Lethal Lazio
Three goals on the counter attack for the Biancocelesti who managed to win despite Inter’s late comeback
Also on this day: November 6, 1983: Lazio Avellino 2-1. Lazio manage to beat Avellino thanks to a Meluso brace. Player of the day: Mauro Meluso
The season so far
After the mediocre 1954-55 season, Lazio realised that they had to do more as far as transfers were concerned. So, for the current campionato Lazio spent a lot of money. In came forwards Arne Selmosson and Lorenzo Bettini from Udinese plus Ermes Muccinelli from Juventus, defenders Giovanni Molino (Torino) and Nicola Lo Buono (Trani). Roberto Lovati and Franco Carradori returned from their loan spells at Torino and Palermo. Leaving Lazio were legends Aldo Puccinelli and Romolo Alzani as well as Per Bredesen, Vittorio Bergamo and Renato Spurio. Carlo Parola left active football but stayed as assistant to manager Luigi Ferrero. The technical director was still Roberto Copernico.
The beginning of the season had not been good. Just two wins so far, on the Sunday before this game at Bologna and at Padova in the first of the season, meant 11th place. And today they had to play leaders Inter.
The match: Sunday, November 6, 1955, Stadio San Siro, Milan
Inter were playing in orange today.
The game started slowly, both teams rather cautious. Lazio though were more dangerous. After a chance wasted by Lorenzo Bettini, in the 25th minute, Bob Lovati parried a Skoglund shot. Ball to Pasquale Vivolo who from inside the Biancoceleste half sent a long ball to Ermes Muccinelli. The little Lazio winger raced forward, dribbled past a number of orange shirts, and from about a dozen metres placed the ball in the top hand corner. Wonderful goal, so good, that even Inter fans applauded.
The Nerazzurri disappeared and the Biancocelesti gained control of the match. They built a wall in front of the defence and then whizzed away on the counter attack. Time and time again Arne Selmosson and Muccinelli were dangerous, often stopped by very dubious off-side calls.
In the second half in the 48th minute Benito Lorenzi scored but the referee had already whistled off-side. Lovati sent the ball to the middle of the pitch, Angelo Villa to Muccinelli who passed to Vivolo. The Lazio forward repeated what his teammate had done in the first half and 2-0 for the Biancocelesti.
A minute later Selmosson, on a Muccinelli assist, dribbled past Rino Ferrario and Giovanni Giacomazzi and made it three for Lazio.
The Biancocelesti at this point, feeling certain of the win, stopped playing and let Inter back in the game. In the 57th minute the referee gave a penalty to the home side for a Giovanni Molino foul on Gino Armano. The Inter player took the penalty but Lovati parried. The Lazio keeper was again magnificent a few minutes later on a Cesare Campagnoli volley.
The Biancocelesti moved forward and in the 61st minute Bettini scored but the ref did not give the goal following another very dubious offside.
Inter finally got their goal in the 76th minute when Benito Lorenzi headed the ball past Lovati following a corner. Selmosson had a shot that went just wide and Lovati saved again on Armano. In the 88th minute Inter scored again. Campagnoli crossed into the box, Armano held back Giovanni Di Veroli and Giovanni Invernizzi scored. The Neroazzurri’s last chance in the 90th minute was for Skoglund, but his shot went wide.
Great victory for Lazio even though they should not have had a lapse in concentration after the 3-0.
Who played for Inter
Ghezzi, Fongaro, Giacomazzi, Masiero, Ferrario, Nesti, Armano, Invernizzi, Lorenzi, Skoglund, Campagnoli
Manager: Campatelli
Who played for Lazio
Manager: Ferrero
DT: Copernico
Referee: Pieri
Goals: 26’ Muccinelli, 49’ Vivolo, 50’ Selmosson, 76’ Lorenzi, 88’ Invernizzi
What happened next
After the first game of the year, a defeat against Juventus, Copernico was sacked and replaced by Jesse Carver. One game later Ferrero resigned so all coaching power lay with the Englishman. Things went decisively better and the Biancocelesti started to climb up the table, thanks also to the fact that there were a lot of teams within a few points. After match 26 they were fourth together with Atalanta, Spal, Roma, Padova, and Sampdoria. The third place was reached with three games to go and maintained to the end (in the company of Inter). Lazio had beaten Bologna, Inter, Milan and Napoli away from home plus Roma and Juventus at the Olimpico.
One interesting fact was that the game against Roma had been postponed due to snow, something that happens very rarely in the capital.
Selmosson was the player with most appearances (34) and the leading goal scorer together with Muccinelli (10).
Lazio 1955-56
Competition | Played | Won | Drawn | Lost | Goals scored |
Serie A | 34 | 14 | 11 | 9 | 54 |
Top five appearances
Player | Serie A |
Selmosson | 34 |
Bettini | 32 |
Lovati | 32 |
Molino | 32 |
Muccinelli | 32 |
Top five goal scorers
Player | Serie A |
Bettini | 12 |
Selmosson | 10 |
Muccinelli | 10 |
Burini | 7 |
Vivolo | 5 |
Let's talk about Luigi Ferrero
Luigi Ferrero was born in Turin on February 26, 1904. He began to play football in the youth teams of Juventus and debuted in the first eleven on March 19, 1922, in the match against Livorno. He played four seasons with the Bianconeri as a winger, before signing for Libertas Lucca in the First Division in 1926. From 1927 to 1930 he played for Pistoiese and then moved to Milan. He played two years for Ambrosiana Inter in Serie A appearing in 40 league games with 11 goals. In 1932 he signed for Bari, took them to Serie A in 1934-35 and stayed for five years before closing his active football career with three seasons for Torino.
He immediately started a career as a manager, first for Bari and then two years at Pescara. In 1945 he was called to be head coach for the Great Torino with whom he won two consecutive scudetti. He then decided to move to Florence and leave the great team in the hands of Mario Sperone. Fiorentina were not doing very well since the war and he managed to take them to the higher places in the table. After four years he moved slightly west to manage Lucchese for a season and then spent two years in Bergamo as head coach of Atalanta. In 1954 he started as manager for Verona but was sacked after nine games.
In 1955 he was called to Rome by Roberto Copernico. The latter had teamed up with George Raynor the previous year with Copernico as technical director and the Englishman as manager. With Raynor gone, Ferrero was chosen but the duo did not do very well and in early 1955 Copernico was sacked and replaced by Jesse Carver. Ferrero stayed for one game and then resigned in solidarity. In total he was on the bench for 14 games.
The following season he went back to Inter but was sacked after 25 games. He then managed Fiorentina in the 1958-59 season, Spal in 1960-61 and Prato in 1963-64. His final year on the bench was as technical director for Fiorentina in the 1967-68 season.
He died in Turin on October 30, 1984.
Sources
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