart from "Raggio di Luna" were midfielder Luigi Fuin (Juventus) plus forwards Ermes Muccinelli (Juventus) and Pasquale Vivolo (Genoa).
Palermo had just finished 6th in Serie B, under three different managers: Pietro Riva, Attilio Kossovel and finally Carlo Rigotti. Top scorer was Santiago Vernazza with 12 league goals.
For the cup Rigotti was still the manager. The squad was that of the league but included forward Giuseppe Barbieri (Sambenedettese).
The format of the cup was 8 groups of 4 teams each. The winners of each group would then play the quarter finals after the summer, in September. Lazio were in group H with Roma, Napoli and Palermo.
The match: Saturday, June 7, 1958, Stadio Olimpico, Rome
The game was a rare evening kick-off, so played under floodlights.
Lazio had a few of their new players in the starting line-up such as Claudio Bizzarri, Carlo Tagnin and Maurilio Prini. Palermo played new signing Giuseppe Barbieri.
Lazio's superiority looked clear from the start with Humberto Tozzi obviously on one of his good days.
Lazio took the lead after 11 minutes with a Renzo Burini penalty, 1-0.
Lazio doubled in the 29th minute with a superb move. Tagnin and Burini combined well and Tozzi got in between the central defenders and blasted an unstoppable shot past Robert Forte. 2-0.
Tozzi, sensing he was on form, then tried a volley from about 40 metres out but maybe exaggerated.
In the 43rd minute however, he scored again. He headed in Lazio's third just before halftime. Lazio 3 Palermo 0. No contest so far.
The second half followed the same script. In the 54th minute Alfredo Napoleoni, who had replaced Ugo Pozzan, made it 4-0.
Four minutes later Tozzi hit the crossbar with a fearsome strike but Burini was there on the rebound to make it 5-0.
Lazio then relaxed, possibly too much. In the 75th minute Santiago Vernazza got a consolation goal but then Palermo had more chances, hitting two posts with Walter Gomez and Vernazza.
The last chance however, was for the man of the match Tozzi but his strike went just wide. Final score Lazio 5 Palermo 1.
A convincing performance by Lazio albeit against Serie B opposition and a perfect start to their cup campaign. Next up Napoli.
Who played for Lazio
Lovati, Colombo, Lo Buono, Carradori, Pinardi, Pozzan (46' Napoleoni), Bizzarri, Tagnin, Tozzi, Burini, Prini
Substitutes: Giglietti, Lucentini
Manager: Bernardini
Who played for Palermo
Forte, De Bellis, Sereni, Benedetti, Piovanelli, Malavasi, Barbieri, Vernazza, Gomez, Sandri, Lonardi
Referee: Grillo
Goals: 11' Burini (pen), 29' Tozzi, 43' Tozzi, 54' Napoleoni, 58' Burini, 75' Vernazza
What happened next
Lazio went on to win the cup, their first historic silverware.
In the group phase they won 3 (Napoli 3-1 and 4-0, Roma 3-2) and drew 2 (Palermo 2-2 and Roma 1-1). They topped the group with 10 points ahead of Roma 7, Palermo 5 and Napoli 2.
On September 6, the Biancocelesti beat Marzotto Valdagno 2-1 and in the semi-final Juventus 2-0.
In the final on September 24 against Fiorentina, in Rome, Lazio triumphed 1-0 with a Maurilio Prini goal after thirty minutes.
Bob Lovati lifted Lazio's first ever trophy after 58 years of trying.
Palermo then won 2 (Roma 3-2 and Napoli 5-1 at home), drew 1 (Lazio 2-2) and lost 2 (Napoli 2-4 and Roma 0-1, both away).
The following season the manager would be Čestmír Vycpálek (Zdeněk Zeman's uncle) and the Rosanero won promotion to Serie A.
Lazio 1957-58
Competition | Played | Won | Drawn | Lost | Goals scored |
Serie A | 34 | 10 | 10 | 14 | 45 |
Coppa Italia | 6 | 4 | 2 | - | 18 |
Total | 40 | 14 | 12 | 14 | 63 |
Top five appearances
Player | Total | Serie A | Coppa Italia |
Pinardi | 35 | 30 | 5 |
Molino | 34 | 34 | - |
Selmosson | 33 | 33 | - |
Muccinelli | 32 | 32 | - |
Pozzan | 32 | 27 | 5 |
Top five goal scorers
Player | Total | Serie A | Coppa Italia |
Tozzi | 16 | 7 | 9 |
Burini | 12 | 7 | 5 |
Selmosson | 9 | 9 | - |
Pozzan | 6 | 5 | 1 |
Muccinelli | 5 | 5 | - |
Let's talk about Luciano Giglietti
Luciano Giglietti was born in Rome on December 13, 1939.
His first club at youth level was Flaminio, but at 14 he joined Lazio. He then played at the various age levels winning several tournaments, including the prestigious Cannes Cup where in the victorious final, against Nuremberg, he also saved a penalty.
In the 1958-59 season he was added to Lazio’s first team squad, starting from the summer in Coppa Italia.
The manager was Fulvio Bernardini and Giglietti made his debut on July 6, coming on in the second half for Idilio Cei, in a 4-0 away win in Naples. On this occasion he saved a Bruno Pesaola penalty.
This however, would remain his only appearance for Lazio. He faced competition from Bob Lovati, Cei, Franco Pezzullo and Massimelli Bellagamba and in training and some friendlies even had to play in midfield.
In 1960 he joined Salernitana on loan. He played 7 league games for the Amaranto in Serie C but in January returned to Lazio.
The following season he did some of his military service in Orvieto and at the same time was part of the Brindisi squad in Serie D on loan.
In 1962-63 he was with Taranto in Serie C, on loan, while he was finishing his military service in Trani.
He then spent another year on loan with CRAL Cirio (Napoli) in Serie D.
In the summer of 1964 tired of moving around Italy he found a job in Latina, near Rome, working for the council. He then joined Latina football club too, and won promotion to Serie D. He then played two more seasons for the Nerazzurri.
He then continued playing at local level and had a year each with Gaeta (5th tier), Vis Sezze (5th tier) and Vis Velletri (Serie D).
He retired in 1970 at 31.
He then obtained a coaching license for the lower leagues. He coached for a few years in the area around Latina and Rome, including Priverno and Pantanaccio.
In 1978 he left Italy and went to live in Sydney, Australia, where his wife is from. Down under he switched to tennis, apparently with some success with his wife in mixed doubles.
So not a glorious career as a goalkeeper but he can say he won the Coppa Italia with Lazio.
Lazio Career
Season | Coppa Italia Appearances |
1957-58 | 1 |
Sources
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