Game 17, Serie A
Sunday, January 28, 1940
Stadio Filadelfia, Turin
Torino Lazio 0-1
A fantastic win for Lazio in a match that was more of a battle than a game of football
Lazio had done pretty well in the first half of the season, beating Milan, Napoli and Juventus and drawing against the formidable Ambrosiana Inter. The Biancocelesti were 4th together with Juventus and Ambrosiana and behind Bologna and Genoa.
The match
Torino was the first team off the mark and had control of the ball for the first ten minutes but without creating anything particularly dangerous. Then Silvio Piola took control falling a little back hence controlling the entire Lazio attacking play.
Lazio scored in the 34th minute. Piola to Enrique Flamini who eluded offside and crossed. There were two Lazio players in the box ready for the kill: Evaristo Barrera and Silvestro Pisa. The former let the ball go under his legs so the latter could score easily on the volley. 1-0 for Lazio.
In the second half Torino attacked first but Lazio created the best move of the match. Bruno Camolese took a free kick that Piola scissor kicked. The ball went low to the left of the Torino goalkeeper who miraculously saved it.
The game was getting dirty with fouls from both sides. At one point the teams decided to take matters into their own hands and the referee had to send somebody off. He had a wide choice of players but in the end, he opted for Luciano Ramella and Cesare Gallea, the least guilty.
Ten against ten, Lazio fell back into defence. As written in La Stampa newspaper by Vittorio Pozzo, manager of Italy in the 1930s and winner of two World Cups, the game became a farce. Lengthy rugby-type scrums in the penalty box with Torino failing to get the ball into the net and Lazio unable to clear. The Granata even scored but ref Giorgio Moretti said no. A siege that lasted half an hour with Lazio only breaking it a few times.
In the end the Lazio defence resisted and brought back the two points. An excellent first half and a gutsy performance in the second.
Who played for Torino
Olivieri, Piacentini, Ferrini, Gallea, Allasio, Baldi III, Borsetti, Marchini, Michelini, Petron, Capri.
Manager: Kuttik
Who played for Lazio
Manager: Kertesz
Referee: Moretti
Goal: 34' Pisa
Sources
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